Brad, we appreciate the humbleness but man, it takes balls to just start drawing on a guitar body freehand without some kind of template or even a sketch beforehand. Give yourself some credit. ;)
Hey Brad, thanks for posting this video! I'm hoping to do exactly this for a gift for my husband. I was looking for some guidance and you certainly provided it!
Thank you, thank you !!! You have given me the information that I need to paint my guitar. I bought an electric guitar from one of them selling apps for $25 and it was in great "working" condition. I Plugged it in and it had a great sound. The downside of it and the reason it was only $25 is bc someone destroyed the paint job. It had names of people all over it, different paint colors just splattered randomly, drawn on with markers… it was the most horrifying looking guitar and made no sense why it was treated like that. It wasn't only the body, but the head as well. Thankfully the neck and fret board were untouched, but the., but the head was written on. Ive taking it apart, and sanded it down. Now Im ready to paint it. I can't wait. Let the fun begi
+Crimson Custom Guitars Thank you. Now we need to load some of your water based stunning stain into a few blank pens and take this to the next level haha.
Hey Brad ... Thats one of the coolest things i have seen in your videos to date. I think you did a great job. I am sort of headed in that direction now. I am on my 6th guitar build (scratch build no kit) and I am accidently discovering how to use dye to create a sort of flame look. May also try to pin strip a bit to fill in voids once clear coat is dry. Start out simple an move forward. You have got some great videos. Your one of the youtubers I will check out among a few others when I want to verify I am on the right track.
mixed... I would love to be as bad at drawing as Brad!!!! I've told him numerous times that he shouldn't be so hard on himself, & since he made the recent changes he has been looking & sounding much more confident. I think (although I may be wrong) that Brad is very shy & struggles with compliments. As more of us are telling him he is good he is starting to believe us!
+Phil Gallagher I was always taught that nobody likes a bragger haha. That being said, I often aim for self-deprecating humour. I'm not necessarily being serious.
Yes, this is much better. Be careful what paint you use to finish it though. Finish has a significant effect on how an acoustic sounds, especially on the top.
Hi Brad! I’ve been looking for some good advice for a customization project, and I feel like I landed in the right place. I’m planning on customizing an already finished guitar body (a Squire Sonic Strat in California Blue) with Poscas. I believe the process would be slightly different than what you show in this video, as I’m gonna have to paint directly on the varnish? What kind of sanding should I do before I paint and what varnish should I use to protect my artwork (and how many layers should I apply)? It's hard to find good advice out there, or at least to sort out the good from the bad. But your channel is a true gold mine, you got yourself a subscriber.
I guess I had two people asking about posca pens on a finished guitar in the same day haha. I suggest sanding with 800 grit. I’m not entirely sure what posca pens are (chemically), but my top choice would probably be spraymax 2K clear coat. 4 coats is generally plenty. Have a look at my video on how to get a professional looking clear coat with spray cans.
@@BradAngove Thank you very much for taking the time to answer again to the same question! I've already checked your video about clear coating, I will sure use it as a reference.
My father passed away four years ago, very suddenly. Ive been tesearching videos on how to paint guitar bodies so I don't fuck the only thing I have left of him up. Thank you so much for sharing this. I feel much more confident in my abilities after this. Im going to try my hand at painting a Kraken on his squire. Here's to hoping I don't anger him and the rock gods
@@BradAngove Thank you SO much!:) I wish we could post photo comments lol. BEAUTIFUL display of artwork on your guitar, by the way. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Nice guy comes on, says he is going to teach us how to draw on a guitar, nice guy then proceeds to draw demonic skulls lolol. I would love to do this but I do not have the drawing skills to do it properly, Yes I know a lot of people say that but it's true and is a real fact for many of us out here, hmm I wonder if they have a support group for that? " Hi, my name is Ron, and I can't draw".... luckily for me I have a very talented fiance' who can draw very well! I like your video's brad, you are just a regular guy, with a lot of knowledge, who sometimes messes up but shows us that from time to time. Great video!
Been thinking about grabbing one of those cheap guitar kits so I can do an art guitar. Still not sure on which one I should get though. Need to do more homework, see which one is actually worth the trouble, because I definitely wanna play it when it's not hanging on the wall.
Hey Brad, what kind of primer did you use before you added the paint? Also, is there a brush-on wood sealer/primer I can use that’s compatible with the acrylic paint?
