Adjustable Tension Canvas Holders
Something new from my woodworking shop…Adjustable tension canvas holders for the Tueller Wall Easels.
Have you ever had to improvise some sort of shims to grip your canvas adequately within your easel while painting? In the past, I’ve used pieces of cardboard, erasers, and other such odds and ends wedged under my canvases to get my painting held just where I need it. While looking through Instagram posts of painters sharing their works-in-progress on the easel, I see how often they have devised similar tricks.
So I decided to develop a solution to this particular frustration. These adjustable tension canvas holders are what I’ve come up with.
Our lower canvas holders now include two small adjustment knobs that raise or lower the hinged inserts.
Tightening the knobs adds extra tension to your canvas. This is also helpful for leveling your painting.
When used in combination with our upper holders with foam pads, one’s canvas is gripped firmly in place.
Canvas Holder Inserts
There are three styles of canvas holder inserts. The standard inserts can be replaced or swapped out for any of the other styles.
You can keep several sets of inserts on hand to be used for different projects. For example, a set used for oil painting, another set for soft pastel and dry media.
Or if your easel’s holders get covered with thick paint buildup – you can replace the inserts if they get too messy.
STYLE A
Large Rubber Grips
Our standard canvas holder – and my personal favorite. These inserts with large rubber grips work especially well for stretched canvases and cradled panels. Recommended for painters who work large.
STYLE B
Small Grips + Panel Grooves
These holder inserts have slots to accommodate common ¼” thick canvas panels, hardboard panels, and aluminum composite panels. The small rubber grips can be used to hold canvases and cradled panels.
STYLE C
Soft Foam Pads
The foam inserts are a good choice for people working in digital imaging / art reproduction services and other scenarios where they won’t actually be painting on the easel. The soft neoprene foam rubber pads are well suited to holding items with fragile or irregular edges (ex. photographing framed paintings in antique gilded plaster frames).
I’m looking forward to feedback on these, so please feel free to share your thoughts, ideas and feature requests.