This is just a guideline.  As you get better, you can make any adjustments according to your own preferences.  Think about the work that you are creating (style & concept).  Always consider the scale and support of your canvas to fit your work.

I can only explain so much in words every single thing that goes into canvas making. Simply making one yourself is the best way to learn. It’s possible I might have forgotten to mention the most obvious/microscopic details.  If anything is unclear or you have any questions at all, don’t ever hesitate to ask.

I know this is a lot.  But everything will become intuitive once you get the hang of it.

Again, I’m open to 1-on-1’s or if you just need assistance… I’m there.

• Type of wood to get
  • Poplar
    • Recommended.
    • Ideal for making canvas.
    • Smooth, no knots, durable.
    • Can be heavy, expensive.
  • Pine
    • More affordable than Poplar.  Still perfectly fine to use.
    • Refined pine has no knots.
    • Smooth, lightweight.
  • If you can find more affordable wood that’s decent (straight, less knots, durable) then that will work perfectly fine as well.  I understand that trying to afford all the materials that we need being art students can be difficult sometimes.  For materials, you don’t really need the best of the best (of course, unless that is your concept).  Sometimes you can even find wood that is less than $1.00.
  • Panel
    • Luan 1/8”
    • Don’t get anything thicker unless you are using just the panel alone to directly paint on.
    • Home Depot usually sells them in a size 4’x8’.  Ask them to cut to size for you.  Some places will charge you after a certain number of cuts.  But just cut so that it’ll fit in your car, and you can cut it more to size in the sculpture studio.
    • If you’re working on a large-scale canvas, you’ll have to use more than 1 panel of luan.
    • Keep the scraps for future use.
  • When buying wood make sure you take the time and carefully select straight wood.  You don’t want to get wood that is warped.  This will make it difficult to make your canvas.  Your canvas will end up looking crooked anyway.
  • To check for straightness, level your eye so you can see from one end of the wood to the other.
  • Avoid getting wood that has knots.  Less knots the better.
• Measurements
  • Roughly 1×2” thickness of the wood. This is just the average size.  Thickness of the wood can change depending on how big/small/thick/thin you want to make your canvas.
  • Make sure you have enough wood for the size of your canvas (frame + back support + corner support)
  • When buying wood, remember that you’ll have waste pieces when you cut.
  • I recommend buying a little more than you need just in case.
• Materials you will need.
  • Wood
  • Wood glue
  • Sand paper
  • Wood filler (for panel)
  • Scraper Knife (for panel)
  • Wood sealer (for direct paint on panel)
• Types of canvas frames/backing
  • Beveled
    • Cutting angles on the outside edge frame.
    • For making a canvas w/o panel.
    • This way the wood doesn’t push up against the canvas and leave lines when painting.  They can be distracting to your work and look unprofessional.
  • Panel
    • Gives you a hard surface to work on.
    • Great for working large scale, heavy paint / materials, aggressive / big / fast brushstrokes
  • Cross grid
    • Ideal for large scale paneled canvas.
    • Evenly distributed grid allows you to nail on panel securely.
    • Roughly 15” intervals recommended between each cross bar.
  • Simple cross brace & corners.
  • Corner support.
    • Helps keep the structure of your canvas straight at right angles.
    • You don’t want a parallelogram for your canvas (unless that’s your concept and it’s the specific shape you want.)
  • The structure of the back support of your canvas can vary in numerous ways.  It just all really depends on your canvas/preference/needs.
• Procedure
  • Sketch out your canvas.
    • Doesn’t need to be drawn to scale.
    • Sketch out the type of canvas/back support you want.
    • Decide on dimensions of your canvas.
    • Calculate & mark measurements.
    • Helpful to have visual guideline.
    • See attached example.
  • Get materials
  • Accurately mark measurements on the wood where you will cut (doing this beforehand will cut down the time you spend in the sculpture studio)
  • Cut all your wood (take into consideration the thickness of the blades on the sawing machines.)
    • When cutting, group same length wood and cut them at the same time so the fit is perfect.
    • Your measurements might be a little off on all your wood when you cut them one by one individually.
  • Assemble the wood together to see if it fits.
    • If you decide to do the cross grid as your back support, try to cut the intersection pieces a hair thicker. This will make it easier for you to fit the pieces together.
  • Make any adjustments if necessary (cutting or sanding).
  • Use corner clamps to put together the outside frame of the canvas.  This will help you make perfect 90 angles.
  • Glue and nail the outside frame first using a nail gun.  Be sure to select the right length of nails.  Nail twice on the same side so it gives support to prevent the wood from twisting around.
  • Glue and nail inside back/corner support.
  • Add panel using glue and nail gun. (when purchasing panel, make sure you get an extra inch on all sides so you can add it and trip off the edges later.  Rather than getting exact size, because in any case there was a minor error in measurement, you won’t run short)
  • Use trimming router to trim overhanging panel.
  • Hammer in any protruding nails.
  • Seal off nail holes with wood filler
  • Sand off edges and excess wood filler
  • Optionally add more glue on the back for extra strength.
• Stretch canvas (make sure you have enough for the sides and back)
  • Use canvas pliers to help stretch the canvas.
  • Fold corners so that the folds are on the top and bottom sides so that they won’t show on the right and left sides where people can easily see them.  It can be distracting.
  • Gesso once or twice, then tape off the edges of canvas with painter’s tape so you keep it clean while painting.  You can take the tape off when you’re done painting and finish with any touch up/cover ups with gesso on areas where the paint seeped through.
  • Or if you paint the sides, then taping isn’t necessary.  But it’s still a good idea to protect your edges.
• Sculpture studio hours
  • M-th: 9am-5pm
  • F: 9am-2:30pm
  • Keep in mind there are sculpture classes going on during the week.  Try to avoid class times.
  • I recommend going in the morning when it’s quiet and not a lot of people are in there working.
  • When in need of assistance, always ask Matt or any of the other assistants working there at the time.  They are all very friendly and helpful.  Don’t ever hesitate to ask questions.  Safety first.
• The tools closet
  • You’ll find everything you need in there.  (Corner clamps, nails, hammer, nail gun, trimmer, stapler, etc)
  • Wood glue, wood sealer, sandpaper can be found in the cabinets right next to Matt’s office.
• Safety rules
  • Glasses, ear muffs.
  • Always ask Matt or the assistants for help if you haven’t used the machines/tools before.
• Clean up.
  • Clean your working area as you work… and after you’re done.
  • Put away tools/materials as soon as you are done with them as other people might need them.
  • Less clutter = more work space, less confusion.
• Super important… always write your name on all your materials.  Things DO get lost/stolen and it’s only your loss.
• If you don’t want a typical square/rectangle canvas and want to make a unique shape, talk to me and we’ll figure it out.