where can I learn to stretch canvas?

Answer 1

Why? It is soooo painstaking and today there are such wonderful triple-primed canvases for sale. (Check eBay for some outstanding values on gallery wraps.)

That said, I found a very simple explanation for you on, of all places, the HP website. You can get supplies in a wide range of places from Dick Blick to Utrecht.

Answer 2

Buy the stretcher bars at the art store. They go togehter like tinker toys. Use a rubber mallet to tap into place.To make sure they are square measure across on the diagonal- corner to corner like an x. Both measurements should be the same. If not tap into place. The reason you want store bought stretcher bars is because of the ridge on the side to keep the canvass lifted off the bar so you dont' have it touching and making a line when painting.
Ok, here is how you stretch canvass.Cut the canvass so there is enough room to be able to pull the canvass over the sides and staple on the back of the Bars.Usually three inches bigger than the size of the frame if you are using the extra wide bars.This is called a gallery wrap. Lay the cut canvass wrong side facing you on a flat surface. Place and center the squared wooden bar frame on top.
Wrap and put one Staple in the center of the longest side. Next, staple opposite to the first staple pulling or tugging the canvass tight so there is a slight crease. I usually do three staples centered,and another three on the other side. Now to the shorter sides the same way. You can use stretcher pliars but strong hands work well too. If your canvass is not gessoed on one side do not pull as tight. The gesso when applied is wet and will shrink the canvass. What ever you do to one side when you are stretching you do to the opposite side. three, three three, three, all the way around. Now the corners tuck in like Hospital corners on sheets. I often will do the corners after about half the stapling is done as it is easier to pull and tuck.
The final stapling will make sure all the little creases are out and you have a very tight drum like stretch. On the smaller thinner bars do not pull so tight as you can get the frame out of whack.
To tighten further, you can always mist some water on the back of the canvass and this will tighten it up some more, or remove a few staples and pull a bit more in if you need to. I find that if you do a few of these its really easy, though a bit tiring.
Have a screw dirver handy to pull out a staple if you get one in wrong.
I bought my hand held stapler ( not electric) at Home Depot for about twenty dollars. the art store wanted about fourty for the same thing. This is fun, good luck.

Answer 3

Hi:

It is really easy to stretch your own canvas, and you'll get a much wider selection of canvas type (like portrait and linen) and dimensions of stretcher bars. I'd pretty much follow the second person's information about stretching and add once your canvas is stretched, you'll probably want to prime it with gesso. It's probably a good rule of thumb to have 3 coats, with a light sanding between coats. Hope this helps.