I've just bought a white Ibanez rg350. Could you do a video explain how to draw or paint on a guitar that has been bought rather than a guitar you are building? Thanks for the video btw, it was very interesting!
what should I use if I want something super removable ie no use of clear coat and something that would clean off of a white guitar with no residue? If I started drawing on my guitar I'd want to change it up very often
Hi @Brad Angove, I have a friend who likes painting cartoon characters and I challenged her to paint a guitar. Assuming I'm starting with a completely unfinished body, obviously it would need to be sanded and primed, but what would be the best way to paint the characters against a coloured background? Obviously she'd know how to paint a great picture, but she's never painted a guitar before, and I'm aware that painting a guitar is a slightly different ballpark as there are tonal considerations and you could ruin the tone if you had too much paint on it. So what would be your advice?
Hello Brad, loved this demonstration. In order to take this a step further, which material would you recommend to protect it and make it look professional grade glossy?
Hey Brad, awesome advice, thanks! I know this is an old video, but how would you go about painting on an already finished body? A used bass with an awesome price caught my attention, but I'm not too crazy about the colour, if I do get it I'd want to doodle over most of the body keeping the factory colour as background. Could this be done with just sanding the clear coat to make it a little rough so that the paint sticks? Thanks!
Water based acrylics work with most things. Use a spray so you don’t re-dissolve the acrylic. You can use acrylic enamel, polyurethane, or even lacquer.
I have a guitar of this style as well with a pick guard. I haven’t seen what’s under it so my question is would I need to solder any wires to remove them??
Hi Brad thanks for this video! I was wondering, my acoustic guitar is black and glossy finish, I want to do this to it but I've only seen people working with guitars that arent pre painted (like just bare wood). Would I still be able to sand my guitar down, put on my own black acrylic base coat and then go in with white acrylic markers + clear top coat? Is there any way I can just draw with the markers straight onto the guitar as it is and add a top coat or is this not going to last? I am very lacking in knowledge on these things! I would really appreciate any advice!
Well, you just saw me do it on a guitar that was painted haha. If you go straight over the gloss it won’t stick properly, but, you don’t need to remove the paint. Just sand the guitar lightly with 600 grit to give the new paint something to grip onto. Then do your drawing, and finish off with your new top coat. I caution you though, paint has an impact on how an acoustic guitar sounds, unlike with a solid body electric.
@@BradAngove Thanks so much for the reply that helps clear it up! Yeah I have heard people say it can affect the acoustics although I have seen some videos of people showing proof of no sound change in their circumstance so I'm going to take the risk! Thank you for mentioning tho!
If I used paint pens over a really high gloss acoustic, without sanding the original finish off, would I have trouble clear coating the marker in? Having trouble finding info on that in particular.
@@BradAngove no clue. Some type of varnish I would imagine. It's actually a baritone ukulele but it's just wood with a seal, looks like. I tried paint markers and a clear coat on my other uke and it worked fine, but I dont know how well the clear will stick to the already just about mirror finish.
You actually technically answered it here, /watch?v=udnzyBphjhU&feature=youtu.be#t=3m55s so thank you, sir. I'm just going to play it by ear on this one.
I just wanna put my own signatrue on my dean. Its already slick and finish straight out of,the guitar store. Should i just get a pen and do my signature in a good color and gloss over it with a finish or can i just let,it dry?
Paint doesn’t stick to gloss finishes properly except in specific circumstances where you are layering something like nitrocellulose lacquer, which will melt into itself.
How would you go about doing this on a DIY Guitar body Kit??? Im looking to make a Godsmack themed guitar body, with tribal sun. Kinda like the custom guitar their lead singer came out with awhile back.
hey man nice job. So my question is, by the end of the video is this guitar ready to play or did you have to do any other work to the body IE buffing or polishing? How many coats is enough?
+Joel Vaillancourt If your using a matte clear like I did, generally you wouldn’t polish that. If you want a gloss finish then you would typically have to go through the buffing and polishing process. I’d use three coats of the matte.
