Now that you have taken home your work and it has dried there are a few things you can do to make your painting look more finished.
What do I do with the little bags of wooden pieces?
These bits of wood are canvas tightening keys or wedges, used if the canvas begins to sag a little on the stretcher.
How to Use Canvas Keys
· If you find that your canvas has become loose or sagging, slide the canvas keys by hand into the slots in the stretchers in the corners.
· The wedges are oddly shaped, pointed on the end, and longer on one side than the other. The pointed end goes into the slot, but some people put them in with the long side flush against the side of the stretcher bar, others prefer to place them with the short side against the side of the stretcher bar so that the wedges are angled out toward the center of the canvas. Either one works, so try both methods and decide which works best for you.
· Place a small piece of cardboard between the canvas keys and the canvas to protect the canvas when you tap the keys into place with a hammer.
· With a smaller canvas, you can gently tap the end of both wedges, or keys, into the corner with the hammer, working your way around to each corner. You may see the mitered space at the corner of the stretcher increase as you tap the wedge.
· With a larger canvas, in order to keep the tension on the canvas even, you will want to push out the opposing stretcher bars first. In order to do that you will tap the wedges that push a stretcher bar in one direction, then rotate your canvas so that you can tap the wedges that push the opposite stretcher bar in the opposite direction. Then do the same for the remaining sides.
· Tap the wedges gently a few times only. You may need to go around again, but you don't want to knock them too hard at first. You run the risk of splitting the wood of the stretcher or overcorrecting. By gently tapping the wedges you will eventually achieve the desired tautness of canvas.
Picture varnish helps return some of the gloss to your acrylic painting and lifts the colour that tends to dull when dry. It comes in both gloss and matt and that is really a personal choice.
A number of places sell this – Noys Nic Nax, Officeworks (approx. $12.95)
Finishing the Edges – there are a few options;
· Painted edge looks good – either continue the painting around the corner or paint the edges using a dark colour. Masking tape will help you to get a straight edge.
· Frame your canvas – either a flat edge or L shape frame will work nicely. A piece of pine from Bunnings can be stained to create an effective flat edge frame that sits outside the stretched canvas. Bunnings also have a nice L framing timber that will cost you $8 for a length that will make a frame for your 30cm x 40cm canvas.
