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canvas wedges
Acrylic Painting, Oil Painting, Studio and General

How to Use the Canvas Wedges That Come with a Canvas or Stretcher Bars

Published: 12th September 2018 by Julie Caves  |  Last updated: 18th June 2025
Comments: 65

Discover the importance of the wooden canvas wedges that you get when you buy a canvas or stretcher bars. And learn how to insert them correctly to stop your canvas from sagging over time.

What are those little triangular pieces of wood for?

A few experienced artists have told me how they just threw their wedges away and then wondered about the best way to tighten up a slightly sagging canvas. So I decided maybe the humble canvas wedge needed some clarification.


 

canvas wedges

 

When you purchase a ready-made canvas it will usually come with a little plastic bag of eight canvas wedges. They are often stapled inside the wrapping. Occasionally the wedges are already inserted in the canvas frame. When you purchase stretcher bars to make your own canvas, you will receive eight wedges per four bars. The size of the canvas wedges varies – bigger bars will have bigger wedges. The shape can vary a bit as well. Each manufacturer makes the ones that best fit the slots in the corner of their stretcher bars.

 

canvas wedges

 

Many artists throw these small bits of wood away or start filling a drawer with them. But painter’s corner keys or retainers (two other names for them) can be very useful. If you don’t already use them you might want to give them a try. New canvases often need to be tightened and old paintings on canvas can become loose over time. This is usually because of changes in humidity and temperature. Your canvas that was as tight as a drum can loosen on its stretcher bars. They can easily be made tauter with canvas wedges, which expand the corner of the bars slightly. This enlarges the frame by a millimetre or so.

 

canvas wedges

 


 

Canvas Wedges Can Be Inserted Into the Canvas Bars Before Painting or After

They can be used to:

  • Finish the stretching of a hand-stretched canvas – to give it that last bit of tightening. If you are priming your canvas, wait until you have primed it as priming will cause the canvas to shrink.
  • Tighten up a ready-made canvas that has loosened up in storage or shipping (the tightness will relax naturally over time). If your canvas arrived and is just a bit looser than you’d like, inserting the wedges will usually solve the problem. Often a couple of millimeters is all it takes to make a loose canvas taut again, or pull a sag out of a corner. If the wedges are already inserted in the canvas frame they may need a little tap to fully set them in.
  • Tighten a canvas that was fine when you started painting but the weight of paint and pressing on it has caused it to loosen a bit. Assess if it needs a bit of tightening when you are finished painting and varnishing. This is a reason to keep the wedges for future use, because the fabric tightness may change. Take care to do it gently as over-stretching suddenly can crack an oil painting.
  • Tightening a finished painting if it sags after many years. A painting might go slack over time because the temperature and humidity in a building changes throughout the year. IF it is a slight sag, then Inserting wedges will allow you to tighten the canvas back up without having to re-stretch it. Take care to do it gently as over-stretching suddenly can crack an oil painting.

It takes surprisingly little expansion in the corners to be enough to tighten a small sag. If it won’t tighten up, then the sag is too much and you will need to remove all your staples and restretch the canvas.

 

canvas wedges

A canvas all tightened up with wedges and ready to paint on. Notice the small gap that is now in each of the mitred corners.

 


 

Inserting the Canvas Wedges

 

canvas wedges

 

In each inside corner of a ready-stretched canvas or one you’ve stretched yourself, there are two slots in which to fit the wedges. Each slot reduces in size the further back it goes. As the wedges are tapped into the frame it pushes the bars apart at the corner. Thus stretching the canvas a few millimetres. If you spread it far enough you can see the gap in the mitred corner expand. This doesn’t make the corner any weaker, there is still a full dovetail join inside the corner.

From the back of the canvas slide a wedge, point first (top of the triangle), into each slot, one at a time. Give them a tap with a small tack or finishing hammer. Be gentle. Bashing it could split the wood of the wedge or you could bounce off and hit the back of the canvas. Or overstretching of an oil painting could crack the brittle painted surface.

Some artists tap downward with the side of the canvas on the table or floor, some tap upwards. I find upwards to be more difficult to aim, but try both and see which works best for you. Do one corner at a time and try to tap with the same force for each corner so the tension is even. There will be two in each corner, eight per canvas. Check the front of the canvas and if you need to, go around and tap them all again. I find that sometimes one corner is sagging more than the others so give that corner a few more taps.

