Do I Stretch My Own Canvas Or Buy Pre Stretched Canvas? 

Imagine the exitement if you could give an artist of olden times a staple gun!

Oh jeeze, I don't even stretch my body let alone canvas. BUT... it IS a good knowledge to have in the art tool box. Nice vid!... short n sweet n ever so neat. 🙃

I buy raw canvas by the roll. Thick untreated high thread count canvas linen. I make my own Gesso and stretcher bars. The wood is treated against termites and woodworms. I sand & gesso 3 layers laid down by pallet knives or drywall spatula. I use tacks because staples rust rather quickly compared to tacks. I then clear coat the verso with clear coat to protect the painting from flaking, 50 years later. I also seal the gesso side with color depending upon the subject. Thus creating High quality Art. Making stretcher & 1 gesso’d canvas takes me 50 minutes. I have my own wood shop. People are buying a family heirloom. I want to givem that high quality they expect and paid for

I like my canvas really tight. I found that if you use a spray bottle full of water and spray the backside of the canvas then brush the water in. using a hair dryer to dry the canvas makes it almost drum tight.

About stretching your own like you mentioned how much can you afford and usually for the larger sizes and if they were an odd size

Van Gogh painted on french dishcloth at some point and sometimes on burlap, when his brother was slow with delivering tools; Paul Klee was painting on muslin mounted on piece of cardboard; sir Howard Hodgkin painted primarily ( if not exclusively) on wood ... it’s your art and your choice I say .... be a rebel :-)

Learned how to do that in college..still buy pre stretched 🤣 it’s about time and space for me 🤷🏻‍♂️

This turned out super interesting. I expected you to just quickly run through stretching canvases, but I enjoyed your thoughts about art materials in general. I do think that as artists, creatives, we should be innovative and creative in how we go about things. It's true, artists in the past used what they had at the time. What a tie we live in with all the possibilities available,

Thanks for answering this question, I too have been wondering if I should stretch my own. I've come to the conclusion that I just can't be arsed lol

I am an amateur watercolor painter, and there is the same argument about stretching your paper or not. There are several ways to do it, but a lot of the artists in RU-vid don't stretch of even tape the paper down while painting. What's right for you is right.

The only thing that’s stopped me from stretching on wood from the lumberyard was people in an art group had me worried about the moisture content in the wood, saying over time as it dries out, the canvas might sag. If this hasn’t been your experience I’m gonna go for it and give it a shot. The savings would be huge for the bigger pieces! Thanks Rafi & Klee!

"Develop your own opinion." - Rafi That's the whole game right there.

Im a big fan of MDF boards for panels. I buy them at a home improvement store and cut them to size. No complaints so far.

To stretch or not to stretch? That’s the question!! I do both and concur totally. Small pieces are pre stretched and larger I stretch myself. Thank you for the video guys!!

I don’t have the patience to stretch my own canvas so I just get pre-stretched, but you do you... If you want to stretch your own, go ahead... if not, don’t worry about it!

The main thing is to create art. Whatever facilitates this is good. Don't be an art supply snob.

Thank you Rafi and Klee!! You have such a common sense way of thinking. I'm a fairly new, self-taught artist, now 7 yrs. But, I've worried about having a solo show and having to explain my art in some deep and intellectual way. I hate that hoity toity stuff. What you see is what you get! You 2 have helped me to calm down about my up coming show Jan. 2023. Thank you and please keep "doing you". It's much needed in this crazy world. Saundra Lyle, a Left of Center Gallery artist in Las Vegas. NV.

Thanks so much for your two cents of practical information. I too have run into many compulsives that insist in a particular material and approach. The bottom line is that very few people care. Although I have seen naive buyers sold on special Belgium linens and rare Finish kiln died woods that where grown in a particular fairy forest as the only way to go. Sadly, they were sold a bill of goods. I do strongly believe as an artist you should have integrity and do your best in making something that will be stable and last well into the future. I totally agree: Do what you want, and shut up.

I both make my own panels and buy stretch canvas as well.

To stretch or not to stretch? That is the question. Whether tis nobler on the canvas to suffer the hassle of tacks and staples, of measurable proportions... 😜 I have and can do both. But lately I like to paint on Ampersand panels. I like the sharp edges and lack of slack of surface . On bigger projects I've bought cases of prestreched canvases.🎨

I buy all pre-stretched canvas to save time.

