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It is important to put the canvas print face down on a clean, flat surface such as a newspaper or dust sheet. You will need enough room to work around it and to manipulate other items that you need to use in the process.

Put the canvas print face-down on a clean, flat surface.

Make sure that you first clean the back of your canvas before starting. This means that if you have been handling it with bare hands, these should be washed and dried properly. Any excess dust will also require cleaning off to ensure a smooth finish.

Put painter's tape across the back of the canvas where you want to cut it.

  • Use painter's tape to create a straight line where you want to cut.

  • Pull the tape taut as you stick it along the back of the canvas and make sure it's level. If it consists of two pieces, then trim one piece so that they fit together perfectly, without overlapping or leaving space in between them.

  • Place a straight edge (or some other sturdy object) on top of the tape, lengthwise with your line, and use a sharp utility knife to cut along its edge.

    Cut the canvas with a utility knife.

    The first step is to cut the canvas with a utility knife. This might sound a little intimidating but it’s actually quite easy, and you will be cutting a piece of canvas that won’t be used so you don’t have to worry about ruining the piece of art. Start by making sure to use a sharp knife and then make sure to cut on a flat surface. You definitely want to watch your fingers while doing this; it’s easy to slip!

    You can use a ruler if you need help cutting straight, or if you are using an action print (not gallery wrapped) like the one shown here, just make sure not to cut off any part of the image. Start by making shallow cuts at first and then continue until it cuts all the way through. Once you have made your first cut, keep going around until each side is completely separated from the frame.

    Finally, make small snips in each corner before folding them down with some pliers (use caution as these can be sharp). It should now look something like this:

    Spray adhesive on the foam board and put the canvas on it.

    After the spray adhesive is fully dry, you can apply it to the canvas. Make sure you apply it evenly and in light layers—otherwise you might end up with a lumpy frame. You can start with one spray of adhesive at a time and then build on that, or you can use three even sprays side by side. If there’s any area on the canvas that’s not completely covered by adhesive, then add another layer of glue over those patches.

    Let the canvas sit for 10 minutes so that the adhesive becomes tacky before applying it to the foam board. It should stick immediately upon contact, but if it doesn't, press down firmly at least 5 times over every section of your painting so that it bonds well with the foam board.

    Apply spray adhesive to foam board and put foam board onto back of frame.

    Next, you need to put spray adhesive on the back of your foam board. Grab the can of adhesive. Make sure it is sprayed evenly and consistently, then press the foam board onto the back of the frame. Ensure everything is even and there are no air bubbles or gaps that could compromise the longevity of your canvas art piece. Make sure no glue gets on the front of your beautiful canvas!

    Add backing to frame and hang!

    Once your frame is built, it's time to add the finishing touches. First, you'll need to attach a sawtooth hanger to the back of your frame. To do this, lay your frame face down on a flat surface and use a hammer and nails to hold the hanger in place while you drill screws into each side of the hanger's mounting points. Once everything is secure, flip your frame over, find a spot on the wall for hanging (do not forget to use a stud-finder!) and hang away!

    Congratulations! You've just built yourself an awesome new shadow box frame for your canvas print! It should be noted that this is just one way of framing a canvas print—there are many other approaches that we'll explore in future how-tos!

    If you use these simple tips, you can frame your art in no time at all!

    At first, it can be a bit overwhelming to know how to frame your art. But everything you need is in this section!

    • The frame needs to fit the art! You can't use frames that are too big or too small for the art – they will distort the placement of your art and ruin the overall look of your collage. We suggest choosing 1 inch deep, standard frame sizes for all canvas work (1"x 1" and 2"x 2"). Your frames should have a decorative edge or molding so that they fit right into any type of wall decor.

    • If you're using a single canvas without any additional filler or backing, you'll want to make sure your framing material matches exactly with the edges of your artwork. You also don't want anything in between the edges and your piece, as it will show through when you hang your piece on the wall.

    • For extra support, slide up one corner of a paper insert that you have under some sort of paneling behind one of your pieces before hanging it on the wall (you can use an old picture frame).

    • We suggest spacing out all four corners by about 1/2 inch from each other for proper framing. Do not go more than two inches away from each side (like if you were putting a doorframe on after), otherwise it's likely that whatever hangs over that area will not be properly supported by the rest of the frame. This can lead to unevenness in alignment, which if left unchecked could potentially harm both ends if there is movement from expansion and contraction from temperature changes, but is most often seen during extreme weather such as thunderstorms. Also keep in mind that this type of "sagging", though at first may seem acceptable because no display is perfectly straight up-down-up-down, will eventually cause damage to both sides if left unchecked.

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