Stretched canvases

Stretched canvases are ready-made canvases stretched over a wooden stretcher frame, so you can start painting as soon as you unpack them. Here you'll find cotton canvases from Kreul, Dielo, Daler Rowney, Talens, AMI and Rosa, as well as linen canvases from Zlatá loď, in sizes from 10 × 10 to 100 × 150 cm. Canvases from Dielo, Daler Rowney and Rosa are fastened at the back, leaving the sides clear for you to paint. Most are intended for oil and acrylic paints, while Kreul canvases also suit gouache. For canvas glued to a board, canvas rolls and individual stretcher bars, browse all painting canvases.

How do cotton and linen stretched canvases differ?

Cotton canvases make up most of the range, and the main difference between the individual series is their fabric weight. Daler Rowney Simply has a weight of 250 g/m², Dielo Student Line 300 g/m², Kreul Basic Line and Dielo Premium Line 380 g/m², and Kreul Premium Line 400 g/m². A higher fabric weight means a denser weave that holds its tension better, even under a thick layer of paint.

Zlatá loď linen canvas has a weight of 600 g/m² and a coarser texture. The manufacturer prepares it by hand with three layers of gelatin and four layers of white acrylic gesso, and promises that it will not sag over time. Choose it for an oil painting that you want to display.

How deep should your stretcher frame be?

A standard stretcher frame is shallow: Dielo Student Line uses bars measuring 3 × 1.5 cm, while Dielo Premium Line uses 3.5 × 2 cm bars. You would usually put a painting like this into a picture frame. The 3D canvases from Kreul and Talens have a deep edge of 3.8 to 4 cm, giving your painting a finished look so you can hang it without a picture frame. Dielo canvases come with 8 beech wedges: if the canvas loosens over time, press them into the corners of the stretcher frame to tighten the canvas again. Zlatá loď linen canvases include wedges from the 40 × 60 cm size upwards.

What size stretched canvas do you need?

Small sizes from 20 × 20 to 30 × 40 cm are enough for sketches and practice, while sizes from 50 × 70 to 60 × 80 cm suit a painting for your room. Kreul Basic Line also comes in sets of 3 canvases of the same size when you want to paint a series. For canvases with a longer side of 80 cm or more, browse large canvases for painting.