I just bought a solo diy kit, it has a flamed maple top and I was planning on coloring it dark gray and then drawing on it in white, what will I need from start to finish (from primer to Finish) Second if I wanted to draw on an acoustic guitar (that's pre finished etc..) what would I need to do
Hi Brad, thanks for the video. I have a quick question for you: I did something similar as you in this video (primed and painted in white and made a design with black and green paint pens). I left the design to dry for about 4 days and then went to clear coat it. When I started the clear coat, the paint pen design started to run/bleed. I stopped clear coating right away; thankfully I had only got the side of the guitar with clear, so minimal impact to the design - it is still salvageable. Wondering if you have any tips on how to proceed with the clear coat to keep the design from running. Let it dry longer? For what it's worth, I may have shot myself in the foot by using Painter's Touch for primer, paint, and clear coat, and oil-based paint pens - couldn't find the colors I wanted in acrylic. Thanks!
@@BradAngove Hey Brad, quick update for you on this. I was able to get the guitar clear coated. However, when I sprayed the fixatif I ran into the same issues - ended up having to hold the can pretty far away and get a very light coat on it a couple of times before going over it with a regular spray. Thanks again for your help, looking forward to finally getting this guitar finalized and playable. Cheers
Can you please tell me if "rust oleum painter's touch 2x ultra cover - matte clear" will work on Sharpie permanent markers? I really need to know this.
Don't laugh too loud at this question but maybe you can give me a tip or 2. Here-goes:. I want to drip paint a guitar that already has clear coat on it and I can't remove the clear coat as the rest of the guitar has cool wear on it that I don't want to get rid of. Will the paint stick to a finished guitar ? Is there anything I can do to ensure that it sticks on top of let's say an already "finished" guitar ? Any and all tips or (don't do this dummy) would help.
i have a question tho.. What if we sand a guitar's finish and then on the bare wood we draw with pencil color and hand coat the guitar with varnish. cuz well i am pretty much tryna do this so stop me if im gonna doin it wrong.
I can’t really say much about the durability or UV resistance of pencil crayon. Unfortunately there is a bit of risk there because pencil crayon has some wax in it. That being said, in all likelihood that will work fine.
Paint pens rather than sharpie, and if you are comfortable with it I would do a light sanding of the area being autographed so that you can clear coat over it afterward.
Oh. The paint pen will work better on a sealed surface, but it’s not totally necessary. I also have a demo with stain pens where you can do stain designs right on the raw wood.
You can remove the paint or paint over a mistake. Just do so very carefully. I like to use a razor blade for that. Yes I would generally use the same type of pen if the guitar were finished.
Hey Brad you’ve got a new subscriber. I’ve watched a few of your videos. You explain things clearly without being too pretentious and boring. I appreciate that. Is it possible to do this on a guitar without sanding that already has a finish?
Great videos and I will be painting my first guitar soon in this manner. Question - The guitar body is finished in clear gloss over wood, no paint. Can I primer over that or do I need to sand it down to the wood?
Love your work dude! My friend is an artist who is going to be doing a full body piece for a custom build I'm doing. We've been researching into what paints she can use but there’s so much in conflicting information. Currently the plan is to: 1. white primer the body 2. full body artwork on top 3. Close with a 2k clear coat Should I be using specific primers and clearcoats and will her water-based acrylic paints work with it?
If she’s using water based acrylics that plan should work just fine. Just make sure they are given plenty of time to dry before moving on to the clear coat.
Just wondering, my daughter has done the same thing with her guitar. She has put down white primer and drawn on with the acrylic pens but can she now just put clear coat on top of that including the primer only areas? Oh and by “base coat” does that also mean “primer” thank you
Brad Angove I’m REALLY sorry to bother you again but I have one last question! After applying the base coat should I smoothie it all done using wet and dry sand paper or should it be left a bit rough before adding the paint pen drawings? Thank you 🙏🏻
One question: can you draw your design with a graphite pen on the white body of the guitar and then later draw over it with the paint pen you are using in this video? That way you could at least get some guidelines
Thanks for the video! I'm trying to finish a guitar for the first time, and I'm having a bit of trouble understanding. I want to spray a primer, then spray paint it base white, and then use a paint pen to draw stuff onto it like you are in this video, before sealing it. Are most spray paints water based?(I was looking at Rustoleum and Krylon) And with that, I should be using acrylic marker, right? Once everything is set, do I need to use clear spray paint? Or use spray lacquer? I bought some oil based Sharpies, but after hearing this video, it sounds like I should replace them. Thank for any help you can provide!