 

Orientation of the Canvas Wedges

The wedges are asymmetrical and they work well in either orientation (inserted with either the long side or the short side against the side of the stretcher bar). Some stretcher bars seem to accept the wedges a bit better in one way than the other. It must be how the slots are angled inside. For instance, Winsor & Newton brand canvases work best with the wedges parallel to the bars. I used to insert my wedges parallel because it looks tidier. But now I prefer it so that the wedges are angled out toward the centre of the canvas, as they seem to work a bit better. I use hand-stretched canvases and Jackson’s Professional Canvases and it works well with them. The orientation is up to you, try both and see which works better with your canvas.

 

Spreading the Canvas Bars Apart

It is good practice to try to get your bars to spread apart a bit before you start tapping in your wedges, rather than just using the wedges themselves to push the bars apart. Best practice is that you should do all the movement of the bars by pulling and tapping on the bars to expand them and only inserting the wedges after you have expanded the frame. They are called keys or retainers because they fit in the space you have created by pushing the bars apart, to retain the expansion of the bars.

Claire, our former bespoke canvas maker, explains: “If you need to tighten a canvas during painting, take a slip or block of wood, hold to the inside of the stretcher bar near the centre and tap this out with a light hammer (the piece of wood stops you getting hammer marks on the stretcher bars). Do this on all four insides, then push the wedges home. They are there to act as keys to stop the stretcher from contracting, not to be hit with a hammer. Do not bang the wedges themselves in.”

This is what is meant when someone says you need to “Bang your stretchers apart”. They mean to tap the stretcher bars in their centres, one at a time, away from the middle of the canvas. After you have expanded the canvas a bit then push your wedges in to hold them apart, like a doorstop wedge holds open a door, or a keystone holds a masonry arch in place. I find this allows the wedges to be pushed in further before you start tapping on them. It also gives a tighter canvas. But I usually do need to do some more pushing with the wedge to finish the job.

 

Leaving the Canvas Wedges in Permanently

In case you were wondering – the canvas wedges are meant to be left in permanently. They keep the corner of the stretcher frame pushed apart slightly. If you remove them the canvas will sag again as the bars move together.

 

Shown on the left: inserted long side to the bar. On the right: short side to the bar. Either way is fine.

 

Inserted with the long side of the point along the edge stretcher bar so that the wedge sits parallel to the bar.

 

canvas wedges

Inserted with the short side of the point along the edge stretcher bar so that the wedge sits diagonally.

 


 

Centre Bar Wedges

Centre bars also have a little gap. When you purchase a centre bar to stretch your own canvas you should receive some slim wedges to tighten up the centre bar.

 

canvas wedges

You can tap the small wedges into a centre bar if you wish to tighten the wood.

 

When building a canvas there is a front and a back to the centre bar. The slot gap for the wedge should be facing the back.

 

Updated: 1st October 2024

 


 

Read our other articles about canvas and canvas stretching

  • Choosing the Right Canvas for Your Painting
  • Everything You Need to Know About Stretcher Bars
  • How To Assemble Stretcher Bars for Canvas
  • The Right Canvas: choosing stretcher bars, canvas and priming

 

Stretched Canvases at Jackson’s Art

  • Stretched Canvas
  • Bespoke Stretched Canvas
  • DIY Canvas Stretching – Stretcher Bars
  • DIY Canvas Stretching – Canvas by the metre

 

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Julie Caves

Julie was the editor of the Jackson's Art Blog for 10 years and now writes for the blog part time. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of art materials (with a focus on everything to do with oil painting and acrylic painting), she loves researching and writing pieces for the blog as she learns something new each time. She studied journalism in California and art at the University of Texas at Austin, received an MA from Camberwell College of Art and completed the two-year Turps Studio Painting Programme in London in 2019. She exhibits her paintings regularly.

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Comments
  • Susan Chaple 15 September 2018 at 11:26 am

    Thank you learnt something new today

  • Jennifer Hayhurst 15 September 2018 at 3:44 pm

    thank you for that , I did wonder how to use them.

