8x8 GRID Canvas 3/4" Deep #GRD-0808

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 1:1 Square Proportion - 8x8 Size

8x8 is one of our most desirable square sizes.

The square is perhaps the most intriguing proportion, as it is root of all of the other proportions. It is commonly used in both photography and art. Squares are typically used as the center canvas of a triptych or as a single canvas hung at a 45° angle. The square proportion is long used with medium format professional cameras, and most photographs we see on websites and social media are based on square images. Since all sides of the canvas are the same length, your eye is drawn evenly across the surface of the painting creating a sense of harmony, balance, and a generally a pleasing visual experience. The square format is also a good choice for artists who focus on geometric shapes or patterns in their work, as the regularity of the square shape can help reinforce these elements. Some artists enjoy the challenge of working within the confines of a square format, as it forces them to think creatively resulting in intriguing compositions.

Check-out one of these other sizes in the same 1:1 aspect ratio:

4x4 • 6x6 • 12x12

Explore Related Products to this 8x8 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

No Finger Joints!

Solid Wood is far superior to finger jointed wood, which is many small pieces glued together, each with varying grain densities that absorb and shed moisture at varying rates, expanding and contracting non-uniformly as environmental conditions change, and causing the wood to bow and the finger joints to eventually fail.

A single homogeneous kiln-dried solid wood Stretcher Bar outperforms and outlasts a finger jointed Bar whose sole purpose is to save the manufacturer cost, not contribute to the archival value of artwork intended to last a millennium. As a manufacturer, Masterpiece® does its part to conserve as much wood as possible, and still provide a quality product that will out-perform any other in the marketplace.

Sustainable Environment Promotes a Sustainable Economy

The use of lumber from sustainably managed forests is not only environmentally responsible, it also helps to support the economy and preserve jobs in the forestry industry. By choosing products made with sustainably sourced lumber, consumers can help to ensure that these industries remain strong and sustainable for years to come.

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 mission at Masterpiece® is to deliver the premium quality products that add value to your art. We are widely recognized as the nation's leader and trendsetter of professional quality fine-art canvas. Not only do we have the widest selection of products, but we feature intriguing aspect ratios and sizes with a purpose to add new dimensions to your art.

I was created by the all powerful God to fill the universe with my masterpieces. ♦ El Greco

El Greco, the eminent painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance, often blurred the lines between the earthly and the divine in his art. With a profound sense of purpose, he viewed his talent as divinely granted. El Greco's life, characterized by his deep religious convictions and an unyielding commitment to his unique artistic vision, distinguished him in an era filled with iconic artists.

Such unwavering self-belief and purpose isn't solely the preserve of the masters of yesteryears. Many of us, as artists, feel a compelling drive, an inner calling that pushes us to create and share our visions with the world. This intrinsic passion and conviction guide our hands and hearts. The beauty of this sentiment lies in its universality; regardless of the medium or the era, artists are bound by this unrelenting desire to make their mark, to contribute their unique perspective to the vast tapestry of human expression. While we may not all proclaim our purpose with the same fervor as El Greco, our creations are testament to our dedication, serving as our very own masterpieces, gifted to the universe.

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We are passionate about art, so we curated this enlightening quote and provide insight to it's meaning, plus to excite your senses, we included an inimitable portrait we made of El Greco. Now get busy on your own!