Canvas

Canvas fabric and stretcher frames

We stock blank canvas material in different shapes and sizes, from a mini square canvas to large rectangle canvasses. Use the artist canvas individually or create multi-piece canvas wall art.

Canvas material is mostly made of cotton or linen. It´s easy to roll up for easy transport. The durable, plain-woven fabric can be stretched across a wooden frame, or canvas stretcher, to provide a painting surface for artists and crafters.

Untreated canvas fabric needs to be primed with gesso before use. Priming preserves the radiance of the colours and prevents paint from coming into direct contact with canvas fibres which can lead to decay. Our range of gesso products is available separately.

A readymade solution with primed stretched and framed canvas is also available. Choose a box canvas or a canvas panel to work on. These are back-stapled to a sturdy wooden frame, with corner wedges for added support. A box canvas has extra-wide sides that create a 3D effect and can also be painted. A canvas panel has thin sides and is perfect for framing.

An alternative to a stretched canvas box or panel is a canvas board, also known as a media board or art panel. This is a primed white canvas that has been mounted to heavyweight chipboard with a smooth white backing. A canvas board offers a stable base, an ideal mixed media surface, and is suitable for use with stamps, stencils, paint, gesso, texture pastes and more. For certain mixed media techniques and products, we offer special canvas boards, such as the Alcohol Ink Hard-core Art Panel designed by Tim Holtz, the Ranger Dina Wakley Media Board, the Color Pour Canvas by American Crafts, and the Watercolor Mixed Media Art Board by Ken Oliver.

Canvas Art Ideas

Plain canvas is the perfect background for many painting and crafting techniques. The classic approach, with oil paint and acrylics, is great for painting portraits and landscapes. A crafty approach is adding embellishments to a canvas box or media board like die-cut paper shapes, sequins, paper flowers and fabric to create a three-dimensional masterpiece.