    • Lisa Takahashi 12 December 2018 at 7:38 pm

      Great! Glad you found this helpful!

      Lisa

    • Joemon John 2 July 2021 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you, was wondering what these
      little chips were meant for

      • Julie Caves 5 July 2021 at 10:48 am

        Good to hear you found the article useful!

    • Thomas 21 December 2021 at 10:54 am

      First thing I did was scan down article to see how they fit
      in. Pictures show them inserted (yes you do explain how
      they are inserted) but a simple picture of position pre insert
      would have been much better.

  • Richard 24 February 2019 at 5:30 pm

    Thanks, this was really helpful. I’m just a beginner with
    canvas so all tips and advice help. Much appreciated,
    Richard

    • Lisa Takahashi 2 July 2019 at 7:21 pm

      Great, thanks Richard!

  • Kathy Campbell 28 February 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Thank you so much for this information. For years I
    have tried to find the best way to use these and now I
    can be sure that I’m doing it right.

    • Lisa Takahashi 3 July 2019 at 4:12 pm

      Great news, thanks Kathy

  • Roberta 6 March 2019 at 8:24 am

    Most wedges seem to be too small (thin) and just slip out, that’s when they go in the bin!

    • Lisa Takahashi 2 July 2019 at 7:17 pm

      Oh no Roberta, that sounds annoying. Even when you tap them all the way in? If you ever need wedges and they’re too small, just call customer services, we should be able to send out replacements if you bought the original canvas from us.

      Many thanks
      Lisa

  • Peter Perry 15 April 2019 at 1:42 am

    Any idea where I can buy these canvas wedges please?

    • Lisa Takahashi 18 April 2019 at 2:22 pm

      Hi Peter

      I’ve never seen the wedges sold as such, they are usually packed in a plastic bag fixed to the back of each canvas.

      Do you need spares?

      Many thanks
      Lisa

  • Dominic Bradnum 3 May 2019 at 11:47 am

    This is an interesting article. But can I
    ask why the Jackson’s premium
    canvases I ordered recently have staples
    across the corners of the stretcher
    frames – 8 on each corner/4 front and 4
    on the back? This makes it impossible to
    use the wedges to re-tension the
    canvas…

    • Lisa Takahashi 28 June 2019 at 3:44 pm

      Hi Dominic

      Thanks for your comments and we are currently in discussion with the manufacturers to see if we can change how the Premium canvases are made so that canvas wedges can be used.

      Apparently the reason the canvases are stapled in this way is because the stretchers are put together first before the canvas is stretched and it prevents the rectangle from moving and becoming a rhombus before the material is attached. They are made by hand and not by machine.

      Of course you could un-wrap the corners and remove the staples, and as now stretched, the canvas will not distort and you could then push the wedges in for more tension. I realise this is not an ideal solution, but these canvases are very popular and we have sold thousands of them without this issue being raised (until now!) so we feel this proves that the original tension is usually excellent.

      We’ll keep you posted on any developments with how the Premium canvases are made.

      Many thanks
      Lisa

  • Amy Marsh 25 July 2019 at 4:09 pm

    I need some! Do you know where I can
    buy them?

    • Lisa Takahashi 26 July 2019 at 10:27 am

      hi Amy,

      If you contact the customer service team of the shop you bought the canvas from they should be able to sort some extra wedges for you.

      Many thanks
      Lisa

  • Dennis 10 January 2020 at 5:54 am

    How big are they?

    • Julie Caves 16 January 2020 at 9:48 am

      Hi Dennis
      They vary depending on the size of the stretcher bars, but they are generally quite small, about 5cm long.

  • Ernest Brown 20 March 2020 at 1:27 pm

    How do I order Wooden Wedges ? Does any
    one sell them ?

    • Julie Caves 20 March 2020 at 2:37 pm

      Hi Ernest
      Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone sells them separately, not that I’ve seen.
      They are generally provided with a stretched canvas or stretcher bars. Some artists have a few in a drawer somewhere, so maybe someone you know has a few.

      We might be able to include a few in your next order, so that you don’t have to pay postage for us sending them, but I don’t know if our loose ones will even fit your canvas, as each maker uses a different size slot. Ours fit the stretcher bars that we sell and they are very large, so wouldn’t suit any ready-stretched canvases.

