Okay. In truth, I was not ready! .. After assembling everything that I need, after wetting the paper, I discovered that someone had previously purchased the stapler that we bought yesterday. How do I know? They had jammed staples that were too small into it and jammed it completely. Unfortunately, this particular model did not allow me to readily disassemble it. There should be a special place in hell for people that buy a product, abuse it (by putting in incorrect staples) and then returning it and pretending nothing is wrong.
Ugh! Back to the sink goes the paper. And back to the store goes the stapler. After much argument my wife is able to convince them that the stapler was broken when we bought it and it's an even exchange with the broken stapler. While I know the store does not like to be scammed, I hate even more having a store scam me! Ah, well, the did allow an even trade. And the new stapler works perfectly. Great. We're ready to go.
- Stretcher bars. Check.
- Scissors. Check.
- Ruler. Check.
- Stapler and staples. Check.
So, it's time to measure and mark the paper. Note that you can just see the raised lettering in the corner. That's the "Arches" mark on the paper. It tells me that the back side of the paper is facing the stretcher bars. Good. Now to mark the paper so the stretcher bars are evenly centered. Don't go hog wild with the marker. But it is the back, so it should not be too visible.
After marking where the stretcher bars should go, I marked from those corners to the edge of the paper along the LONG edge (in this case the 12" edge). Then I marked a 45 degree cut off area on all four of the corners. Once the paper was wet and in place (on the tea towel as you can see), I cut the corners as you see. The cut into the paper from the edge is along the long side. It's like that on each of the corners. Note how the scissors show the cut in the paper. This will allow a neat corner to be folded without too much paper getting in the way.
By the way, if you are wondering, I set the paper soak for more than five minutes to allow it to fully expand. It will slowly dry overnight once it's on the stretcher bars. It should come out sounding like a drum when it's dry.
Starting on the short sides, I staple the paper on one side to the stretch bars. I start in the center and work alternatively outward to the corners. Note how the cut corners are set. Don't staple the ends too quickly. You will need to create a "hospital bed" corner. Tuck the corner under a bit and leave a nice square corner. You can see that in the photo where I am holding the corner in place. THEN you can staple the corner in place.
Rotate the paper and do the other short side. Tuck in each of the corners. Then rotate the paper to the long side, start in the center and work outward alternatively (left, then right, then left, then right) and smooth both the back and front of the paper as you go. You should also tighten the paper (without tearing it). In the end, you should have a neatly stapled paper canvas as you can see in the photo. I will probably have to hammer some of the staples into place, but they should more than hold as the paper dries.
And as you can see from the front you should have a nice, neat surface for your painting. While it might be a little more work than using stretched watercolor paper, the advantage is that the watercolor canvas can be hung "as is", or it can be put in a frame used for oil or acrylic paints. No glass needed. Of course, it's still important to spray it with a UV Archival Varnish. And don't forget to spray the BACK of the painting when you are done.Joyce Faulknor claims that watercolor paint will not fade out as it dries on this type of stretched watercolor paper canvas. I will be interested in seeing if that is true. Time will tell.
Anyway, I hope this helps you learn a new way to stretch your watercolor paper.
"I wish to pain in such a manner as if I were photographing dreams." ... from Zdzislaw Beksiński.
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