The Rustoleum painters touch is a solvent based acrylic that works well with those acrylic markers as long as you let it dry and sand lightly. I would stick to the same type of clear rather than switching to a lacquer, which may react poorly.
@@BradAngove Thanks for the reply! Followup question: How do I tell whether the paints are the same type? I was looking at some other options, and most times the can doesn't say whether it's solvent based acrylic, lacquer based, etc.
I’m looking to draw colored flowers around the edge of my bass. But I want the base color to be a light blue. Will the colors get screwed up when I start drawing on my design? Also what should I get for the base coat light blue? Thanks for the video!
The markers are generally pretty opaque, so it shouldn’t be an issue. You can use essentially any base coat if you’re drawing in acrylic like this. What type of paint do you want to use?
Brad Angove I’m not 100% sure on what kind of paint I should use. I’ve been looking around at different suggestions but you’re video makes sense to use an acrylic type base as well
Hello Brad. Thank you for the video! I have a question: we would like to use white tele with gloss polyester finish as our wedding guitar. The idea is to sing couple of songs with it during the wedding and then give it to all guests for signatures. Unfortunately, we won't have time for scuffing it during the wedding and we want it to look good during songs, so doing it before is not a quite a good option as well I guess.. do you think if it's ok to give it to guests to sign with acrylic paint markers on a factory gloss finish and then clear coat it after several days?
You may be able to improve the chances of success by spraying with an adhesion promoter before clear coating. But I think if you try to clear coat over the gloss the risk of delamination is high. If you don’t plan to play it after it’s signed you may be better off not clear coating.
@@BradAngove hey one more question. In this case what's the better long term solution - acrylic paint pen or just a regular permanent sharpie? Even if it's just on the wall?
Hey Brad I have a red satin finish Jackson soloist slx, could I get away with drawing with acrylic pens and adding liqueur after. I like the red to be there in the background or should I sand everything first?
@@BradAngove Thank you for your reply, I haven't chosen anything yet, but I'd like to try adding a design of sorts on a future guitar finishing project. I'm about to enter the buffing phase of my first refinish project and I'm already thinking ahead! I'm probably getting ahead of myself but I'm enjoying the process; aside from sanding...For what it's worth, I've watched a ton of your spray can videos and have learned a lot! They've been very helpful, thank you!
Brad, I'm going to with Posca pens. Can you please recommend a base coat spray can paint that will work well with posca, also I plan on wet sanding the clear coat; can you please recommend a clear coat for this?
"I'm not that good at drawing" Precedes to draw giant detailed skulls and incredible designs
+That Ibanez Guy Bigger skulls are easier to draw haha. And the designs were just squiggles!
Brad Angove; Aye! That came out great, you're a real hand at art, Brad. Whoda thunk? 👍
Brad, we appreciate the humbleness but man, it takes balls to just start drawing on a guitar body freehand without some kind of template or even a sketch beforehand. Give yourself some credit. ;)
+warptek Just for demonstration purposes haha.
The whole CV is interesting. Rounded guy
I want to do this, but on scared of just making my guitar look like shit
You might want to practice first, or create a paper template of the guitar to lay out a design on and see how it looks.
life is short, not costumizing your guitar might be more of a regret.
there is always the option to get a good guitar you never mess with
i feel you bro, but i need to,
i’m scared to take mine apart 😔
Num Nums same
This should have been titled "How to take your guitar art from 'dude, what did you do to it?' to 'DAMN dude! lemme see what you did to it!'"
Hahaha that sounds like one of those home hardware commercials. Hilarious.
Hey Brad, thanks for posting this video! I'm hoping to do exactly this for a gift for my husband. I was looking for some guidance and you certainly provided it!
Glad I could help.
Wish I could travel back in time to wish you luck. I hope it turned out well.
Lefties ftw
+Josiah Stringer Winning.
Brad Angove lefties!!!
Dang I wish I was a lefty 😢 being a righty is boring but I’m ambidextrous does that count? 😂
I’m lefty lol
Im lefty but i play righty guitar :(
I think it looks great. Reminds me of Eddie's Iron Maiden 🤘😍
Getting ready to do one that will be auctioned for a worthy cause. Been afraid to mess up a sweet guitar. Thank you!
I hope it goes well for you.
