Home › Forums › The Learning Center › Studio Tips and Framing › Tightening a loose canvas
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January 20, 2004 at 8:24 am #983883
Is there any way to tighten a loose canvas other than gesso? I used some pastels on top of paint and now the canvas is kind of loose where I pressed too hard……but….I like the piece and don’t wanna just junk the whole thing!
Thanks!
January 20, 2004 at 1:58 pm #1022253Is there any way to tighten a loose canvas other than gesso? I used some pastels on top of paint and now the canvas is kind of loose where I pressed too hard……but….I like the piece and don’t wanna just junk the whole thing!
Thanks!
Hi Deb,
You can spray a light mist of water on the back of the canvas, onto the raw cloth. As the water dries, the canvas will tighten up. Spray more if you have to. Also, there’s a tightener you can buy at an art store called “Tight n’ Up.” You also spray it on the back of a canvas and the canvas will tighten up as it dries and stay tight. A warning though, this product smells a little funky so be prepared.
… like bad b.o. or urine… blech…
Sara
February 9, 2004 at 1:58 pm #1022250Hi Deb,
You can spray a light mist of water on the back of the canvas, onto the raw cloth. As the water dries, the canvas will tighten up. Spray more if you have to. Also, there’s a tightener you can buy at an art store called “Tight n’ Up.” You also spray it on the back of a canvas and the canvas will tighten up as it dries and stay tight. A warning though, this product smells a little funky so be prepared.
… like bad b.o. or urine… blech…
Sara
***Mine had a very mild and unobjectionable smell, if any…but a bigger problem is that when you spray liquid on the back of a painting, the moisture can get in between the ground and the linen or canvas and loosen the paint film or the ground from the fabric – I know, because it happened to one of my best pictures…my opinion: be very sparing with the sprayed water or ‘Tight’n’Up’ treatment…one other thing – it’s not a permanent fix – with changes in humidity your picture can loosen up again.
A great day at work is a lot worse than a bad day painting in New Mexico...
February 14, 2004 at 5:58 pm #1022251Hi:
If you’ve used regular stretcher bars, you might try getting some stretcher keys – they are small pieces of wood that fit down in where the frame bars attach to each other and are like wood shims. You can probably find them at art stores, as frame keys.
I’ve also seen a spray that reportedly tightens canvases, but I can’t find the name. Hope this helps.
Paula
art blog www.artistpw.blogspot.com
February 15, 2004 at 11:20 pm #1022252Hi:
I found the retensioning liquid. It is called “Tight’n’up Canvas Retensioner” and it’s available at Jerry’s Artarama. I found it in Jerry’s 65b catalog, as items 54207, which is a 4oz spray bottle for 4.29, and item 54208 is a 16oz bottle for 8.99. There is an 8oz refill, item 54209, for 4.29 and a 32 oz refill, item 54210, for 9.79. Hope this helps.
Paula
art blog www.artistpw.blogspot.com
February 16, 2004 at 11:16 pm #1022248I’ve found that merely spraying regular water on the back of a canvas and then setting it in the sun tightens it very quickly and well…:)
Cathleen~
[FONT=Times New Roman]~Be COURAGEOUS, It's one of the few places left still uncrowded~
[FONT=Times New Roman]~Life is not measured by it's length BUT by it's depth~
February 20, 2004 at 11:15 am #1022254I have found that sometimes if you gesso the underside of the painting it tightens up nice!
February 26, 2004 at 10:55 pm #1022249I just use water and a blow dryer. You dont want to saturate the canvas, just spray sparingly with an atomizer and blow dry. Stretcher keys are the best solution, but I cut most of my own stretcher bars and usually just opt for miter joints. If you don’t glue the joints you can use a short screw into the joint to spread it, but it does not look very professional.
Bob
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