  • Carol 6 April 2020 at 11:57 am

    Do we leave the wedges in??

    • Julie Caves 6 April 2020 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Carol
      Yes, they are meant to be left in to hold the corners apart. They should be inserted so well that they do not fall out later. They are sometimes called canvas keys, referring to the idea of a keystone, the last stone added to a building that locks everything into place and cannot be removed.

  • Scott Cowie 4 July 2020 at 7:47 am

    Thank you so much, I’m just about to
    start and thought they were for jamming
    between the easle and canvas for
    stability

    • Julie Caves 6 July 2020 at 9:29 am

      Hi Scott
      Glad it was timely!

      • Purcell 19 August 2020 at 1:25 pm

        Don’t worry about the staples, I’ve
        been stretching my own canvases for
        years. Just tap in the wedges as
        desired. There shouldn’t be problems
        caused by the few staples at the
        corners. Good luck, contact me if you
        like Purcell

        • Julie Caves 24 August 2020 at 4:44 pm

          Thanks Purcell!

  • David 8 July 2020 at 12:30 pm

    Made no sense or point to me at all.
    Maybe a YouTube video will explain it
    better

    • Julie Caves 9 July 2020 at 1:53 pm

      Thank you for the suggestion David. We will have a look into that.

    • George 23 January 2021 at 9:16 am

      This page was concise, and sufficiently
      detailed with photos. How can you not
      understand. ?

  • Terry Middleton 12 August 2020 at 10:53 am

    thank you Julie, I was wondering what was
    the purpose for them

    • Julie Caves 13 August 2020 at 4:11 pm

      Hi Terry
      It’s funny how they just assume everyone knows what they are for.
      Glad it was of help.

  • Andreanna 2 November 2020 at 12:40 pm

    If you have a stretched canvas that was
    made but there are no slots for wedges (i
    ordered wedges separately a long time
    ago). Is there still a way to use them to
    tighten the canvas. This is a 48 x 72
    canvas and I used water and it tightened
    it somewhat but i need it to be tighter.
    Please let me know if you have any
    suggestions.

    • Julie Caves 3 November 2020 at 12:04 am

      Hi Andreanna
      It’s unusual for artist-quality or student-quality stretched canvases to not have slots.
      If you don’t have slots then it’s also possible that your corners are not interlocked in a way that allows you to expand the corners. If your corners are fixed then you cannot tap the bars apart and if there are no slots you cannot then insert a wedge to hold the expanded bars apart.
      Where did you get your canvas and who made it?

  • John Harris 9 November 2020 at 6:17 am

    Terrific article. My wife Nancy has started
    painting again and has asked me to make up
    her frames. And re-stretch some of the older
    canvasses.

    • Julie Caves 9 November 2020 at 9:22 am

      Glad you found it helpful, John!

  • Robert Cobb 28 November 2020 at 9:55 pm

    Excellent help! You have turned a dilemma
    into a blessing

    • Julie Caves 30 November 2020 at 9:39 am

      Glad to help, Robert!

  • Eirik 9 December 2020 at 11:26 am

    Really great article! Thank you. I’m curious
    though, what the downsides/potential risks
    are to use the keys (by tapping them) as the
    only way to separate stretcher bars/tighten
    the canvas, as opposed to the best practice
    method described over, by tapping the
    stretcher bars first? It seems to me that
    most people do it the wrong way (myself
    included) by only tapping the keys.

    • Julie Caves 14 December 2020 at 5:10 pm

      Hi Eirik

      I think when the experts I know have reminded me of the fact, it’s more been a case of pointing out how the expandable corner system was designed. The keys (wedges) are not designed to force the corner overlap open, but rather to sit in the gap to keep the tension as the bars try to close the gap.
      Most of us use them to open the gap, but it is not what they were meant for. It doesn’t do much harm if you tap lightly and do it gradually. But realise that it changes the shape of the canvas so the corners are not square.

      But I find that on all canvases but especially on large canvases, I get a better tension if I hammer on the centre of the bar with a block of wood against the bar and then tap the wedges in. I think it is because when I hammer on the centre of the bar it moves both ends of the bar the amount that they will freely go, which might be slightly different to each other. If I do that on the centre of all four bars (I often tap upwards so the weight of the canvas gives something to push against) I usually get an even tightening, then when I tap the wedges in I do it quite lightly, just until they stick.

