This beautiful canvas art is now in your hands! You already know which room to display it in to make the most of it. But have you thought about framing it? Framing is essential to hang your painting on the wall and to show it off to best advantage. Here's all our advice on how to frame a painting.
Summary :
how do I mount a stretched canvas ?
- what is a stretcher canvas ?
Mounting a stretcher canvas
- The American frame
- Framing a canvas with a classic frame
Frame colour and material
how do I mount a stretched canvas?
What is a stretcher canvas?
A stretcher is a frame used to stretch a painting canvas. When the canvas is stretched directly over the stretcher, it is called a canvas stretcher.
The stretcher generally takes the form of a square or rectangle formed by four battens joined together.
The stretcher is the best support for painting, as it is light, easy to transport and easy to repair. Most artists paint on a stretched canvas for these reasons, but also for practicality.
Mounting a stretcher canvas
If your canvas is not yet stretcher-mounted, you have two options: have it professionally stretcher-mounted or mount it yourself.
To do this, you'll need an upholsterer's stapler, staples, stretcher bars or uprights, a rubber mallet, stretching pliers and your canvas.
Then follow these steps to stretch a canvas on a stretcher frame:
- Choose uprights that are the right size for your canvas and join them together to form the 4 right angles of the stretcher frame.
- Install a protective cover and place your canvas, with the motif facing the ground, on top.
- Lay your stretcher frame over your canvas and turn your canvas over the edges of the frame.
- Place the staples 2 centimetres apart to fix the canvas and stretcher together, starting in the middle of the strip facing you.
- Take the opposite side, stretch the canvas as far as possible with the stretching pliers and staple in the same way.
- Repeat the same process on all the other sides of the stretcher.
And that's it, your stretcher canvas is now ready to be framed to show it off to best advantage in your home!
The different types of frame
The American case
First of all, what is an American crate? The American crate, also known as a US crate, American box or American frame, is a style of framing often found in galleries and museums. The distinctive feature of this system is that the work floats in the frame, so that it stands out as much as possible. The outline of the frame does not cover or touch the work, unlike a traditional frame. The canvas is simply attached to the inner support of the American box from the back.
This framing technique is highly sought-after for highlighting the beauty of a work of art in a modern, chic way.
You can use the American crate to frame paintings, photos, pictures and even stretcher-mounted canvases.
Framing a canvas with a classic frame
While the American crate is the benchmark for framing canvas stretchers, you can also opt for a more standard frame.
Simply attach your work to the back of the frame. The moulding will then cover your canvas by a few millimetres. Use turnbuckles to make it easier to frame your canvas. You'll find everything you need in our frame accessories. Then all you have to do is hang your frame on the wall.
Frame colour and material
Framing your painting is one thing, choosing the perfect frame for it is quite another! Even if there are no specific rules for choosing your frame, here are a few tips to ensure that it enhances your interior and your work of art:
Choose a frame colour that matches your canvas. For example, for a painting with yellow highlights, a gold frame would be ideal. If your painting has magnificent blue details, choose a frame in the same colour to bring them out.
On the other hand, you can also match your frame to the room in which you place it. Is your interior inspired by an industrial decor, for example? An aluminium frame can blend in with the decor. Or is your interior more Scandinavian or cosy? We recommend a wooden frame.
Of course, there are no rules - the main thing is that you like the frame!
With all these tips for framing your painting, your interior decoration will get a real boost! Are you looking for some canvases ? Kindly check our canvas art framed collection.