The 6 Options for Painting the Sides of a Canvas

4 Extend the Image Around the Edges

I sometimes use this option with canvases that have the standard depth of 3/4″. It works well with images that have simple backgrounds. I don’t have to paint details along the edges. A painting with a simple background is usually made up of a few solid colors.

However, painting the edges of a canvas while it’s on the easel is annoying. If you paint the edges, you have to paint all of them. The sides are easy to paint but when you paint the bottom edge you have to remove it from the easel.

You can’t put it back on the easel while the paint is still wet or tacky. I’ve had the bottom edge of a canvas stick to the tray of my easel. The paint was dry to the touch but it was still tacky. Acrylic paint has a tendency to stick to surfaces when in contact with them for extended periods. When I removed it from the easel, a little bit of the paint pulled off the canvas and I had to touch it up.

Another issue is- how much detail are you going to apply along the side of the canvas? I don’t like spending a lot of time working on the edges only to have a collector frame it.

And it can look odd.

For example, let’s say you’re working on a painting of a group of horses and one of the horses is cropped off by the edge. Would you continue to paint the horse around the side of the painting? Or if you’re a figurative artist, you may end up with the arm of a subject wrapping around the edge of the canvas. It’s difficult to make that look natural.

You have to consider if your reference material includes the extra information that you need to paint the rest of scene around the edges of the painting. If you have to invent it, then you may struggle with making it look as accurate as the rest of the painting.

5 Stain the Edges of the Canvas

One way you can apply color to the edges of the canvas is to stain them with a color from the painting. I thin acrylic paint with water and brush it on along the edges.

The thin paint has a tendency to drip. Not only will it drip on to your work surface, but the color will be lighter. To prevent this, you want to hold the canvas so the edge you’re painting is parallel to the floor. Use a hairdryer to dry it before painting the next side, or else it may run.

If you want to use thicker paint you can use the “dry brushing” technique to achieve a thin application of paint on the sides. Dry brushing is when you barely have any paint on the brush and use it to apply a thin layer of paint.

Another option is to apply some paint to the sides and then use a rag to wipe some of it off.

Using a wash of color on the sides is a way to remove some of the starkness of the white canvas without having the color overpower the painting. In the example above, you can see the first wash of color at the top right. It’s up to you how light or dark you want to make it.

Neutral colors also work well with this technique. The color on the sides is basically a continuation of the color from the front.

Some abstract painters allow the paint to drip over the edges of the canvas. You have to place the canvas on horizontal surface if you want the paint to drip over all four sides of the canvas. You may want to put a few spacers underneath the painting, otherwise the paint may pool up along the sides of the painting and the table. This happens when you use pouring medium with acrylic paint because it makes the paint flow.

Another option for abstract painters is to work on unstretched canvas that’s larger than the stretcher bars. Then when you stretch the finished painting, the image will continue around the sides. This approach was popular with Jackson Pollack and Helen Frankenthaler. I have a post that covers the advantages and disadvantages of painting with acrylics on raw canvas.

The only concern is if the paint is too thick, it may crack when you try to stretch it on the stretcher bars. The canvas has to bend at a 90 degree angle and that may cause cracking. Frankenthaler painted in a thin manner so this wasn’t a problem.

6 Frame the Painting

If you don’t like any of the above options, you can frame the painting. Floater frames are popular, they have a thin edge that leaves a gap between the edge of the canvas and the frame. They have a clean and simple look.

Most floater frames leave a small gap between the canvas and the frame. If the edge of the canvas is pure white, it can stand out against a black frame. Sometimes when I use a floater frame, I paint the edge of the canvas or wood panel with the colors from the painting. But I don’t paint all of the details.

This floater frame doesn’t have a gap between the edge of the frame and the canvas. I like it because it doesn’t matter what the edges of the painting look like, because the frame will cover them up. Another benefit of this frame is that it allows the entire front of the painting to remain visible.

Most traditional frames overlap the front of the painting by 1/4″. If you prefer these frames then you’ll want to this in mind.  You’ll also want to sign your name a little higher up so the frame doesn’t cover it.

A Few Tips to Help You Decide

Frame Canvases That Have Staples on the Sides

Many of the canvases that you’ll find at the art supply store are stapled on the sides. In the past, this didn’t matter because the convention was to display paintings with a frame. However, it’s becoming more popular to hang paintings without a frame.

