Create your own canvas

Tips and tricks for making your own canvas

Canvases are a commonly used surface for paintings. The retail value of paintings often reflects the craftsmanship involved in making your own canvas. So it’s good to know how to make your own canvas – and it’s much cheaper than buying one.

Materials

You will need: stretcher frame, rubber mallet, canvas, gesso, rabbit glue (if desired), staple gun First of all, you need a flat surface on which to carefully slot the stretcher bars together. The rubber mallet helps to fit the corners together properly without damaging the wood. Alternatively, you can use a normal hammer with a cloth placed between the frames.

Frame and fabric

Once you’ve assembled the frame, place it on top of the fabric and cut it to size. It’s best to cut a little extra here, as you’ll need plenty of fabric at the edges to stretch it out.

Now it’s time to use the staple gun. There are many different types of staplers; the cheapest one is made of plastic and available from Obi, the metal stapler is simply very sturdy, and the electric stapler makes it easier to build large canvases, as it doesn’t require much strength in your hands.&

Start by stapling the fabric in four places, forming a sort of cross. From there, work your way round the edge, inserting a new staple at each point, then turn the canvas over and repeat on the next side, and so on.

It’s best to do this in a clockwise direction so you can keep track of where you’ve already been. It’s important to always pull the fabric taut before tacking it, so that it’s nicely stretched. There are also tools available for this, in case doing it by hand becomes too tiring in the long run.

Securing the corners

When you get to the corners, there are several options. It’s important to decide on which side you want the corners to be visible. At the edge, or at the top and bottom, or slightly off-centre. And there you have it – your canvas is ready.

Primer

Now, however, it’s important to find a suitable primer. Rabbit glue ensures that the canvas is stretched particularly taut and therefore doesn’t give way so easily. Gesso provides further protection and a white base coat. I use large brushes to apply it. If there are any uneven areas on the canvas, you can sand them down at the end. And there you have it – your very own canvas! Whether or not you prime the edges is entirely up to you. The gesso should be left to dry for about 2–3 hours, and then you can start painting straight away!

And what should you put on the canvas? Why not take inspiration, for example, from artworks featuring charcoal on canvas from the student art market?