STRETCHING
- You can stretch canvas over anything, but typically a stretcher frame or panel. Specialist stretchers are great, but you can make your own frames. Frames under 1m2 will not need cross bars to support them against the tension of the canvas.
- Try not to use wood which has knots or sap which eventually seeps into the canvas.
- If you’re regularly stretching canvas, get a good quality, and branded, staple gun (so you can always purchase staples easily). Get something lightweight without too much kick. This will save your wrist from strain. The other option is an electric staple gun which has virtually no kick. Arrow and Rapid are good makes.
- If you have assembled an artists’ stretcher-frame and want to make sure it is square, with a tape measure check that the diagonal lengths are equal. If they are not, lightly hammer the corners of the longer distance until they are both equal.
- Different people argue about ways of stretching, but the classic is: get theweave parallel to the stretcher; start at the centre of each side (put in 3 staples for strength); work opposite sides after each other; pull just enough to create a diamond shape in the canvas where the centre staples stretch it; once all four sides are done, work outward on each side from the centre, equal spacing between staples and an even tension. Don’t be tempted to stretch it more than one staple out each way before moving to the other side. Do your corners last.
- Stretching pliers can be used to get the canvas really tight, but ideally the tension should be equal along the sides, so don’t go crazy in the centre and not be able to sustain that tension to the corners.
- If you don’t want to use pliers, try wearing rubber gardening gloves or old leather gloves on large stretchers to avoid rubbing the skin off your fingers!
- If stretching over a panel, use a loose, open weave so the size does not get trapped under the canvas but can ooze through.
- Aluminium stretcher frames are brilliant for larger works – they are much lighter and do not warp.