I think the staples that run along the edge of the canvas are a distraction. If you view the painting straight on, you won’t see them. But from any other angle, they’re visible and unappealing. The staples make the painting appear unfinished and  unprofessional.

Painting the edges won’t do much to hide the staples. You will be still be able to see their shape. Painting over the the staples would also make it more difficult to remove the canvas from the stretcher bars in the future. Paint acts like an adhesive and it will difficult to remove the staples if there’s a layer of paint over them. When possible, you should avoid removing a painting from the stretcher bars, but sometimes this is necessary to make repairs.

If you’re interested in displaying a canvas without a frame, look for canvases that have the staples on the back. When the staples are on the back, the edges of the canvas will have a clean look.

Another benefit of having the staples on the back of the canvas is that it leaves a little extra canvas that folds around to the back. This will make it easier to adjust the tension of the canvas if necessary. A canvas that has staples on the side usually has the canvas trimmed close to the back edge. If you ever need to remove the painting from the stretcher bars it will be difficult to stretch it again.

Very few artists use canvas tacks but I think the tacks should be on the back of the painting. If they’re on the side it’s best to frame the painting so that they’re hidden when the painting is on display.

A painting with staples along the edges will look much more professional if you frame it.

Be Consistent When Exhibiting Your Work

If you plan on exhibiting a body of work at an art gallery or museum, decide on the framing before you begin and be consistent with it. You want the work to have a cohesive look.

You can use the same frame for all of the paintings. Or perhaps you’re working on “gallery wrapped” canvases and you leave all of the edges white.  Whatever you choose, stick with the theme for the entire body of work.

On the other hand, different types of work might have different frames. For example, your small drawings may use one type of frame while your large paintings are all unframed with white edges.

If you agree to do an exhibition with a gallery, it would be prudent to find out what their framing policy is before you begin working on a series of paintings. Some gallery owners may complain about paintings without frames.

This can vary depending upon the gallery and what they specialize in. Cutting edge contemporary galleries that specialize in abstract art may be more lenient about displaying paintings without frames.

Leave the Edges White if You’re Unsure

Lately, I’ve been favoring the approach of leaving the edges white. It’s the easiest option and it allows me to focus on what’s most important–painting the front of the canvas.

Framing is expensive and time consuming. If you present your work that doesn’t require painting the sides or framing, then you can spend that time on creating more paintings. You’ll also save money.

There’s nothing wrong with this approach. I’ve seen paintings hanging in museums without frames. If you sell the painting it also gives the collector the option to frame it or leave it how it is.

Another issue with framing is that the frame that you choose may not agree with what a potential collector prefers. They’re unlikely to tell you they don’t like your taste in framing.

One way to handle this is to present your work unframed but to offer framing as an upgrade. If they don’t like your framing options they can decline without having to explain why. Obviously, the unframed painting should be less expensive than the framed version.

Gallery Wrapped Canvases

Gallery wrapped canvases have thicker edges. They typically measure 1 1/2″ and they make the make the painting stand out from the wall. Most artists display these paintings without a frame.

Larger paintings almost require gallery wrapped canvases because the thick wood stretchers are stronger. The standard stretcher bars have a tendency to warp at larger sizes.

In my opinion, larger paintings look great on gallery wrapped canvases. It seems as though the larger the painting is, the less noticeable the sides of the canvas are. Very small paintings on gallery wrapped canvases can look “boxy” because the edges are thick in proportion to the size of the canvas. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just something to be aware of. Try it out and see if it works with your style.

I tend to save the gallery wrapped canvases for larger paintings, and use the thinner stretcher bars for small paintings. Gallery wrapped canvases are a good option if you like to paint large and want to avoid framing.

Final Thoughts

These are the most common ways to handle the edges of a canvas. I’ve seen all of these options on paintings that are hanging in museums. As I stated at the beginning, the most popular options seem to be framing the painting, leaving the sides white, or continuing some of the color around the sides.

Different subjects and styles usually dictate how the work is presented. For example, if your work has a traditional feel to it, then it’s probably best to frame it with a traditional style of framing.

Contemporary artists have more options to choose from. You can leave the sides white, paint them, or let the paint drip over the sides.

In the end, it’s a matter of preference and what works best with your work. You don’t want the sides of the canvas to stand out more than the painting itself. Keep it simple and let the painting be the center of attention.