How to Make Your Own Stretcher Bars for a Stretched Canvas Painting


Today I’m going to take you through the process that I use to make my canvases. As I’ve mentioned in an earlier article on improving compositions, choosing the correct size and crop of your artwork is extremely important.
If you’re a painter, the only way to really do that is to stretch your own canvas to the shape and size you want.
I use materials and tools that anyone can find at their local hardware store, and often make large canvases for a tiny fraction of the price that it would cost me to buy them already made.
 
The inner frame, or structure, of every canvas I create is made out of 1×2 wood, and quarter-round trim.
 
Once I’ve decided on the size that I want my canvas to be, I cut four pieces of 1x2s (one for each side of the canvas), with a forty-five degree angle at each end.
You can use a miter box and hand saw, or power tools—either way works just fine. The most important thing is to make good, equal, 45 degree cuts at each end so that the wood fits together properly at the corners.