How to Stretch Canvas With Fredrix Art Supplies
Fredrix is a well-known brand of artist's materials, specifically canvas, stretchers and stretching tools. Stretching your own canvas using Fredrix art supplies is a simple task you can do at home with a staple gun and canvas pliers.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Canvas
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Scissors
- 4 canvas stretcher bars
- Canvas pliers
- Staple gun
Instructions
-
-
1
Assemble your stretcher bars. The triangular piece on each slide of the fits into the slots on the adjoining bar. Push it all the way in, until the diagonals on the edges of the bars meet snugly.
-
2
Lay out the canvas on a flat surface, and put the stretcher bars on top of it. If you are using primed canvas, put the primed side down. Make sure the small rail on the face of the stretcher is facing the canvas; this will suspend the canvas off the stretcher so the bars won't leave a crease on your painting.
-
-
3
Measure out 2 inches from the outside of the stretcher bars and mark it with the pencil, drawing a rectangle around the stretcher.
-
4
Cut out the marked piece of canvas.
-
5
Begin stretching by wrapping one of the edges of the canvas around the stretcher bar, without pulling, and putting a staple in the center.
-
6
Go to the opposite side and do the same, this time using the canvas pliers to pull it until it is taut but not tight. Grip the canvas in the wide jaws, and use the stretcher as a fulcrum, laying the pliers against the stretcher and pulling downward. Don't overdo it. You want the canvas to be firm in the end, but not as tight as a drum head.
-
7
Repeat for the two remaining side, pulling firmly and putting a staple in the center, on the back of the stretcher.
-
8
Return to the first side and pull the canvas (now that the other side is tacked) and staple it on the back of the stretcher about 2 inches to the left and right of the first staple. Repeat for the other three sides in the same order you used for the first go around.
-
9
Work your way out in this manner until you reach almost to the corners. Stop when you are about 2 inches from the corners.
-
10
Finish the corners by folding them as you would wrapping paper over a present by tucking one side of the excess canvas in against the stretcher, and pulling the rest over and stapling it the back.
-
1
References
- Tara Materials: Fredrix
- "The Artist's Handbook"; Ralph Mayer; 1991
