Canvas Stretching – Rich Gane Art

My Customers make their own Stretcher Frame

Rich/ 06/12/2023/ Canvas Stretching

Although most of my customers use a picture framer in their local area to stretch my canvases on to wooden frames for them, a few of my customers choose to undertake this themselves. With the latter approach, there are a range of different options available to you. On this occasion, my customers chose to buy spruce timber from their local d.i.y. shop to make a stretcher frame.

The flower painting they bought from me was an un-stretched canvas that measured 152 cm x 86 cm. I think my customers have done an excellent job of stretching the canvas and the final result is superb.

Customer photo showing them making a wooden canvas stretcher frame with spruce timber — Making the stretcher frame with spruce timber

Customer photo showing them stretching my canvas painting on to their wooden stretcher frame — Stapling the canvas painting on to the stretcher frame

Customer showcase photo of my 152 cm by 86 cm abstract flower painting — The end result (original canvas size was 152 cm x 86 cm)

Canvas Stretching by me in South Somerset for my Paintings

Rich/ 12/04/202319/12/2023/ Canvas Stretching

I generally paint my very large paintings on to loose sheets of canvas fabric. In other words, the canvases are ‘un-stretched’. This enables me to send my paintings around the country via couriers, with the canvases rolled up and carefully sent in strong cardboard tubes. I’ve tried sending very large canvases that I have stretched on to wooden frames with couriers but it has not worked that well. Most customers then use a picture framer in their local area to get the canvas painting stretched on to a wooden frame in order to hang it on their wall. A few customers choose to stretch it themselves. I’ve written more about the options for stretching my canvases yourself here.

Alternatively, if you can collect from me in south Somerset, I can stretch the canvas on to a wooden frame for you. You will then just need to add your own picture hook to the back of the wooden stretcher frame in order to hang the painting on your wall. Prices to stretch one of my canvases are normally from about £70 and will depend on the size of the painting. If you’re interested, please contact me to discuss this option.

I would always encourage you to measure your car boot or van space to be sure that the stretched painting will fit in it. Once or twice customers have been surprised at the size of some of my stretched paintings and it has been a struggle to fit the painting in the car! Though not essential, a means of holding the painting still whilst it is being transported in your vehicle can also be useful, such as with elastic cord or rope.

Please note that I only stretch my own canvas paintings and not other peoples’ canvases.

My Customer Stretches the Canvas Himself

Rich/ 13/03/202313/03/2023/ Canvas Stretching

I’ve recently closed my other website Redlark Art in order to focus on this website instead. One of the blog posts on my old website was about the fantastic job that a customer had done in stretching a very large canvas of mine. I thought it was worth re-writing this blog post here as some people may find it helpful.

A customer of mine has done a brilliant job of stretching my very wide painting himself. In the process he saved himself a lot of money on the stretching costs!

He bought rounded-edge timber from the d.i.y. shop Wickes and then screwed the frame together with 7cm screws. He was pleased that the resulting frame was nice and strong, square and straight.

Customer photo showing the timber he bought from the d.i.y. shop in order to make his wooden stretcher frame

Customer photo showing the construction of his wooden stretcher frame

The customer also purchased corner brackets from a local hardware shop. The holes in the corner brackets mean that the stretched picture is able to hang on the wall by simply balancing on screws, with the screw heads keeping the canvas in place.

Customer photo showing his wooden stretcher frame positioned on his wall

It was also handy that the customer already owned a staple gun. He told me that he liked the type of canvas material I used when it came to him stretching the canvas over his wooden frame.

Overall the customer took his time and did a careful job and the result is absolutely fantastic!

Customer photo showing the finished painting on his wall after stretching it