How to Make a Canvas for Oil Painting

Preparing a canvas for an oil or acrylic painting is really very easy. It shouldn't cost you a ton of money to ready the canvas for your art. Canvas purchased in traditional art stores can be very expensive, especially when primed and stretched. I' ve found a much less expensive method that allows both creativity from the beginning and a break on your pocketbook. Purchase your canvas from a fabric store as as opposed to an art store. You will be able to purchase white or colored canvas, depending on your needs.

Things You'll Need

• canvas purchased from a fabric store (duck cotton canvas)many colors are available
• gesso
• standard staple gun
• standard house painter paint brush
• store bought stretcher bars
• canvas pliers (if you don't have them standard pliyers will do)
• staples
• drywall wall or any wall you can staple into
• wood glue
• hammer

Instructions

1. Staple unprimed canvas to a flat surface, i.e.. a wall

2. Paint the unprimed canvas with gesso and allow to dry. Do this step three times. Drying time should be about 4 hours each stage.

3. At this point I create my painting. The advantage of having it on the wall is that the artist can push on the canvas as hard as they want with no give.

4. While your painting is drying, construct your stretcher. Using a hammer, bang on the stretcher bars to create perfect 90 degree angles. Fit corner to corner using force and a little bit of wood glue.

5. Remove your dried painting from wall and lay on clean surface face down. Lay the stretcher across the back of the completed painting.

6. With your canvas pliers, pull a flap of canvas starting from the top and staple into backside of stretcher. Move to opposite end (bottom) and using canvas pliers. Pull as hard as possible to affix second staple. then, move from side to side placing staples roughly in the center of stretcher. Continue in this way working top to bottom, side to side. Do this until you reach corners.

7. 

   The corners are a little tricky. Imagine that you are an art patron and are looking at the sides of this particular canvas. the fold should be discrete and should run parallel with vertical aspect. Staple them down.

Tips & Warnings

• As money saving alternative to gesso you can use exterior house paint which can be purchased by the gallon, often at discount, as your primer. This needs only to be sealed with an application of hot water and Elmers glue.

• Using the exterior house paint allows you to have an interesting colored background.

• You don't have to create the painting before stretching, so long as it is primed

• Make sure your primer is thick enough, as in canvas does not absorb paint from your paint brush.

• Corners are important if the piece is not to be framed.