I know how expensive canvases can be, especially if you don’t want ugly staples on the side.  Figured I would share a cheaper way to make custom canvases.  Not only is this method EXTREMELY CHEAP, it also gives you the feeling of creating something from conception.

SUPPLY LIST

• stretcher bars (whatever sizes) these range from $.39 to a couple $ for the long ones
• scissors
• cotton sheet
• heavy duty staple (i prefer the easy ones that don’t require a lot of pressure)
• heavy duty staples (any size)
• hammer or mallet
• gesso (you can buy this at a craft store- get the biggest and cheapest jar you can find)
  
• large paint brush (the kind you use to paint your house is fine, the tougher the bristle the better)
• fine sandpaper (optional)

1. Your stretcher bars will come in whatever sizes you choose.  They should be very, very cheap.  You can get a set of 4 stretcher bars from only a couple dollars.  First, you want to match up the grooves and hand slide them in:

2. Using a hammer or soft mallet, you are going to make sure all your angles are flush and angled at 90 degrees.  I do this by eye, but I would suggest a square ruler if you are unsure of your angles.   It helps me if I stand my stretchers up and lightly tap on your grooves.  DON’T HAMMER HARD OR YOU WILL DAMAGE THE WOOD!

3. After you have your angles at 90 degrees, you are going to reinforce them using the staple gun. You want to put at least 3 staples per corner.  Make sure your staples are securing both stretcher bars. Note:  You will be putting this staples on the back side of your canvas.  You don’t want to see the staples through your painting.

4. Now take your sheet or large piece of cotton fabric.  The thicker the fabric, the better your final canvas.  If you are using a sheet, it needs to be a higher thread count.  Otherwise, the fabric may easily rip or sag.  Lay your frame on top of your fabric.  Remember, you want to leave enough fabric along the edges so you can staple them down.  Give yourself a few extra inches to play with.

5. Here come the technical part.  After you have your fabric cut and your frame positioned with about 4 inches of play on all sides, you are going to start stapling.  It’s extremely important to follow these tips:

1. ALWAYS START IN THE MIDDLE OF EACH EDGE!
2. ALWAYS PULL TIGHT BUT EVENLY TO THE OTHER SIDES, WRINKLES ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND!
3. DON’T GET SKIMPY WITH YOUR STAPLES, PUT ONE DOWN ABOUT EVERY 1-2 INCHES.
4. DO ABOUT 3 STAPLES PER SIDE THEN SWITCH TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE!
5. TAKE BREAKS, THIS WILL START TO HURT YOUR THUMBS AND HANDS!

This pic is to show you how far along I put my staples.  One every few inches. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT to put your staples down at an angle.  The reason? Your fabric runs in lines and if you put a staple that runs along this line, the pressure of your canvas will rip your fabric.  Putting down your staple at a slight angle will distribute the pressure and decrease your risk of a ripped canvas.

Here I show you where to start.  Start in the very middle of a side.  Put about 3 staples down, and THEN SWITCH TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE!  Make sure you are pulling your fabric very tight and securing with about 3 staples.  Remember, you do not want any wrinkles.  Pay attention to your fabric.  If it feels like it needs to be tighter, pull it tighter.  You need to switch from side to side many times.  This will guarantee equal pressure to all your staples, as well as no wrinkles and a lovely final result.  This does take a very long time, and your thumbs will get tired.  Take breaks as needed.

Just another pic showing how it should look with the staples slowly being applied from one edge to the opposite edge:

Notice how I work from the middle to the edges, pulling the sheet tight as I go.  Don’t staple the edges until you have every side stapled up the the edges.

6. THE BEST PART: THE EDGES!

This is my favorite part of stapling because it means you are almost done with the hard part.  Now that you have all your sides stapled (not your corners) you are going to trim off any excess fabric.  Leave the square ends of the corners, so you can tack them down when you are done.

7. After you have all the fabric trimmed off (which you should keep for later projects, such as adding texture to your canvas) you are going to staple the edges.  There a couple of different ways to do this, but basically you want to secure the fabric while creating a nice angle on the sides of your canvas.  Here’s some pics of how I do it, but do whatever works for you.  Secure your corners with about 3 staples.

You want your final angles to be smooth and wrinkle free.

8. NOW FOR THE BESTEST PART EVER!! You will need a clean space that you can dirty up with gesso. So clean off your table of all watchers, candy, cell phones and things you don’t want covered in gesso.

Prep your gesso, paint brush, and water.  This is going to be very messy, so if you are a wussy you can wear gloves.  I suggest doing it bare handed though because it is SO MUCH FUN!

Pour your gesso on the front side of your canvas.  Don’t be finicky with your gesso.  The more the better.  Use a hard bristled brush to spread the gesso to all of the canvas.  The gesso will create a waterproof surface for your paint to stick to.  It will also tighten up your cotton canvas, but don’t rely on it to tighten it if you have a lot of sagging or wrinkles.

Completely coat the front side of your canvas followed by the sides and even the backside of your canvas where the staples are. The pic below shows how the gesso is absorbed into your sheet.  This is a good sign if you can see your gesso through the back side of your canvas.

The last step of making your canvas is to let the gesso dry.  If you want a smooth canvas you can use a fine sandpaper to sand away any rough brushstrokes that were created.  Just repeat applying the gesso at least one more time if you do this though.  Followed by another fine sanding.  Personally, I love the brush strokes created in the gesso but if you are creating a painting that needs a perfectly smooth surface, use the sandpaper rinse and repeat method.

Your canvas will take a few hours to a day to dry completely.  The more humid or less sunny it is, the more time it will take to dry.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! Let me know if you have any additional tips or questions!