you will need the following to create a canvas using this method:
- the wood sections
- wood screws that will fit per brace as shown in the images below
- wood screws for the metal corner braces
- drill bits for all screw types
- drill bit equal to screw heads
- 4 corner braces and screws
- quality heavy duty staple gun
- appropriate staples
- a hammer
- canvas
- canvas stretching pliers
- staple remover
- gesso
- clear vinyl tarp
- duct tape
- fine grain sand paper
- small tube of wood putty
- safety glasses
first, determine the dimensions of the canvas that you want to create. for gallery wrap use a minimum of 1 1/2 in. for frame width.
go to your favorite local wood source (lowes, etc.) and select the straightest, driest pieces you can find. i like quality poplar. take your dimensions with you!
you will likely find 10' or 12' sections. if you have a decent miter box or miter saw and know how to use them safely then try making your cuts at home. if not, have the store do it for you. BUY MORE THAN YOU NEED INCASE YOU MAKE A MISTAKE!
roll the wood on each side on the floor of the store and look for any warping. this is very important! you would not believe how it can affect your canvas.
it is also important that you have the proper hardware. this includes the right drill bits and screws. you want to make sure that you are not drilling too close to the sides of the beams as this may cause splitting.
you will need to use two different bits if you want to use wood screws and make sure that the screw head is absolutely flush with the beam. the first bit will be the appropriate size for the screws you select (this will be listed on the box, or, ask the sales associate for assistance).
the second bit will be the diameter of the head of the screw. again, ask for help if you are not sure.
lay the NEW tarp down on a FLAT smooth surface and duct tape it in place if you can. the tarp will protect the wood from picking up bits of crud from the floor that may end up showing under your stretched canvas.
lay the wood sections on the floor in the manner shown in the above figure. this is a good time to make sure that everything is square. take a tape measure and check from corner to corner. it should be exact. if not then your cuts were not accurate.
this may be a bit of over-engineering, but i like to make sure that the pieces are kept absolutely square while drilling the main screw holes by using corner braces.
after you are certain the your beams are square, lay one of the corner braces down. mark the drill holes EXACTLY in the center and then drill with the appropriate bit per the dimension of the corner you selected. attach corner and repeat for others.
now it is time to drill the main holes for the bracing screws. start with the bit that is the size recommended on the package for the screws you selected. drill down to the length of the screw. you will use two screws per corner and center braces as shown.
remember not to drill to close to the sides! no splitting!
next, use the bit that is as large as the head of the wood screws and drill in JUST ENOUGH to allow the head to be flush with the wood itself. if you make a mistake it's actually better to err here by drilling slightly too deep than not deep enough. if the head cannot get at least as low as the wood it will protrude when the canvas is wrapped and look bad.
if you do end up drilling too low, use some of the wood putty to create a flat surface.
repeat this step for all corners and you will have a rectangular (or square) frame.
next - repeat this same procedure for the center beams. the only difference is that you will not need the metal corner braces.
measure the length of the frame from the INSIDE of one side to the INSIDE of the other. divide it by 3 and get the length of equal thirds. mark the appropriate points.
line up your interior braces with the marks.
you could use metal T-braces here, but it should not be necessary assuming that your cuts were accurate.
drill and screw as you did for the corners.
REMOVE the metal corner braces after all wood sections have been removed.
time to SAND!!
it is very important that you sand EVERYWHERE that you placed a screw, including where the metal corner braces were. make sure that every single screw head is level with the wood surface.
time for the canvas!
as far as buying canvas goes, there are two different ways to go.
first, go to a local art supply store. you may have a real high quality one in your area that carries multiple brands. if so, cool. pick the kind of canvas that best suits your taste and medium.
however, if price is a factor you may want to check a major arts and crafts store.the two largest brands sometimes have 40-50% discount coupons on their websites. this dramatically changes the final cost of materials for your canvas.
you can also get great deals online from wholesale-to-the-public art supply sites. shipping may change your total value though.
lay the canvas on the tarp. the amount of overlap that you want will vary by personal taste and whether you ever intend on reframing the work on a larger frame.
measure twice and cut once!! it is better to use too much and them trim after stapling than to have too little.
start pulling one side of the canvas around and long piece and attaching a staple into the center of the center section.
move to the center of the other sections and repeat.
note - as far as stretching the canvas goes, it will take a little work to get the right tension.
use the canvas pliers to pull the canvas until it is firm but not overly-taught. if the canvas is too lose your will have difficulty painting on it and it will look sloppy. too tight and it will end up cranking the wood braces so hard that it will warp them and your canvas will look like an hour glass.
continue placing staples by going from side to side, alternating opposite sides as you go. it is best NOT to work in a circular direction. rather - switch sides as you move along.
there may be times when you need to remove a staple in order to pull the canvas a little tighter. just use the staple remover.
use the hammer to tap any protruding staples flush as necessary.
now for the corners. pull the shorter end, drawing some of the slack out of the canvas in the process. make a corner fold as shown and then place a staple.
stretch the longer side now as shown to create a clean look. careful when placing the staple as you are now going through two layers of canvas.
continuing working around the frame until the corners are finished and there is no visible slack areas.
OPTIONAL STEP - if you want to make sure that you won't bend the shorter end pieces by having the canvas too tight, you can place cross sections as shown.
if you measure these accurately, allowing about 1/16th of an inch of the red sections to be longer than the area they will be placed between you will not have to use screws to keep them in place by using a hammer as shown below.
use your hammer to gently tap the crossbeams into place. do the center section first and then the two outers.
again, if you made them just a bit longer than the section they will fit snuggly into place without needing screws stay put. however, for real permanence, or if you want to hang the painting from the cross sections, you must use screws or T-braces.
you would obviously have to do this before putting the canvas on, or otherwise use metal T-braces afterwards.
viola! you're done! now, if your canvas is untreated, it is likely time for the gesso (unless you have something else in mind).
gesso works well with two coats. do the first one with vertical strokes and the second with horizontal. directions on the jar usually recommend allowing 2 hours between coats. don't forget the edges if you are planning on having a nice gallery wrap.
it takes a little effort to get the gesso into the canvas. the second coat goes on WAY easier than the first. :-)
getting there!
you have the option to sand the canvas after it's dry. i prefer fine-grained, but it depends on what type of relief you want in your medium.
sanding the canvas actually goes pretty quickly. you should be able to feel for roughs areas.
whatever grain you choose, make sure to sand the edges to minimize any little globs that formed through the gessoing process.
then it's fun time!