Protection and Presentation: the Canvas Stretching Difference

You can stretch a blank canvas or a finished artwork. Here’s why doing so will improve the presentation, lifespan and value of your picture.

A blank canvas represents freedom, creativity and unlimited possibility. A work of art is more than mere decoration: it’s an act of self-expression, a conversation starter and maybe one day, a valuable collectible. Whether you’ve scored a masterpiece you wish to display in your own space or you’re an artist waiting to put your first brushstroke on a blank canvas, canvas stretching will prepare your piece so it’s ready for the right frame and protect it for decades to come. 

As South East Queensland’s original mobile framing service, Mobile Frames 2 U can provide canvas stretching services as well as beautiful framing solutions for your stretched canvas. If you live in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast or Toowoomba, we can pay a visit to your home, office or gallery and show you through our framing services. For our stretching services, we provide high-quality 10 oz cotton prime white canvases ready for you to work with. 

So what is canvas stretching and what can it do for you and your work? This blog will provide you with all you need to know to get started.

What is canvas stretching?

Stretching a canvas involves pulling it tight over a stretcher bar (a kind of wooden framework) and holding it in place with galvanised staples on the back. 

While it may sound simple in theory, in practice canvas stretching usually involves specialist equipment and plenty of training. A canvas that hasn’t been properly stretched can eventually lose its shape, resulting in the picture quality slowly degrading. Stretcher bars are different from plain timber frames in that they have flat backs and slanted fronts, with the canvas intended to float over the slanted front. As long as it stays sufficiently tight, the canvas itself should never touch the stretcher bar. 

Stretching a canvas has many benefits both for art lovers and collectors and for artists themselves, who often find it more comfortable to paint directly onto stretched canvas. Yet there’s a skill to stretching a canvas so it protects and preserves your artwork at its finest. The technique works much better with the best materials (including a high-quality canvas) and the skilled craftsmanship of an experienced picture framing professional.

Benefits of stretching blank canvas

Acquiring a new quality blank canvas is exciting for any artist. Here are some reasons that framing that canvas makes it even better. 

• A stretched blank canvas provides a stable and firm foundation for an artist to more easily paint on.
• It creates a three-dimensional effect that adds depth to your artwork, which is handy if you know texture and depth will play a huge part in your piece.
• It lets you control the surface texture for the painting, which you can make as smooth or as visible as your artistic preferences allow for.
• It makes your blank canvases easy to transport and handle, compared to loose and unstretched canvases.
• The smoother surface lets you comfortably experiment across a range of different mediums. 
  

Benefits of stretching finished artwork

The masterpiece is complete. Whether it’s your own work of art or just one that looks good in your space, here’s what the power of canvas stretching can do. 

• A stretched canvas prepares the artwork for display in an office, living space or art gallery and showcases it looking its best. 

• It protects the artwork from dust, moisture and other elements that can cause damage. 

• It prepares the artwork for display in a variety of frame styles, giving you freedom to choose the one you like most. 

• The structural support it adds to the artwork stops it from warping out of shape over time. 

• It makes the artwork more durable and less susceptible to physical damage like tears and punctures. 

• It preserves the value of the artwork and helps it appreciate in value over time, fetching a higher price if you ever decide to sell it. 

While you can try stretching the canvas yourself, the most effective approach is hiring a professional. 

Canvas stretching with Mobile Frames 2 U

Mobile Frames 2 U provides canvas stretching and picture framing services throughout South East Queensland, as well as supplying beautiful 10 oz cotton prime white blank canvases for you to work your magic on. If you live in Brisbane, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast, we’ll show up to your doorstep, take you through our range of framing options, prepare your finished artwork in our workshop and deliver it back to you.

We can also draw on our expertise and passion to recommend framing options such as floating frames, an elegant and modern approach that makes your artwork look as though it’s floating in the frame. 

For more information about the difference that canvas stretching makes, contact the Mobile Frames 2 U team for a free quote.