      If you were just to use the wedges to open the expandable corners then uneven tension is probably the main problem it could cause, which can be avoided by doing it gradually, tapping them all in lightly and then going around again a few times. Whacking them in forcefully could cause too much tightening of the fabric on one corner and uneven tension could cause that corner to eventually tear. Uneven tension could eventually cause your bars to bend and warp. Sudden over tensioning can also crack an oil painting (I did it once.) If you expand by tapping the bars it is hard to over-tension the canvas, it only goes as much as it can. Also, some wedges will split or smoosh or otherwise collapse when hammered because they are soft slivers of wood not intended to be hammered.
      And don’t forget you could end up with a canvas that is not square anymore.

      • John Saling 22 February 2021 at 8:17 am

        your ability to elucidate something
        amazes me. it is art.

        • Julie Caves 22 February 2021 at 9:38 am

          Thanks again, John!

  • Michał Sykutera 6 February 2021 at 12:58 pm

    I was throwing wedges out too, but after I’ve
    read your article I’ve started actually using
    them. Thank you!

    • Julie Caves 8 February 2021 at 9:17 am

      You’re welcome! Glad you found it helpful!

  • Brian Buswell 10 February 2021 at 10:53 am

    Hi I have a painting framed in glass but
    lately I have noticed some blotches of paint
    like the painting is sticking to the glass, can
    you tell me why and how I can have it
    repaired.

    • Julie Caves 22 February 2021 at 6:51 pm

      Hi Brian
      In order to help you could you please answer a couple of questions.
      What medium is the painting?
      Did you use a mount/matte or a slip to give space between the painting and the glass or is the painting up against the glass?

  • Dawn Wessell 18 February 2021 at 12:56 pm

    Can I use these to help with a warped
    frame… I recently purchased some
    canvas from Jacksons and 2 of the 4,
    when laid flat have 1 corner that stands
    proud by around 10mm… The 2 are the
    same size/brand so assume it was a
    storage issue… But would like to know if
    tightening a certain corner could bring
    the canvas square again..?

    • Julie Caves 22 February 2021 at 4:59 pm

      Hi Dawn
      Probably not. I have personally found this a very difficult task where I wet the bars and dry the canvas under weights and it may still re-warp later. My framer said the warping is so strong that if you bend a warped canvas flat with a frame it will break the frame in order to go back to the warped position.

      So I think we should consider them faulty.
      If you could please email the details to [email protected] they will sort it out.
      I am sorry your order wasn’t perfect.

  • John Saling 22 February 2021 at 8:14 am

    wow. i couldn’t tell which way to insert
    them and found this page profoundly
    helpful. I’m confident now because of how
    well worded and detailed your explanation
    on orientation of the keys.. ty so so so
    very very much! i loved it

    • Julie Caves 22 February 2021 at 9:38 am

      Thank you John!
      My aim with each of my articles is to answer every question I can think of around a topic, in a complete and clear way.
      So that is great to hear!

  • Morgan Cupido 2 May 2021 at 1:29 am

    Hi Julie, I was hoping you could give me
    some advice. I have a painting that I put
    a lot of texture and detail into (including
    the borders) and the top two corners
    creased. I sprayed room temperature
    water on the top two corners of the back
    and it seemed to get worse. I’m hesitant
    to try hot water. Would re-stretching the
    canvas cause it to be aligned differently
    than it is currently? It’s not significant
    creasing but it’s white in white space
    and very noticeable.

    • Julie Caves 10 May 2021 at 11:13 am

      Hi Morgan
      A slight dip or sag in the corner can become the centre of attention, I have found, it can be what the viewer ends up focussing on for some reason.
      Trying to get rid of them is very frustrating if they don’t respond to the slight adjustment of inserting the wedges or water on the back. I have often found that hot water won’t be enough either, it looks tight for a day or less then sags again.
      If you have already tried these then I’m afraid you will need to re-stretch the painting. You might try first just to re-stretch the the 1/4 of the painting that has the problem, it might be enough. But you will probably need to remove it and stretch it completely to get an even tension.
      All paintings have a problem when re-stretching of being difficult to line up all the edges. So artists who roll up their canvases for storage or shipping have a challenge when putting it back on the bars. But if you have painted heavily on the sides that sounds even more challenging, as your canvas will now hold a box shape even without the bars and it will be hard to get that to lie flat even for the few mm you need to pull over the edge.
      If it’s a good painting it may be worth the effort, and it could be a learning experience to practice re-stretching.