Thank you, thank you !!! You have given me the information that I need to paint my guitar. I bought an electric guitar from one of them selling apps for $25 and it was in great "working" condition. I Plugged it in and it had a great sound. The downside of it and the reason it was only $25 is bc someone destroyed the paint job. It had names of people all over it, different paint colors just splattered randomly, drawn on with markers… it was the most horrifying looking guitar and made no sense why it was treated like that. It wasn't only the body, but the head as well. Thankfully the neck and fret board were untouched, but the., but the head was written on.
Ive taking it apart, and sanded it down. Now Im ready to paint it. I can't wait. Let the fun begi
I hope the project goes well for you!
Man, after that matte clear, it looked way more amazing. Thanks Brad. You inspired me. Gonna start my project now. TQ senpai.
I hope yours goes well.
Nicely done, very nicely done!
+Crimson Custom Guitars Thank you. Now we need to load some of your water based stunning stain into a few blank pens and take this to the next level haha.
Your the man Brad!!! I was bugging you about this a few months ago and now we've been blessed with a video!
+Michael Donnelly I told you I'd put it on the list haha. It just took a while to make it to the top.
Hey Brad ... Thats one of the coolest things i have seen in your videos to date. I think you did a great job. I am sort of headed in that direction now. I am on my 6th guitar build (scratch build no kit) and I am accidently discovering how to use dye to create a sort of flame look. May also try to pin strip a bit to fill in voids once clear coat is dry. Start out simple an move forward. You have got some great videos. Your one of the youtubers I will check out among a few others when I want to verify I am on the right track.
Thanks; I’m glad you like the video.
you have humiliated my neon guitar Brad. Thanks,haha. great video
+MrMetalManMe Your guitars have much more difficult customization than mine do haha.
"Atrocious"...I'd rock that guitar any day. Great art work
Thank you.
what the heck u r great at drawing
+mixed I disagree, but I also appreciate the compliment haha. Thanks.
mixed... I would love to be as bad at drawing as Brad!!!!
I've told him numerous times that he shouldn't be so hard on himself, & since he made the recent changes he has been looking & sounding much more confident. I think (although I may be wrong) that Brad is very shy & struggles with compliments. As more of us are telling him he is good he is starting to believe us!
+Phil Gallagher I was always taught that nobody likes a bragger haha. That being said, I often aim for self-deprecating humour. I'm not necessarily being serious.
You got great potential
Keep drawing
Says “I’m not that good at drawing” then makes a masterpiece
Good result. I would have liked to see it re-assembled and playing.
I did about 15 painting tutorials on this body before I ever bothered to reassemble it.
In one video you said you couldn’t draw. Looks 100 times better than I can ever do. Nice video Brad!
I’m glad you like it
Very nice work. Great video. You being a fellow lefty helped out a lot.
Glad to hear it.
Really glad I watched this.I'm about to do some graphics on an acoustic top, this is certainly superior to using a sharpie.
Yes, this is much better. Be careful what paint you use to finish it though. Finish has a significant effect on how an acoustic sounds, especially on the top.
Brad Angove what finish do u recommend?
Jason Acevedo what do you mean?
man you can be the next wolverine
+Pablo Fernandes I'm still waiting for Hollywood to give me a call.
hahahaha
Lol.... "....i dunno, i apologize." Looks cool man. Thanks for the video.
Bro u a great drawer don't doubt yourself.
U said ur bad at drawing but then u draw the best skull designed guitar I've ever seen
There have been some pretty neat paint pen guitars done. Not by me haha, but still.
Omg u replied omg
All part of the service my friend haha.
I wish I could draw that atrociously lol. Another awesome technique!
+Cc Chicken Thank you!
Its never too late to start
Hi Brad! I’ve been looking for some good advice for a customization project, and I feel like I landed in the right place. I’m planning on customizing an already finished guitar body (a Squire Sonic Strat in California Blue) with Poscas. I believe the process would be slightly different than what you show in this video, as I’m gonna have to paint directly on the varnish? What kind of sanding should I do before I paint and what varnish should I use to protect my artwork (and how many layers should I apply)?
It's hard to find good advice out there, or at least to sort out the good from the bad. But your channel is a true gold mine, you got yourself a subscriber.
Hi there. Did you by any chance just ask this same question on a different video? For some reason I feel like I just answered it.
