If you want to make/build a canvas yourself, you will need the following materials to assemble the stretcher frame, cover it and prime it. 

• Stretcher frame in the appropriate format 
• Appropriate cross (depending on the format) 
• Fabric for covering (linen or cotton)
•  Stapler 
• Staple gun 
• Hammer 
• Pen 
• Acrylic binder 
• Primer white 
• Paintbrush
•  Scissors

Step 1: Assembling the stretcher frame

First lay out the four parts of the stretcher frame on a flat surface as you will need them for the finished frame. The corresponding moulding should now lie on each of the four sides. Now you just need to put the mouldings together. The frame mouldings that you can buy from art supply stores usually have prefabricated openings for this. Then carefully tap the mouldings into place with a hammer. Depending on the format, it makes sense to use a cross in the centre of the stretcher frame. You can buy the cross together with the mouldings. Especially with larger formats, the cross provides more stability and prevents the stretcher frame from warping. We recommend a cross from a size of 60 x 60 cm. However, it is not a must. If you want to use a cross, place it in the centre of the frame, insert it into the prefabricated openings and tap it into place together with the other strips. You can use the stop angle to check whether the frame is at a right angle. Simply place it once in all corners and check whether the angle is straight at all corners of the frame, otherwise you will need to make some adjustments.

Step 2: Covering the stretcher frame with fabric

If you want to make a canvas yourself, you will of course also need a suitable fabric. You can also buy this at any major art supply store. There are many different types of fabric on offer, which vary considerably in price. Your painting style will determine which fabric is particularly suitable for you. We use an inexpensive cotton fabric in our video. You can of course also use a real linen fabric. A finer fabric is often useful if you are painting photorealistically, for example, while coarser fabrics are usually sufficient for abstract works of art.

Once you have decided on a fabric, it usually needs to be adjusted to the size of your stretcher frame first. To do this, place the frame with the front side on the fabric and fold the edges of the fabric over the frame moulding once as a test. If the fabric extends slightly over the centre of the frame, you have found the right distance. Measure the distance with a ruler and apply it to all sides by marking the appropriate distance with a pencil. Now you only need to cut the fabric along the marked line. We are using a frame measuring 80 x 80 cm and have chosen a spacing of 4.5 cm. We bought the frame mouldings from Boesner (Classic 45). However, if you are not using the same frame, the spacing cannot always be transferred, even with the same format, as the frame mouldings can vary in width. It is therefore a good idea to always do the test and make sure that the edge of the fabric always protrudes a little beyond the centre of the frame rail. Once you have cut the fabric to size, place the frame in the centre of the fabric again with the front facing down and check once more that the distances to all sides are the same.

When the frame lies perfectly on the fabric, you can fix the fabric to the frame with the stapler. We will leave out the corners for now, as they require a special folding technique. We have illustrated this in 3 steps in the video:

Folding technique

Step 1: Run your thumb along the frame moulding and straighten the protruding fabric 

Step 2: Fold the protruding part of the fabric over and place it on the moulding and fix it with your fingers. 

Step 3: Grab the remaining overhanging fabric, fold it and place it with tension over the already folded fabric and fix the corner with your fingers. Grasp the stapler with the other hand and secure the folded corner. Repeat the folding technique for the remaining 3 corners.

Step 3: Apply acrylic binder and prime

Your stretcher frame is now stretched. If you turn the stretcher frame over, the fabric may still wrinkle and the surface may not yet be smooth. But the acrylic binder can help here. If you brush it onto the entire surface of the canvas, it pulls the individual fibres of the fabric together as it dries and glues them together to form a homogeneous surface. You should give the acrylic binder one to two hours to dry, then apply the primer to make your canvas nice and white and even. Once the primer is dry, you can get started and transform your self-made canvas into a work of art. If the canvas becomes loose or warped, you can use the wedges provided to straighten it again. To do this, simply hammer the wedges into the joints provided. 

You can find out exactly how this works in our video ‘Repairing a warped canvas.’ You can find the video on our Little Van Gogh DE channel. 

We hope you enjoy building/making your own canvas and, of course, being creative. We would be delighted if you like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. You can also find lots of other exciting tips and tricks about art on our channel.

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