  • Lisa 2 May 2021 at 10:32 pm

    Your instructions were exactly what I needed
    to adjust my canvas. Thank you!

    • Julie Caves 10 May 2021 at 10:51 am

      Thanks, Lisa! Glad you found it helpful!

  • Mike Beebee 12 June 2021 at 4:32 pm

    Great and very informative article!
    I’m not an artist but bought some pre
    manufactured canvases to mount some
    pictures on that I bought from a well
    known auction site. I was baffled as to
    what these wedges were for, I could see
    where they could go but didn’t get why,
    thanks for this, I can now sleep again 😉

    • Julie Caves 14 June 2021 at 10:43 am

      Hi Mike, I’m glad to hear it, sleep is very important!

  • Judith Althea Fear 13 June 2021 at 9:07 pm

    Thank you so much. I also threw away some
    of these wedges and I found it very puzzling
    that there was no diagram or instruction for
    how they should be used. I think it would be
    a great help to artists new to stretched
    canvas to give a short description or
    diagram of the process within the
    packaging material.

    • Julie Caves 14 June 2021 at 9:24 am

      Hi Judith
      I’m glad you found it helpful.
      That sounds like a good idea to me. I’m not sure why they don’t include a short pictorial instruction, perhaps they think of them as an optional accessory.

  • Joemon John 2 July 2021 at 12:49 pm

    Thank you, was wondering what these
    were meant for.

    • Julie Caves 4 July 2021 at 1:40 pm

      Glad to be of help!

  • Gary Sheasby 2 September 2021 at 2:19 pm

    Very informative

    • Julie Caves 13 September 2021 at 6:07 pm

      Glad you found it helpful!

  • Dave 17 March 2022 at 7:46 pm

    After you’ve inserted the wooden
    wedges to tighten the canvas, are they
    supposed to be removed prior to selling
    the canvas? Or should they remain
    inserted? Thanks

    • Julie Caves 19 March 2022 at 10:11 am

      Hi Dave
      The wedges are inserted to keep the little gap pressed open. If you remove the wedge it will close again and the corner will sag back eventually. So they are meant to remain permanently.

