Following the release of their second studio album The Age of Octeen in 1996, Braid played shows in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri in September and October.

[5] Nanna and Bell ran their own label Grand Theft Autumn Records, who had released a split single with independent label Polyvinyl Record Co.[7] The members used to skateboard with Polyvinyl's co-founder Matt Lunsford before they became a band;[8] he and fellow co-founder Darcie Knight organized the band's first-ever show in 1993.

[6] Braid were not contractually signed to Mud Records, who released The Age of Octeen, as the label typically worked with local bands from a college town.

[9] According to Nanna, Atkinson brought a sense of groove to the track that made it markedly different from their previous material and, for that reason, the song was almost scrapped.

[6] Frame & Canvas was recorded in December 1997 at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington County, Virginia, with J. Robbins and the band acting as producers.

[10] "Collect from Clark Kent" is an atypical Midwest emo track, which talks about breakdowns in communication and long-distance issues, with Nanna singing to a woman similar to the Superman character Lois Lane.

[6] They were working on the dance-indebted "A Dozen Roses" in Nanna's parents' basement when Atkinson began playing what he called "this cool beat".

[4] "Ariel" is about living under one roof with people in bands while wishing the music Braid were making in the basement was being made upstairs.

[2] After a number of northeastern US shows,[2] the band embarked on a west coast tour with Seaweed and 365 Days of Pure Movie Magic in March 1999.

[26] AllMusic reviewer Blake Butler noted that Braid came up with "very technical pop melodies" on Frame & Canvas, accompanied by frequent time signature changes.

[18] LAS Magazine founder Eric J. Herboth said the album was "the record that is going to blow things wide open for Braid".

He added that the band found an "equally amazing drummer" in Atkinson, alongside a "candy coated plush sound" and a "new best friend" with Robbins.

[27] Western Homes of Nude as the News described the album as "sort of like an emo London Calling [by the Clash], stretching out and connecting with rock history as a whole".

[17] The staff at Impact Press called Frame & Canvas "incredible", adding that the song arrangements are "untraditional and right on, their vocals are well-sung".

[29] Punk Planet's Mike Barron said it was full of "genuine, heartfelt, and complex songs", highlighting "The New Nathan Detroits", "Milwaukee Sky Rocket", and "Urbana's Took Dark" as examples of Braid performing melodic music "really goddamn well".

[30] Andrew Chadwick of Ink 19 considered the songs "more straightforward than on Age of Octeen," while the band's "penchant for constantly changing structures remains intact, and their knack for amazing melodies and memorable songwriting seems to have grown".

[With Frame and Canvas] Braid points out that if you relax the rules a little, and allow the lines to be bent, you can draw surprisingly recognizable characters without needing very many more of them.

[40] Frame & Canvas was an important snapshot of second-wave emo and the indie rock scene, the latter of which was based in Champagin, Illinois, during the mid-1990s.

[41] Nanna ranked it as his second favorite Braid album, saying: "You can hear the fact that we really needed to nail it and you can tell we’re nervous but excited and really pressed for time.