How I Frame My Own Artwork

Supplies, tools and technique for a professional finish

I want to begin by letting you know that I use both custom and pre-made panels to paint on, so framing them is far easier than using canvas.

These are my favorite pre-made canvases: Fredrix Belgian Linen Canvas Boards. I love them so much, they’re what we pack for our students (and myself) to use on our European trips.

For framing panels, you’ll need the following supplies:

-Logan F500-2 Dual Point Driver

-3M Scotch ATG 700 Adhesive Applicator (I use the 1/2” size)

-3M Scotch ATG Adhesive Transfer Tape (This is the 1/2” to match my applicator. If you choose the 3/4” size, you’ll need to buy a different size tape than I have linked.)

-Kraft Brown Paper Roll

-Picture Framing Backing Tape (I prefer the 2” wide and cut down if I need to, but it comes in different widths.)

-Razor or craft knife

-Razor scraper (optional- you’ll only need this if you’re using a vintage or antique frame, or one that previously had paper backing that needs cleaning up)

-Picture hanging hardware (exactly which items you use will depend on the size of your frame.) I switch between sawtooth hangers (for smaller works) and eye hooks with wire stretch across.

If you’re framing a traditional canvas, you’ll need to make sure the rabbet of the frame is deep enough. The rabbet is the depth of the area your canvas or panel will sit. My panels fit into traditional frames with ease because they’re thin, but traditional canvases are usually 1”+ in depth, so the frame will need to accommodate that size.

If not, there are ways around adding a traditional canvas to a frame, as long as you don’t mind it may stick out a bit in the back. You can use these Offset Canvas Clips to affix them into the frame. You would use these in place of the Logan points that we’ll use to affix panels into frames.

When to paper the back, and when not to, is another personal preference. Sometimes if my panel sits too deep in the frame, and the paper will sit high above (adding to the risk of a rip), I don’t paper the back. In the case of a traditional canvas, with the aforementioned issue being a possibility, I likely wouldn’t paper the back unless I covered it first with backer or chip board. (That requires an expensive specialized cutter though, so we won’t get into that.)

Let’s begin!

First you’ll need to use your razor scraper and clean up the back of the frame (if necessary. If not, skip ahead.)