After 20 years in the printing and framing business, one starts to collect a large variety of art supplies used in this industry. From understanding the mind of an artist and their art supply needs to becoming a craftsman and collecting various helpful tools. There are always new up and coming materials but here at KeenArt Media, we’ve selected the best staples every artist needs as well as why and how the materials can all be used. Being an established business over the last two decades has taught KeenArt Media the ropes, so celebrate 20 years of art supplies with us as we share all our secrets of the trade!
Here at KeenArt Media, we have an intimidating amount of art supplies available to our customers. However, this article will help you understand the complex materials used for artists, woodworks men, and beginners of any craft! As well as listing the art supplies offered, we will also share helpful tips and tricks when it comes to using the materials.
A Tongue and Groove Stretcher Bar is an easy, cost-effective structure used to stretch a cotton or linen canvas onto. This DIY way to assemble and disassemble a wooden frame is made from Basswood. The bars are available in lightweight ¾” depth and heavy duty 1½” depths.
We offer stocked sizes from 5” to 72” long for lightweight bars, and from 8” to 96” for heavy duty bars. For larger sizes, the bars come with grooves on the sides for cross braces. Cross braces are optional but become necessary to reinforce and stabilize both long and oversized frames.
Stretcher Bars - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
Canvas is a popular and versatile medium for artists of any age or skill level. Made from rather a cotton or linen blend and available raw or primed with an acrylic gesso. We offer a variety of canvas materials and equipment such as Cotton Tapes, Canvas Pliers, Canvas by the foot, Canvas Rolls, and Pre Stretched Canvas. Don’t want the stress of preparing a canvas? Then our pre-stretched and primed canvases are the way to go! Aside from the standard rectangle size, we also offer unconventional shapes such as round, oval, scroll, and convexo. Looking for something unique other than the shape? We also carry Metallic Gold and Metallic Pearl stretched canvases. If you have a very specific stretcher size you need to wrap your canvas to, then an un-stretched cotton or linen canvas by the foot or roll, both primed or unprimed, is the way to go.
Canvas & more - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The
Vancouver - Canvas Roll
Canvases need to be prepped before and after painting or Giclée applications. A raw canvas needs to be prepared using Acrylic Gesso or Sizing in order to prevent the paint from being absorbed by the canvas material. This also creates a smoother, more receptive surface for the paint as well as prepares the canvas for long term lasting.
Gesso - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
Coating your canvas is necessary to preserve and protect paint, ink, and canvas material. This step is usually done after you print your image or finish painting. We offer them in various finishes to best suit any aesthetic you need.
Aside from offering supplies for you to prepare your canvas, we also offer all the supplies you need to assemble and mount a picture frame to decorate your artwork.
Hardware for Mounting Artwork
There are many ways to display or mount your artwork as there are different hanging systems for different artwork sizes and weights. Linked below is all the available hanging systems we offer.
Hanging Systems
Framing Hardware - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
We offer ready made custom wood panels that are constructed with a Baltic Birch wood surface and a smooth solid Poplar wood cradle. These are suitable for a large variety of art projects, particularly when acrylic and oil paints are involved. Upon arrival of your wood panel, you will first need to sand and prime the wood with rather a primer, sealer, or gesso before painting over them. This is because priming will ensure that the wood does not absorb the paint and corrode or chip off after a long period of time. For rectangular panels, we offer stocked sizes in standard depths of 15/16” and 1⅝, from as small as 4x4in up to 60x40in. We also carry standard sizes for round, triangular, and edged types of panels.
Mounting boards are materials with a sturdy or hard surface that you can use to attach paper prints to. These are a more practical and lightweight way to display flat prints without the bulk and costs of a picture frame. Most artists use these as an inexpensive and more practical way to display their fine art prints. We offer them both in pre-cut and custom sizes. The current board options available are foam and gator boards, cork, mat boards, birch plywood, and plexiglass.
Pre-Cut Boards - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
Epoxy resin or resin is a protective, fluid-like coating mixed with a hardener that results in a thick, glossy, clear and shiny coat atop artwork. It is similar to varnish - only it is much thicker and can be applied all at once. After curing resin, it will look the same as 50 coats of varnish and your artwork will become heat, scratch, and water resistant. This coating can be used on most mediums such as canvas prints, original oil and acrylic paintings, posters, photographs and plaque mounts.
Resin Coatings - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
Aside from your expected art supplies as listed above, we also offer some rare gems such as Artist Easels and displays, Bulletin boards and Cork Rolls, and a variety of custom options. An Artist Easel is a large upright structure used to rest different mediums of art upon, in particular canvas, sketchbooks, or even wood panels. We offer both table top and standing easels, as well as display racks for storing or showcasing artwork. As well we also provide Bulletin boards that come in aluminum frames, they come heavy duty but are easy to mount. These boards are perfect for collage art, photo collections or idea maps. We also offer just natural cork rolls on their own which are perfect for DIY projects, soundproofing, tack boards, or insulation. A roll requires an order of a minimum of 10ft.
Easels & Display - Vancouver Art Supplies, Fine Art Materials & Picture Frames For The Visual Arts
With these art supplies, you are all set with the materials to create and frame your own art. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, try simplifying your list by getting only what you need and can afford. If you have any questions about which supplies you will be needing, please feel free to contact us and our team will be happy to assist!
For more information: Vancouver Canvas Photo Prints, Custom Made Picture Frames & Plaque Mounts, Face Mounting Prints On PlexiGlass
No comments:
Post a Comment