About art stretcher bars and stretcher frames

Stretcher bars, which are finally built into stretcher frames usually, are made of wood. In order to create a stretcher frame for an artwork, one would require four such bars. In correspondence to the size of the canvas, the stretcher bars are placed adjacently to form a square or rectangle of suitable size. The bars aren’t fixed permanently. This is because of the fact that the bars are made up of wood and increase or decrease in the moisture levels will result in the expansion/contraction of the wood. This in turn may lead to the contortion of bars in the middle (development of cracks in them is another possibility).

Intermittent butt or miter joints, which permit the expansion of the wood, are opted for instead. Stretcher frame, once constructed has to be adorned by what it’s built for- the canvas. The placement of canvas is quite tricky. The canvas should be placed on the frames such that the border is folded back and it is pinned to the bars. No wrinkle, or slag or tear should be seen on any part of the canvas and so, care needs to be taken while placing the canvas and pinning them on to the frame.

The cost of the stretcher bars depends on the type of wood, the quantity of order, the delivery charges, and additional services provided and so on. It would be wise to order from a store nearby and to opt for services of fitting the bars in case one isn’t aware or used to handling them.

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Know about gallery wrap stretcher bars and canvas stretcher bars

Many photographers are not able to utilize the benefits offered by canvas prints simply because they have no clue how to stretch canvas prints. However, canvas stretching is a pretty simple exercise which can easily be undertaken with a little practice. Alternatively, they can seek professional help and get their prints stretched. Knowing about gallery wrap stretcher bars and canvas stretcher bars can go a long way in understanding the technique.

Gallery wrap stretcher bars

Gallery wrap frames come as excellent choices - both from the financial point of view as well as the aesthetic viewpoint. In this technique, the picture is stretched on an internal frame so that it completely wraps the frame. The back of the picture meets the front in a seamless flow of visuals. Such a picture appears to be without frame and is thus hung on the walls of the gallery creating an impressive 3D effect. The wood of Cedar tree is considered to be best for the purpose. When rounded-off to a smooth finish it leaves no marks or lines.

Canvas stretcher bars
When an artist is working on a picture or a canvas print, canvas needs to be stretched in order to ensure that wrinkles and lines don’t spoil the frame. Getting customized frame for each new canvas can prove to be quite costly. Therefore, artists use canvas stretcher bars that are a bit flexible and can hold many frames. The stretcher bars further keep the canvas stretched and taut thereby making intricate works possible.

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Art Stretcher Bars for Artists

The art stretcher bars are called as artist’s aid, as they act as a frame to attach the canvas for printing. To ensure the end results of canvas printing to be effective, you need to learn the use of stretcher bars. For a beginner-level artist, the following discussion should be of great help to learn dealing with canvas stretcher bars.

Buying Right Stretchers
First of all, an artist should know the type of artist stretcher bars required. You can learn about different stretcher bars classified on the basis of their profiles, styles, size and dimensions, moisture level and so on. Choose the right thickness of the bars, according to the size of canvas used. Furthermore, make sure that the bars have smooth edges, so that they don’t tear the canvas. Finally, you have to make a choice among the rectangular or round stretcher bars.

Installing Stretcher Bars
Installation of art stretcher bars is another important thing an artist must learn. It is good not to have the corners of the artist stretcher bars fixed permanently. This is because, wood has the property to expand and contract on the basis of the level of moisture in air. So, the canvas can be adjusted accordingly, if the corners of the stretcher bars are not fixed permanently.

Attaching canvas to the frame built by four stretcher bars can be done with the help of tacks or staples. Make sure that the canvas is tensioned appropriately to avoid any kind of damage. Once you start dealing with stretcher bars, you can slowly become perfect in managing them.

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Cheap Stretcher Bars – Lacking in Price but Not in Quality

Stretcher bars are among the fundamental needs of canvas printing. If you run a canvas printing business, don’t hesitate to look for cheap stretcher bars to bring down the overall cost. While purchasing the stretcher bars at reasonable price, one can easily maintain the quality standards expected from these essential accessories of canvas printing.

Purchase in Bulk
Purchasing the canvas stretcher bars in bulk not only aims at bringing down the price per piece, it also decreases the turn around period for the customer’s order. Bargaining over the price of the stretcher bars becomes easy and successful when you purchase them in great quantity.

Compare the Offers
Some dealers selling stretcher bars come up with reasonable deals to stay in competition. Look for such cheap deals at the local stores. However, a dealer from a nearby city or town might offer even lower prices for stretcher bars. So, you can compare the prices using online resources. While purchasing these bars online, don’t forget to consider the cost of shipping.

Ensure Quality
The cheap stretcher bars should not be considered as those with low quality. Still, make sure that you are purchasing quality canvas stretchers by considering few important things. For example, the material used for making these bars can be one factor worth considering. Most importantly, take care of dealing with a reputed supplier, well-known for offering quality canvas stretchers.

Art supply stores can be trusted for cheap and good quality stretcher bars, though there are the dealers specializing in selling great quality stretcher bars at reasonable prices.

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Stretcher Strips and a Brief on the role it plays for artists

Stretcher strips extend a great level of convenience for artists. Whether you are an oil-painter or involved in exquisite needle work, stretcher frames are always there to your rescue. It not only holds the canvas tightly and stretched; but also keeps the frame right in place so that you can resume working as and when the gods of creativity prompt you to deliver excellence.

Structure of stretcher strips
Wood is the preferred material for stretcher strips that is framed in the desired structure of the painting. Normally strainer stock, a kind of extremely durable and versatile wood is used for making stretcher strips. Rectangular picture frames are the most common geometric shape because most of the paintings are done on rectangular shapes. The corners are held together using an interlocking mechanism or miter or butt joints. Such a mechanism ensures easy movement of the corners so that the shape can be adjusted to a certain extent depending on the artist’s needs. This also allows leverage for little swelling and warping that happens with the effect of moisture on the wood.

The stretcher strips often have tightening key that can be used to tighten or loosen the canvas from time to time. The canvas is held in place using a staple gun or tacks. This enhances convenience and comfort considerably.
Before using strainer stock, it is advisable to treat the material to counter the effects of environment. They are polished and treated with chemicals to avoid rotting and warping, as they can damage the canvas attached to them.

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