5x7 GRID Canvas 3/4" Deep #GRD-0507

Grid™ Canvas is a unique product that has a grid actually printed on the canvas itself. The grids are 1"x1" with additional 1/4" lighter weight lines, very similar to graph paper. The 100% cotton canvas is 3/4" deep canvas and is stretched using our MasterWrap™ back-stapled method with tailored corners. Our proprietary stretching products uses pneumatically controlled machines that yield drum-tight tension.

Transpose a Photo, Image, Tracing, or an actual scene onto Canvas

As demonstrated by this 1498 self portrait of Albrecht Dürer, himself, the grid process is a proven method for creating realistic art from a photograph, or from an actual scene through a "gridded" glass. Grid™ makes it easier to achieve actual life-like proportions that make your portraits captivating. Still-life perspectives come alive on canvas. Artists of all levels can achieve artistic accuracy and excellence using this method.

Transpose a Scene Directly onto Canvas

This famous 1506 drawing by German artist, Albrecht Dürer, demonstrates the grid transfer process. The drawing is called the "Draughtsman's Net," because he used a glass encased in a wooden frame and black threads to create his grid pattern on the glass. The artist looks through the glass and outlines the subject and that can be transferred to the gridded canvas.

The graphic shows Dürer's entire drawing and zooms-in on the left and right sides to provide a better glimpse of how the grid process. It is a very efficient method for drawing and tracing your main lines with a high degree of accuracy and takes away most of the guesswork when generating your proportions.

You can look-up on-line more about this process and find more drawings, as Dürer himself wrote a book called, "Treatise of Measurement" after having traveled to Italy and becoming totally immersed in Italian Renaissance art theory.

Transpose a Scene Indirectly onto Canvas

Using the gridded glass described above, trace-out your scene on the other side of the same gridded glass, and then use that as your "tracing" to transpose onto the canvas. The grid on the glass corresponds to the grid printed on the canvas.

Enlarge or Reduce your Painted Image

To enlarge your image, draw smaller than a 1" x 1" grid pattern directly onto your image, glass, or plastic sheet. Then correspond the grid on the image with the heavy bordered 1" x 1" squares on the canvas.

To reduce the size of your image, draw a grid larger than 1" x 1" squares on the glass. This works even if you are transposing your image directly or indirectly, as discussed above.

You can literally trace-out exactly what you see on the "gridded" glass. That grid will correspond to the grid on the canvas and you can thereby transpose a scene with unbelievable proportional accuracy.

Build Your Own Draughtman's Net

You could easily construct your own Draughtman's Net, as depicted above, any size you want. Simply buy a piece of glass from your local hardware store, which is quite economical. We make K2™ Stretcher Bars, which are ideal for this task because they have an 1/4" interior groove that will contain the glass, and they are 2.5" deep, so the device will stand on it's edge.

For example, if you buy a glass that is say 24x36 in size, then you could buy two 26 Inch and two 38 Inch K2™ Stretcher Bars that would make a 26x38 frame. Because the frame has an interior groove, the glass will be completely contained by the Stretcher Frame, and you would have effectively constructed a similar device as Albrecht Dürer. And with a dry or wet erase marker you can draw a grid pattern on the glass. You can use your Draughtman's Net as the view-finder, described above, to trace your subject on the glass, and then transfer that image to your corresponding a Grid™ canvas.

True 7:5 Photography Proportion - 5x7 Size

And 5x7, of course, is one of the most popular sizes ever in both photography and art..ever!

Another widely used proportion in photography is the 7:5 aspect ratio, but is relatively uncommon in art, save for the 5x7 size. It is commonly accepted as a pleasing proportion. Some artists choose this proportion to add visual interest by breaking away from more traditional shaped canvas sizes. There are only a handful of standard canvas sizes in this ratio, but there are a whole collection of (what we call) Lost Sizes in this aspect ratio, which are often unknown sizes that add intrigue to the final composition.

Explore Related Products to this 5x7 Size:

• Other Styles: Classic Cotton™ • Vincent Pro™

Masterpiece Grid™ 3/4" Deep Bar • 1/8" Canvas Clearance

Canvas Clearance is the space between the Bar and the canvas. Generally speaking, more clearance reduces the risk of the canvas touching the wood and creating unsightly lines during painting. Our design provides maximum possible 1/8" clearance for a 3/4"deep profile Stretcher Bar so as not to impact your painting, but still leaving enough wood to the maximize strength of the frame.

• Stretcher Bar Profile produces a 3/4" deep stretched canvas
• 1-1/2" wide Stretcher Bar
• Solid Ponderosa Pine or Fir from the Pacific Northwest

Solid Wood is Archival - Finger Jointed Wood is Not

We only use Solid Wood to build our Stretcher Bars because a solid piece of wood will last indefinitely. When we speak of archival value, it's not just the paint you use and the quality of your canvas and ground, even the wood choices manufacturers make are part of the archival process.

The principal reason manufactures use finger jointed wood is reduce cost, not increase archival value. Wood constantly grows and shrinks when the environment becomes hotter, or colder, or more humid, or more dry. Because finger jointed wood is made-up of multiple and varied pieces of wood, with varying grain patterns and densities, they each absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, which works on the glue joints that hold them together, causing the wood to bow and the joints to eventually fail, and certainly not consistent with increasing the archival value of your artwork frame support.

As a manufacturer, we do our part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality made product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

Sustainable Forests Ensure More Wood for Communities

Using lumber from sustainably managed forests is not only the responsible thing to do, it's also a way to ensure that the wood products we rely on continue to be available in the future. By supporting sustainable forestry practices, we can help to ensure a steady supply of wood products while also protecting the environment and supporting local communities.

America's Custom Shop!

We offer two Masterpiece Classic depths (3/4" & 1-3/8"), as well as three canvas surfaces to choose from. There are dozens of standard sizes available for these products. If you don't find the size you want, our Masterpiece Vincent™ Pro canvases have 200+ sizes to choose from in over a dozen surfaces. And if you can't find what you want, just ask your local retailer or contact us, and we will help you with your next composition.

Our passion at Masterpiece® is to deliver the highest quality canvases that can be made. We are widely recognized as the nation's leader and trendsetter of professional quality fine-art canvas. We own several patents that make our products perform superior to any other on the market, but our craftsmanship and consistency is part of what makes-up our brand. Simply touch one of our fine canvases, and you will easily discern our impeccable quality, and so will your clients and the enthusiasts who will eventually acquire your art.

I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone. ♦ Frida Kahlo

Isolation, whether self-imposed or circumstantial, was a recurring theme in Frida Kahlo's life. A tumultuous marriage, recurrent health issues, and the aftermath of a life-altering accident often relegated her to solitude. Yet, in the quiet confines of her loneliness, she found a profound connection with her inner self, which she vividly portrayed in her self-portraits. Artists often grapple with solitude; it's in these moments of quiet that introspection becomes our companion. As Kahlo transformed her loneliness into art, she offers us a poignant reminder that solitude can be a canvas for creativity and self-reflection.

Her relentless focus on self, even in isolation, nudges us towards understanding that moments of solitude can be both a challenge and an opportunity. While loneliness can be daunting, it can also become a sanctuary where we, as artists, can engage deeply with our thoughts, emotions, and aspirations, crafting narratives that resonate with authenticity and depth.

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Creativity, the silent force beckoning you, finds its voice here. Harmonize your artistic process with these indelible words and meaning by Frida Kahlo, and with our unique portrayal of a self portrait to inspire an enhanced melody in your art. Go make your music on canvas!