As you already know there are so many fancy and beautiful guitars out there in the market. Apart from buying designed guitars, you can paint on your guitar yourself to make your guitar look magnificent. If you own a guitar and don’t want to replace it then applying paint or making beautiful designs on your guitar is one of the best options for you.
There are several ways to paint on your guitar and in this article, we’re going to state an easy process of painting your guitar.
Prerequisites
- Acrylic paint marker
- Hand sander (optional)
- Sandpaper and fine grain sandpaper
- Spray primer
- Crystal Clear enamel spray
Step 1: Disassemble Your Guitar
The very first step in the process of painting your guitar is disassembling. All you need to do is just take some tools like a screwdriver, maybe a wrench, etc. depending on your guitar’s hardware. You should start disassembling by removing the neck and then move towards removing the hardware. You should also consider removing the bridge studs.
Some instruments don’t have bridge studs. You can easily remove them by unscrewing them from the body instrument. Sometimes it might be difficult for you to remove the bridge studs because they were hammered. If you get to face such a problem then you’ll need some mechanical help. After the disassembling of the guitar and removing all the hardware you should keep them aside may be in some baggies so you can eliminate the risk of loss.
Step 2: Break the Old Paint
After disassembling the guitar, the next step is breaking the old paint layer, and to get it done you will need sandpaper, a hand sander, and finer grain sandpaper. Firstly you should start with using the hand sander,. While using it you will get to see that your hand sander is unable to reach some places and you will need sandpaper to sand such places.
Once you have done breaking the paint layer by using both hand sander and sandpaper then the next thing you will do is make the surface smooth. To make the surface smooth you will need sandpaper of finer grain.
Step 3: Getting Ready to Draw
Once you have broken the old paint layer then you may get to see some opening pores on the surface. To make your guitar ready for a repaint, you should fill those pores by using wood filler or grain filler. After finishing the filling, you have to apply mineral spirit to remove all the dirt and oil.
You should use a piece of clean cloth to apply mineral spirit, touching the guitar before the spirit gets dry may ruin your paint. After that, you have to use a spray primer that will help your guitar to get painted finely so you can draw on it. When you spray the primer, keep the guitar aside in sunlight so it can dry. The next thing is applying the paint if you want to, otherwise, you should go with the drawing stuff.
Step 4: Draw Now
One of the best drawing stuff for the guitar is Acrylic paint markers. First, you should start by slowly making the outline or the structure of your design and then move further by making designs and finishing the structure. Once you’re done with the outline and structure, you will have to fill the design with the acrylic paint of your choice.
Step 5: Seal the Paint
Once you’ve made the designs on your guitar and finish up all the paint, there is one more thing you need to do which will make your design long-lasting and durable. You have to seal the paint by using Crystal Clear enamel spray. All you have to do is simply spray the enamel on the surface to make a layer and then keep it aside so your guitar can dry.
Step 6: Ready to Use
After drying the guitar properly, now you have to assemble your guitar. But remember that it must be done carefully and make sure your new paint and design do not get scratched. After all the assembling, you will experience an amazing new look of your guitar.
An Alternative of Drawing
If you’re that kind of person who wants to make their guitar beautiful but doesn’t know how to draw or doesn’t have a creative hand then there is one of the best options available for you that is applying stickers on your guitar. Adding a sticker is one of the easiest options to make your guitar look beautiful and it is way cheaper than acrylic paint drawing. It also might be a little better but this totally depends on your choice.
Customizing Your Guitar According to Your Taste
Here we have stated a complete process of drawing on a guitar and also mentioned some of the best acrylic paint markers. Drawing on your guitar can be hard the first time. But once you get the hang of it, it’ll become a weekend hobby of yours. Although many guitarists prefer the natural clean look of the wood, some of them like to get creative and customize their guitar accordingly.
Anything you draw on your guitar should be covered with a layer of Enamel spray to ensure the durability of the acrylic paint. Stickers are also a great choice if you’re not into drawing, but keep in mind that you should only buy high-quality stickers for your guitar, as low-quality ones can be a bit hard to remove after a long time.
