Hi and welcome back to my blog! Today I’ll be talking to you about the process of stretching my canvases.
Painting on a canvas I have stretched myself makes me feel more connected to my painting and I’m not limited to the sizes of shop bought canvases as I can have the frame built to whatever size I wish. I also feel that the tension of the canvas is better and when I’m painting I can get a nice bounce-back from the surface of the canvas compared to ready made canvases.
Firstly, I lay the canvas on a flat surface and place the assembled wooden frame onto the canvas. Once I have made sure it’s in the right place I begin to secure the canvas with a staple gun onto the frame. Next, I fold one side of the canvas over the frame, pulling tight and secure with a staple. I then repeat this process around frame, making sure I pull the canvas tightly before securing it. Make sure to add staples to each side of the original staple. Once I have worked my way around the frame I fold the edges of the canvas, at first I found this a bit tricky but it gets easier with practice. You need to pinch and pull the bit of canvas from the corner and fold it tightly against the frame. Fold at a 43 degree angle while holding the first fold down, pinch and fold the excess fabric to line up with the frame. Now, staple it down and repeat the process for the remaining corners.
Once I have completed the stretching I prime my canvas with gesso, this is a combination of paint pigment, chalk and binder. Priming helps the oil paint I use to adhere to the surface. If you don’t prime before you paint you could risk the paint peeling and it could wear off quicker, the canvas you have stretched could also sag.
