♦ Buy a stretched canvas. They are generally stretched over a ¾ inch wooden frame and come in a variety of standard sizes. Stretched canvases cut costs by fitting directly into ready-made frames. Custom framing is expensive.
♦ If you are not going to frame your painting, buy a deep-edged stretched canvas. Then paint the sides as part of the painting.
♦ Carefully check the surface of your canvas for flaws. Even slight imperfections will show up on your finished painting.
♦ Make sure your canvas is stretched tightly over the frame. A lose canvas will be a problem.
♦ Buy a canvas that corresponds in size and proportion to your enlarged photograph. As an example, a 4 x 6 inch photograph, enlarged 4 times, will most closely fit on a standard 18 x 24 inch canvas.
4 times 4 inches = 16 inches
4 times 6 inches = 24 inches
An enlargement measuring 16 x 24 inches approximates an 18 x 24 inch stretched canvas.