@@BradAngove Hi! Nope, just on that one :) But I'd be glad to read it, if you could point me where to look!
I guess I had two people asking about posca pens on a finished guitar in the same day haha.
I suggest sanding with 800 grit. I’m not entirely sure what posca pens are (chemically), but my top choice would probably be spraymax 2K clear coat. 4 coats is generally plenty. Have a look at my video on how to get a professional looking clear coat with spray cans.
@@BradAngove Thank you very much for taking the time to answer again to the same question! I've already checked your video about clear coating, I will sure use it as a reference.
Brad I don't own a guitar and have no intention of owning one , but I LOVE ur channel !!
+Airgun Classics : Joe W Rhea You're awesome. Thank you!
Your Chanel should have wayyy more followers! You are in my top 1 off how to video's.
Thank you sir. I'm glad you like my stuff.
"I don't know what to tell you. I'm sorry" lol. It looks fine man. Thanks for the tutorial.
Thanks for watching.
My father passed away four years ago, very suddenly. Ive been tesearching videos on how to paint guitar bodies so I don't fuck the only thing I have left of him up. Thank you so much for sharing this. I feel much more confident in my abilities after this.
Im going to try my hand at painting a Kraken on his squire. Here's to hoping I don't anger him and the rock gods
If you’re not happy with it you can always remove it and try again.
@@BradAngove Thank you SO much!:) I wish we could post photo comments lol. BEAUTIFUL display of artwork on your guitar, by the way. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Always something interesting goin' on in Brad's shop !
+sam127001 Thanks Sam.
Nice guy comes on, says he is going to teach us how to draw on a guitar, nice guy then proceeds to draw demonic skulls lolol.
I would love to do this but I do not have the drawing skills to do it properly, Yes I know a lot of people say that but it's true and is a real fact for many of us out here, hmm I wonder if they have a support group for that? " Hi, my name is Ron, and I can't draw".... luckily for me I have a very talented fiance' who can draw very well!
I like your video's brad, you are just a regular guy, with a lot of knowledge, who sometimes messes up but shows us that from time to time. Great video!
I’ve definitely messed up a few things on here haha. Thanks Ron.
Been thinking about grabbing one of those cheap guitar kits so I can do an art guitar. Still not sure on which one I should get though. Need to do more homework, see which one is actually worth the trouble, because I definitely wanna play it when it's not hanging on the wall.
"I'm not much of a drawer" he says.
It's like Metallica saying "we're not much of a rocker"
or Einstein saying "I'm not much of a physicist"
Could I start out with pencil on the guitar so I know where my lines are without messing up the guitar?
Ideally you start with stabillo pencil. They’re designed to be painted over.
Brad Angove Thanks! I want to customize my future guitar bc I’m a geek but I have a shaky hands.
Pretty good drawing, mate.
Thank you
Hey Brad, what kind of primer did you use before you added the paint? Also, is there a brush-on wood sealer/primer I can use that’s compatible with the acrylic paint?
I just used the original finish as my primer on this one. But yes you can use shellac or those bin primers by Zinser.
I've just bought a white Ibanez rg350. Could you do a video explain how to draw or paint on a guitar that has been bought rather than a guitar you are building? Thanks for the video btw, it was very interesting!
It’s essentially the same process. You disassemble it and sand the clear coat with 600 grit, then draw on it and re clear coat.
what should I use if I want something super removable ie no use of clear coat and something that would clean off of a white guitar with no residue? If I started drawing on my guitar I'd want to change it up very often
Poly finish
Probably something like plasti-dip
Hi @Brad Angove,
I have a friend who likes painting cartoon
characters and I challenged her to paint a guitar. Assuming I'm starting
with a completely unfinished body, obviously it would need to be sanded
and primed, but what would be the best way to paint the characters
against a coloured background? Obviously she'd know how to paint a
great picture, but she's never painted a guitar before, and I'm aware
that painting a guitar is a slightly different ballpark as there are tonal considerations and you could
ruin the tone if you had too much paint on it. So what would be your advice?
If it’s a solid body electric guitar you can ignore the tonal considerations. The paint won’t change anything.
@@BradAngove Thanks a million dude 😊
Hello Brad, loved this demonstration. In order to take this a step further, which material would you recommend to protect it and make it look professional grade glossy?
I would use a catalyzed polyurethane clear coat probably.