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    CARAN D'ACHE SPECIAL EDITION JACKSON'S ART GIVEAWA CARAN D'ACHE SPECIAL EDITION JACKSON'S ART GIVEAWAY⁠
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Five winners will receive a Caran d'Ache Special Edition Set of 10 Neocolor II Artists' Watercolour Crayons. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Caran d’Ache have released five Special Edition sets, enriched with 15 new colours, grouped into five thematic palettes: Pop, Lush, Portrait, Pastel and Dark. Discover Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Pastels on our website - link in bio.⁠
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How to enter:⁠
1) Follow @jacksons_art⁠
2) Tag a friend in the comments below who you think will like this giveaway⁠
3) Share this post to your story⁠
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This competition runs from Monday 14th July - Monday 21st July. The winners will be announced on Tuesday 22nd July.⁠
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*BE AWARE OF SCAMMERS⁠
There are a few accounts impersonating ours on Instagram and Facebook. We kindly ask that you do not respond or give any of your details to them. If you are the winner, you will be direct messaged from this Instagram account. If you are a Facebook winner, you will receive a direct message from us on Facebook. We will never direct you to a link, or ask you to sign up for something, give bank details, in order to receive your prize.⁠
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This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Instagram. The competition is worldwide.⁠
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#carandache #watercolour #giveaway #pastels #artmaterials
    Our On Location series reveals where some of the b Our On Location series reveals where some of the best-loved art materials are made, and gives insight into art materials manufacturers’ working methods. Earlier this year, we travelled to Skipton, North Yorkshire in the UK to visit the Pro Arte factory, where skilled brushmakers work to produce a wide range of artists’ brushes, from their classic Prolene range for watercolour to their versatile Sterling brushes for acrylic and oil. Read the full article 'On Location at Pro Arte' on our blog - link in bio. #brushes #paintbrushes #artistbrushes #artmaterials #proarte
    Understanding the different brush shapes and fibre Understanding the different brush shapes and fibre types can help you to make better and more informed decisions when investing in new brushes, so that you end up with tools you love working with. In this article, we’re going to provide some insight into the different brush shapes, their uses and a few tips and tricks to try out yourself. Read the full article 'Understanding Brush Shape Names, Hair, and Applications' on our blog - link in bio. #brushes #paintbrushes #artistbrushes #artmaterials
    By working with the best makers and trusted manufa By working with the best makers and trusted manufacturers directly, our own extensive range of quality, affordable colour rivals today’s leading brands. Whether you are looking for premium watercolour, oil and acrylic paints, the finest handmade soft pastels, or carefully sourced dry pigments, Jackson’s colour represents exceptional value. Discover the Jackson's Colour Sale on our website - link in bio. #colour #painting #inks #pastels #artmaterials
    Our extensive range of over 4000 brushes caters fo Our extensive range of over 4000 brushes caters for all painting techniques, from oil and acrylic to watercolour and ink. Choose from some of the finest brands available, including Da Vinci, Escoda, Isabey, Jackson’s, Princeton, Pro Arte, Raphaël, and Silver Brush. Discover the Brush Sale on our website - link in bio. #brushes #artistbrushes #artmaterials #paintbrushes
    Thank you to those that took the time to enter our Thank you to those that took the time to enter our #JacksonsPleinAirDay giveaway. It's been great to see what you've all been creating.⁠
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One winner has been chosen at random, congratulations to Christine Griffith who will receive a Jackson's Travel Brush and an Etchr Everyday Sketchbook.⁠ ⁠
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If you'd like to join us for a future event, book a place at one of our upcoming locations via our link in bio, or register your interest at pleinair@jacksonsart.co.uk⁠
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#jacksonspleinairday #pleinair #pleinairpainting #artmaterials
    Jackson’s Facebook Groups bring together a commu Jackson’s Facebook Groups bring together a community of artists who share a passion for painting, drawing, and printmaking. Join us to share your artwork, exchange material tips with fellow artists, stay informed about upcoming events, and participate in exclusive group giveaways.

Choose from groups dedicated to Urban Sketching, Acrylic, Oil, Botanical Art, Relief & Lino, Gouache, Portraiture, Watercolour, Ink, Pens & Dry Media, Plein Air, Animal Portraiture, Illustration, Pastel and Printmaking - link in bio. #facebookgroups #artcommunity #artmaterials #printmaking #painting #drawing
    Bruno Diaz is a London-based artist whose painting Bruno Diaz is a London-based artist whose paintings navigate the slippages between abstraction and figuration. In this Artist Insights film, he shares how his painting practice is rooted in drawing, how colour and the properties of pigments lie at the heart of his work, and why he admires artists who aren’t afraid to call themselves painters. Watch the full film on Jackson’s Blog - link in @jacksons_art bio.
 
Filmed by the Jackson’s Team in the Jackson’s Studio. This film features @bruno.diazx
 