Hi, you two are amazing. I bought a large sheet of mdf, cut into 6 pieces then bought a 10 metre roll of canvas and pva'd it all together. Then painted on my own home made gesso.It was very thick so had to be sanded, a lot. I had to paint sealer, undercoat and a top coat on the back and sides because mdf is porous. The whole experience took me about 5 days, and I swore I'd never do it again. Besides, they weigh a ton and postage is horrendous! I now buy stretched canvas bulk and receive a nice discount. All the best and cheers from Australia.

Good attitude and good practices too.

Used to stretch canvases way back during my college years in the Philippines because there were no premade ones available then. Back in ancient life! 😂 now I would rather buy it made but only go up to 30”x 60”. Makes it easier for my arthritis too. Love your blog!!

Went & bought a bolt of Canvas from a fabric store, took a lot of Ironing - some if any wrinkles that were sized into the roll just didn't erase. Tracing what took place from the Label on the end is an American History Lesson - back around to the Housing (Shell) of the oldest cotton Mill on the continent.

Knowing me, I would get waaaaaay too frustrated trying to do it myself! Plus, I tend to paint small. So pre-stretch canvas for me all the way!

(Waves hand) I also like the message and the energy you both put out into the world. I'd like to make my own canvas, but I can't be trusted with a saw or other electrially-driven sharp objects. In recent years, I have been allowed a small Xacto knife as long as I'm monitored occasionally after the last ER visit when I slipped with a stupid pair of scissors. I'm kind of a klutz.

I wonder if you ever ship painting rolled and sent stretcher bars with piece? Thanks for showing your process, it was really helpful. Thank you for posting!

This question reminds me of the debate one gets in the chainmaille world: do you make your own rings, or do you buy pre-made rings? Again, there are purists who feel you can't be a "real" mailler if you don't make your own rings -- but most don't care. As with stretched canvas, it comes down to three things: cost, labour, and whether you want custom sizes.

First do you have room in your space? Second, do you have the needed tools? And how are your hands? Ive met artists who no longer stretch as they dont have the strength in their hands. The advantage of doing your own would be shipping, but also how accessible is an art shop or the size you want.

Try putting a quarter round strip so you do not have to router the wood it creates a small edge. I put 1x2’s and put it so the quarter round lies flush with the sides

I don't paint much so I guess I would buy already stretched canvas however I would like - at least once - to stretch my own canvas if it seemed fun or practical... or both. :P If I needed a custom size I could not find then I would love to take on the challenge of doing my own first stretch... after a bit of research anyway. :D - Heidi

I love to build and stretch my canvases and a lot of the time know I build cradled boards and then stretch canvas over that. I like that I can control he materials. When you buy a completed canvas you don’t know the material and they have the thin cheap canvas. I like the heavy canvas.

You two are a gift. Thank you

Great advice I have just started painting on Canvas I’m a watercolourist so that is not the done thing but so much fun do you boo

Thanks for the video Rafi and Klee. I'm going to stick to pre-stretched canvases for now. I paint on a much smaller scale and stretching supplies are much more limited and costly than would be worth it for me. Still was great to hear your thoughts.

painter's tarp, great tip! XD I've been stretching watercolor paper sometimes, and the corners are a nightmare. Whenever I make a nice corner, I am shocked and have no idea how it happened. lol Hands are smarter than brain. eta: haha I considered using tacks just because I didn't have a staple gun! I didn't think there were people who thought tacks would be ⭐ELITE⭐

This is so awesome! I'm kind of inspired to consider making some paintings sometimes for art commissions due to this video!

rafi what brand of paint do you mostly used. Back i harder times have you used acrylic indoor house paint and if so what if any tips can you give on using house paints and which brands. have a great holiday.

You shall be known as Stretch Armstrong!

i like to buy pre-stretched canvas because they come with the corner pieces to fix warps that may happen over time. Too time consuming and complicated for me to want to bother with.

👍👍 James

Hey guys, you guys are very informative. Question….can I use a drop cloth to paint on

If you staple from the center outward, you don't get the sagging. Also, you can get better aspect ratios if you stretch your own.

I tend to buy all my canvases, although at the moment I love painting on cartridge paper!! Just wondering if I'm meant to do something to prepare it as I just go straight on with my acrylics!!

Stretch your canvas before priming it, and the act of priming will naturally tighten the canvas on the frame. Stretching pre-primed canvas isn’t nearly as effective

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