Hey Brad, awesome advice, thanks! I know this is an old video, but how would you go about painting on an already finished body? A used bass with an awesome price caught my attention, but I'm not too crazy about the colour, if I do get it I'd want to doodle over most of the body keeping the factory colour as background. Could this be done with just sanding the clear coat to make it a little rough so that the paint sticks? Thanks!
Yes, that’s precisely how it’s done. I would use 600 grit.
Awesome, thanks a lot!
bro wtf, u can draw/paint, I thought that you literally can't draw but u have surprised me, good work
Thanks, I’m glad you like it.
What kinda of gloss and clear coat should I use using a water based acrylic markerm
Water based acrylics work with most things. Use a spray so you don’t re-dissolve the acrylic. You can use acrylic enamel, polyurethane, or even lacquer.
I have a guitar of this style as well with a pick guard. I haven’t seen what’s under it so my question is would I need to solder any wires to remove them??
On a strat style you would only need to unsolder the ground wire on the back to remove the guard.
@@BradAngove thanks so much man! 🙏🏻
what if the artwork was graphite directly on the wood of the guitar? How would you seal that?
I would use a fixatif first and then clear coat.
If you are not good at drawing then mine really sucks, that came out rad !
Thanks Scott
what if i dont sand it or base coat it? just drawing on existing factory paint of the guitar
Why would you not want to follow the correct process?
Hi Brad thanks for this video! I was wondering, my acoustic guitar is black and glossy finish, I want to do this to it but I've only seen people working with guitars that arent pre painted (like just bare wood).
Would I still be able to sand my guitar down, put on my own black acrylic base coat and then go in with white acrylic markers + clear top coat? Is there any way I can just draw with the markers straight onto the guitar as it is and add a top coat or is this not going to last? I am very lacking in knowledge on these things! I would really appreciate any advice!
Well, you just saw me do it on a guitar that was painted haha.
If you go straight over the gloss it won’t stick properly, but, you don’t need to remove the paint. Just sand the guitar lightly with 600 grit to give the new paint something to grip onto. Then do your drawing, and finish off with your new top coat. I caution you though, paint has an impact on how an acoustic guitar sounds, unlike with a solid body electric.
@@BradAngove Thanks so much for the reply that helps clear it up! Yeah I have heard people say it can affect the acoustics although I have seen some videos of people showing proof of no sound change in their circumstance so I'm going to take the risk! Thank you for mentioning tho!
If I used paint pens over a really high gloss acoustic, without sanding the original finish off, would I have trouble clear coating the marker in? Having trouble finding info on that in particular.
Probably not a good idea. Just don't want to ruin the insanely shiny zebrawood goodness lol
What’s it painted with currently? Like what type of paint?
@@BradAngove no clue. Some type of varnish I would imagine. It's actually a baritone ukulele but it's just wood with a seal, looks like. I tried paint markers and a clear coat on my other uke and it worked fine, but I dont know how well the clear will stick to the already just about mirror finish.
You actually technically answered it here, /watch?v=udnzyBphjhU&feature=youtu.be#t=3m55s so thank you, sir. I'm just going to play it by ear on this one.
Unless you’re working with lacquers you generally should be sanding to promote adhesion.
Can I just paint a matte white on top of the clear coat to paint or draw on it?
If you sand it properly to allow for proper adhesion first.
I just wanna put my own signatrue on my dean. Its already slick and finish straight out of,the guitar store. Should i just get a pen and do my signature in a good color and gloss over it with a finish or can i just let,it dry?
Are you suggesting signing and spraying right over a gloss finish?
@@BradAngove yes
Paint doesn’t stick to gloss finishes properly except in specific circumstances where you are layering something like nitrocellulose lacquer, which will melt into itself.
How would you go about doing this on a DIY Guitar body Kit??? Im looking to make a Godsmack themed guitar body, with tribal sun. Kinda like the custom guitar their lead singer came out with awhile back.
I would do it the same way I did on this one. I’m not sure I understand your question.
hey man nice job. So my question is, by the end of the video is this guitar ready to play or did you have to do any other work to the body IE buffing or polishing? How many coats is enough?
+Joel Vaillancourt If your using a matte clear like I did, generally you wouldn’t polish that. If you want a gloss finish then you would typically have to go through the buffing and polishing process.
I’d use three coats of the matte.
