Stretching Canvas

Have you bought a prestretched canvas only to find that it has lots of ripples in it once you get it back to your studio? Artist Katie Liddiard is here to help. She shows just how easy it is to stretch your own canvas which opens you up to buying canvas in bulk, saving you money in the long run. She covers all of the tools you need to remove any existing staples holding the prestretched canvas on the stretcher bars and then demonstrates how to start restretch it again with stretching pliers and a staple gun.

Follow along as she works around the canvas with the pliers and the staple gun, carefully and meticulously ensuring that the canvas is staying taut and the ripples are being worked out in the process. The trick is to work all sides together instead of one side at a time. Once she has moved around all of the sides with the staples she taps in any staples that didn’t go in all the way before she finishes off stapling loose the canvas on the back. The last step is to make the corners as flush as possible to the stretcher bars because that’s where the bulk of the canvas will be and needs to be able to fit into the frame.

With everything finished off she takes one more look at the finished canvas and gives a little tap on it to hear the drum that only happens when the canvas is properly stretched. With the canvas nice and taut it is now ready to be painted on.