Painting on a canvas stretched over stretcher bars
Canvas stretcher bars can be purchased or homemade. Homemade stretcher bar corners should be cut at an exact 45-degree angle to form a perfectly square corner. Purchased canvas stretcher bars eliminate the worry of properly cut corners. They can be purchased at local hobby and craft stores that offer painting supplies for sale. Pre-cut canvas stretcher bars can be purchased in numerous lengths to create the size of working canvas required for a particular project.
Instructions
Procedure
1. Align the corners of two stretcher bars so they are flush and create a 90-degree angle.
2. Insert a cross brace in the designated area on the stretcher bars if the stretcher bar frame is over 3 feet by 3 feet or if the canvas weight requires extra strength.
3. Align the remaining corners so each creates a 90-degree angle. Insert cross braces if required after each corner has been created.
4. Insert a framing wedge into the first corner firmly using your fingers. Do not use a hammer because it could split the corner. Repeat with the other three corners.
5. Stretch the canvas over the frame and staple it to secure.
