Repair a Ripped Art Canvas
Art canvas rips are quite common, often caused by punctures, incorrect storage or premature aging. With the many different grades of canvases, tearing is part of life for an artist. But with a little hard work, you can repair your canvas to a usable condition. This article covers blank art canvases, as well as canvases of works in progress that have been torn or punctured.
Instructions
Art Canvas Restoration 101
1. Flip the canvas onto a flat surface, face down. Working on the back side of the canvas, carefully trim any hanging strings or frayed fibers with scissors.
2. Line up the torn sides as close as possible to ready the canvas for the glue application. In some cases elasticity may be lost in the canvas due to aging, and lining up the seams will prove difficult -- be patient and do your best.
3. Gently and evenly brush on the archival glue, covering the affected area. Apply enough glue to soak into the fibers of the canvas, but not so much to cause bulkiness.
4. Apply the linen or cotton patch, rubbing softly in a smoothing motion with your finger to ensure the patch is flat and the glue is even.
5. Flip the painting over, front side up. Block up the canvas by piling books or magazines underneath the canvas frame as support and to assure the canvas lays flat while the afflicted area is drying. If any untrimmed fibers remain, trim them. Allow the glue to dry according to the bottle instructions.
6. Use a foam brush or putty knife to fill in the affected front area with archival primer or gesso. Apply the substance heavily on the affected area, and blend outward lightly onto the original canvas. Repeat the blocking up process until the gesso dries, for added strength and even drying.
7. If you are repairing an area of the canvas that was painted, wait for the gesso to dry and then apply matching paint to the area. Repeat the blocking up process with books or magazines. In some cases, several layers of paint will be needed.
