Articles

Why buy a painting un-stretched?

Buying a painting un-stretched can be a great way to purchase a very large painting for a reasonable price. When you buy a painting un-stretched it will be shipped to you rolled in a shipping tube. You can save a lot of money on shipping costs considering how expensive it is to ship large paintings. It is also very cost effective if you decide to stretch the painting yourself. If you can wrap a present, you can stretch a painting.

How to stretch a painting?

First you will need to build your frame. You can use materials from your local home improvement store. Once you’ve decided on what size to create the canvas, cut four pieces of 1×2s (one for each side of the canvas), with 45 degree angles at each end. You can use a miter box and hand saw, or power tools. The most important thing is to make equal, 45 degree cuts at each end so that the wood fits together properly at the corners. Once the frame is assembled you can begin stretching the painting.

First thing you’ll want to do is lay the stretcher bar frame face down on the canvas, and fold up each edge to make sure you have plenty of canvas overlap on the bar. Use scissors to cut out an appropriately sized piece.

Fold the canvas over the stretcher bar on one side and put in your first staple. Try to center yourself horizontally so that the first staple goes in at the halfway point on your stretcher. Then spin the canvas around and do the opposite side. We highly recommend using canvas stretching pliers. They can be purchased at your local art and craft store for around $15. Place the canvas between your thumb and forefinger while bracing your other fingers behind the stretcher bar. Now that you’ve got two opposite sides stapled, rotate the canvas and do the exact same thing for the third and forth side. Every 2-3 inches add staples on all sides. Once you reach the corners, you’re almost done—basically you just need to fold the corner flaps to one side or the other. You’ll want to fold the canvas like a present and use several staples to secure it.

If your stretching your own canvas we highly recommend going to Empty Easel for complete stretching instructions along with diagrams.