imaGINAtion ART

DAILY PAINTING: Make your own canvas panels

10-21-15: Today, we'll finish up the

set of canvas panels that we started

yesterday. You can see, in the photo

at left, that I cut out the corners (be

sure to angle your cuts just a bit as

shown so that, once you fold the canvas

over, it won't extend beyond the edge

of the panel as seen from the front).

I coated the reverse side of the canvas with glue (be sure to spread it with a cheap, old brush). You can see in the photo at left that I always begin to fold on the long, right hand side. Press the fold from the panel edge to keep the canvas taut. Then fold the opposite long side, leaving the top and bottom for last. The glue will hold nicely, no need for any tape. Some glue might squeeze out at the edges; just wipe it off with your finger--newspaper comes in handy.

Once all 4 edges are folded, use a clean sheet of scrap paper to cover your work (you don't want to transfer any messy glue to the face of the canvas). Then smooth out any air bubbles (I use a burnishing tool that I happened to have on hand, but a credit card or just your hand will work just fine, too).

The photo at right shows the front view of the canvas panel (the side you'll paint on), as well as the reverse side of another panel so that you can see how the edges are mitred (thanks to that angled cut you made at the corners). Very nice, neat presentation.

I stack the panels (with a clean sheet of scrap paper between each panel so they don't stick together) and then press them flat with some heavy books. You guessed it--dry overnight.

Just a bit of time, well spent, and you've created canvas panels at a fraction of the cost! Well done and happy painting!