#oilpainting #figurativeart #abstractart #artmaterials
    In 2020 we paid Michael Harding a visit to see how In 2020 we paid Michael Harding a visit to see how his paints are made. The story of Michael Harding oil colours goes back to the 1980s. As a painter, Michael Harding found that the paints he was using could not achieve the qualities that he saw in the paintings of the Old Masters. This inspired him to make his own oil colours, just as the artists of the past did. In Autumn 2021 Michael Harding released his watercolour paints. With this range of over 130 colours, he has strived to achieve the same colour intensity and clarity that he looks for in his oil paints. Read the full article ‘On Location at Michael Harding’ on our blog - link in bio. #michaelharding #artfactory #artmaterials #oilpainting #watercolours
    The Michael Harding Whitechapel Oil Colour collect The Michael Harding Whitechapel Oil Colour collection and set is the third of four new releases to celebrate forty years of the brand. The Whitechapel selection specifically gives oil painters the opportunity to use seven colours that previously appeared in the Michael Harding watercolour range. This article reviews each new colour in the Whitechapel collection and explores some of their colour mixing possibilities. Read the full article on our blog - link in bio. #whitechapelcolours #michaelharding #oilpainting #artmaterials
    Enjoy June's top blog articles. From diving Inside Enjoy June's top blog articles. From diving Inside The Sketchbook of Meg Buick to insights from Eilen Itzel Mena about her dynamic painting practice. Read the full articles on our blog - link in bio.⁠
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Slide 1: Photograph of @eilen.itzel.mena by the Jackson's Team⁠
Slide 3: Photograph of @megbuickart by the Jackson's Team⁠
Slide 5: Photograph of @eleanorjohnsonstudio by the Jackson's Team⁠
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#articles #blog #artist #artists #artiststudio
    The Sláma Press is a beautifully crafted hand pri The Sláma Press is a beautifully crafted hand printing press from the Czech Republic, designed for portability without compromising on results. Inspired by the traditional baren, it uses rotating ball bearings to apply even pressure across the paper. ⁠
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In this article, Printmaker Jill Hutton tests it out on etched plates, collagraphs, monoprints, and Mokulito. Read the full article on our blog – link in bio.⁠
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#printmaking #slamapress #printmaker
    What is your favourite thing about printmaking?   What is your favourite thing about printmaking?
 
At Jackson’s, you’ll find all you need to support your printmaking practice. Discover the Printmaking Sale on our website - link in bio.
 
Filmed by the Jackson’s Team in the Jackson’s Studio. This film features @laura_boswell_printmaker and @duncan.montgomery 

#artiststudio #printmaking #artist #printmaker
    Whether you prefer linocut, woodblock, screen prin Whether you prefer linocut, woodblock, screen printing, etching, or monotype, we have everything required for the professional printmaker and those who want to explore this timeless medium. This includes everything from carefully selected tools and printing presses to inks, rollers, and professional-grade paper. ⁠
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At Jackson's, we’ve got the printmaking supplies to bring your ideas to life. Discover the Printmaking Sale on our website - link in bio. ⁠
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Slide 1: Photograph of @duncan.montgomery⁠ by the Jackson’s Team
Slide 8: Photograph of @realhackneydave⁠ by the Jackson’s Team
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#printmaking #linocut #reliefprintmaking #printmaker #screenprinting #etching
    JACKSON'S PLEIN AIR DAY AT SCULPTURE BY THE LAKES⁠
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Sculpture by the Lakes' stunning grounds will come alive with creativity as 100 artists from across the UK gather for a day of plein air painting this Friday.⁠
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The event will transform Dorset’s iconic sculpture-laden gardens and lakes into an open studio, with artists setting up their easels within the landscape to create original artworks inspired by the surroundings…⁠
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…from the sculptures, lakes, gardens, and the River Frome that make this landmark so unique.⁠
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For those of you joining us, share your photos of the day and your artworks using #JacksonsPleinAirDay - we’ll be resharing standout moments and tagging artists in our Instagram Stories and Facebook Group, plus one winner will be chosen at random, either from Instagram, Facebook or our Facebook Groups, to receive a Jackson's Travel Brush and an Etchr Everyday Sketchbook.⁠
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The winner will be announced on Friday 11th July.⁠
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If you'd like to join us for a future event, book a place at one of our upcoming locations via our link in bio, or register your interest at pleinair@jacksonsart.co.uk⁠
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#jacksonspleinairday #pleinair #pleinairpainting #artmaterials
    Fourth-generation papermaker Jim Patterson and his Fourth-generation papermaker Jim Patterson and his small team are dedicated to keeping the tradition of commercial handmade papermaking alive. The company specialises in the centuries-old tradition of making handmade rag paper. Among the papers made at the mill is Jackson’s Two Rivers, a 100% cotton and linen rag watercolour paper made exclusively for Jackson’s.⁠
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We visited Two Rivers to find out how their beautiful handmade paper is made, since then, to sustain this traditional practice for the future, Jim relocated the papermaking production to the new East Quay Art Centre in the coastal town of Watchet in September 2021.⁠
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Read more about Two Rivers on our website - link in bio #tworivers #handmadepaper #behindthescenes
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