Questions about stretching your own canvases

[Jon Sun]

Does anyone have any info on stretching your own canvases from scratch?

How do you do it? What materials do you need? How long does it take? How much would the materials cost?

Is it cheaper to just buy pre-stretched pre-primed canvases? Or is it "worth it" to stretch your own?

Thanks.

[Grief]

there was a good thread awhile ago which covered most of this:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138064

[B u r l]

Just to add: them 45 degree cut joints are fairly weak. I had a slightly different paper somewhere with an overlapping joint design, instead, which is much stronger. If I can find it i'll upload it.

Personally, I find making them for my general painting to be way too much time and effort when you can just go to the store and pick up a bunch of them for cheap. Or just primed hardboard or some other wood, which is even cheaper, just as long as you don't work too large.

[Jon Sun]

Grief: Thanks for that, I did a search, but I guess I didn't catch that thread? It's very helpful

Burl: Yeah... I guess it would probably be a lot easier just to go buy them.


So, if it takes so much time and effort to stretch your own canvases, what's the benefit of doing it yourself? Why do people still do it?

[Flake]

So, if it takes so much time and effort to stretch your own canvases, what's the benefit of doing it yourself? Why do people still do it?

Total control over canvas used, priming etc. Also, if you fancy some unusual custom size or "aspect ratio", stretching your own is probably your only option.

Besides, it's educational.

[Equality72521]

i agree with Flake here, stretching a canvas has always been my only option, i find that the quality is better if i do it myself and you have the satisfaction of stretching your own canvas!!

and its gives you cool art-related scars! ;) (carpet burn on my knuckles)

[MyOrangeHat]

Well aside from the fact that I actually really enjoy stretching and priming canvas, probably as much as I like painting, overall stretched canvas is better in my opinion.
The quality of the canvas is better. I can control the exact size and ratio which is good since I really like oddball sizes and especially ratios. I never feel like I have to force an idea I have onto a 12inx14in canvas when I really know my idea is a 12inx11in idea. I know that doesn't sound like a big deal bit it is to me.

But by far the best part about stretching canvas is the fact that when I'm done I can take the canvas off the stretcher bars and store it rolled up. This saves SO much space. I do a good few large paintings a month and if they all stayed stretched I'd run out of room fast!

The stretcher bars are reusable so that's pretty cost effective. Does anyone know if reusing stretcher bars and stretching canvas is any cheaper than buying pre-made ones? I've never compared prices.

[Jon Sun]

Flake: Pardon my ignorance here, but what is "aspect ratio"?

MyOrangeHat: Roll them up...? That sounds like a good idea, but wouldn't that crack the paintings?

Ok, another question. Say, for example, I have an old painting I've done on a store-bought canvas. Could I possibly, take the canvas off, roll it up, and stretch another canvas onto the stretcher bars? This seems like it would save money on buying new stretcher bars for every painting you make... especially if the old paintings suck. Or, I could just paint over them?

[Flake]

Aspect ratio = the relationship between the longer measurement and shorter measurement of, in this case, a canvas.

It's usually used in the context of televisions, dvd, cinema etc
Standard TV used to be 4:3 (4 units long, 3 high), Widescreen tellys tend to be 16:9 (16 long, 9 high), Cinema 2.35 :1

Possibly a poor choice of phrase on my part in a painting related discussion. :D
All I meant was that if you want an unusually proportioned canvas (4 foot long, 1 foot high?), shops likely don't stock it and you'll need to make your own.

Say, for example, I have an old painting I've done on a store-bought canvas. Could I possibly, take the canvas off, roll it up, and stretch another canvas onto the stretcher bars?
Yup, should work.
Or, I could just paint over them?
That'd work too, as long as it's not inch thick impasto.

[Not Pink]

there was a good thread awhile ago which covered most of this:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138064

I nominate Greif as honorary CA "let-me-google-that-for-you" googler.

honestly, every question I see on here, your always in the top 3 replies with exactly what the person needs. Great job on your part, but when is everyone else finally gonna do that for themselves? lol.

[Wolfofsahara]

The stretcher bars are pretty expensive, so I'm not sure how many times you'll need to reuse them before they can undercost getting pre-made ones, which gets pretty cheap during those start-of-semester-sales. Hm... but I've only bought the thick and heavy ones, so I may be wrong.

To make this process even more arduous, I often go to hardware stores and buy wood there to saw them down, angle, bevel, glue and nail them into solid frames to stretch canvas on. Pine wood is about $2 a foot, 1/4" rounds, and with 1" finishing brads and wood glue, stretcher frames made that way is very cheap. It also takes very long time - especially if you don't have access to a wood shop. I did it because I was a typical poor art student, who'd rather lose sleep than money. Though this way, I've seen class mates made pretty odd-shaped canvases, like triangular or trepezoidish.

[arttorney]

If you measure your paintings by the feet rather than the inches, then stretching your own can save you several hundred bucks.

Acrylics roll up fine. I'd be scared to do it to an oil if the paint was applied at all thickly.