I just bought a solo diy kit, it has a flamed maple top and I was planning on coloring it dark gray and then drawing on it in white, what will I need from start to finish (from primer to Finish)
Second if I wanted to draw on an acoustic guitar (that's pre finished etc..) what would I need to do
Not just a painter....nice drawing!!!
Thank you.
Hi Brad, thanks for the video. I have a quick question for you:
I did something similar as you in this video (primed and painted in white and made a design with black and green paint pens). I left the design to dry for about 4 days and then went to clear coat it. When I started the clear coat, the paint pen design started to run/bleed. I stopped clear coating right away; thankfully I had only got the side of the guitar with clear, so minimal impact to the design - it is still salvageable.
Wondering if you have any tips on how to proceed with the clear coat to keep the design from running. Let it dry longer?
For what it's worth, I may have shot myself in the foot by using Painter's Touch for primer, paint, and clear coat, and oil-based paint pens - couldn't find the colors I wanted in acrylic.
Thanks!
So you used the same type of clear that I did here?
@@BradAngove It was gloss instead of matte, but otherwise the same.
Let it dry longer and then try spraying fixatif over it before clear coating.
@@BradAngove Right on, I'll leave it for a couple of weeks. Thanks for the advice and quick response 👍
@@BradAngove Hey Brad, quick update for you on this. I was able to get the guitar clear coated. However, when I sprayed the fixatif I ran into the same issues - ended up having to hold the can pretty far away and get a very light coat on it a couple of times before going over it with a regular spray.
Thanks again for your help, looking forward to finally getting this guitar finalized and playable.
Cheers
You draw well..How about a word burning kit on acoustic.Wondering if there is a pattern I could lay on the acoustic guitar and wood burn a design
As long as you’re careful about it, there’s no reason that shouldn’t work.
Can you please tell me if "rust oleum painter's touch 2x ultra cover - matte clear" will work on Sharpie permanent markers? I really need to know this.
It works.
@@BradAngove Thank you.
Don't laugh too loud at this question but maybe you can give me a tip or 2. Here-goes:. I want to drip paint a guitar that already has clear coat on it and I can't remove the clear coat as the rest of the guitar has cool wear on it that I don't want to get rid of. Will the paint stick to a finished guitar ? Is there anything I can do to ensure that it sticks on top of let's say an already "finished" guitar ? Any and all tips or (don't do this dummy) would help.
What type of paint is on there? What type are you planning on adding?
i have a question tho.. What if we sand a guitar's finish and then on the bare wood we draw with pencil color and hand coat the guitar with varnish. cuz well i am pretty much tryna do this so stop me if im gonna doin it wrong.
I can’t really say much about the durability or UV resistance of pencil crayon. Unfortunately there is a bit of risk there because pencil crayon has some wax in it. That being said, in all likelihood that will work fine.
What do you recommend if you are getting a guitar body autographed?
Paint pens rather than sharpie, and if you are comfortable with it I would do a light sanding of the area being autographed so that you can clear coat over it afterward.
Do you think 2 coats of the clear coat would be needed? or will one suffice? (and can it hurt to put on a second coat??)
I typically do 3.
Om thinking of painting my guitar this way, is it Possible to do a clear coat and than wet sand that? Or would it mess up the painting?
Totally possible. See my video on how to build up a thick coat of clear.
Quick question, can you use duplo clear coat over water born stains and acrylic paints?
My dad was a southpaw too, you just need to start at the right side of the picture and work to the left to avoid smudging.
Yeah, that combo should work fine.
Hey Brad, what about filling in a larger area with color...how do you not get paint/brush lines but a solid looking colored area?
I use something other than a pen, like an airbrush, paint gun, or spray can.
Do I have to use a sealer want to keep the look of my guitar? just want to add some designs to it
What kind of sealer are we talking about here?
I wouldn’t need to the paint the guitar first would I? Is what I was more going for sorry
Oh. The paint pen will work better on a sealed surface, but it’s not totally necessary. I also have a demo with stain pens where you can do stain designs right on the raw wood.
You said you wasnt very good at drawing at 1:29 SO... whats this then! 8:00 That is awesome!
Thank you. I can ink out a couple skulls, but that’s about it.
how smooth did the fully shaded in areas turn out? I’ve been wanting to draw on my bass but with color
How smooth in terms of physical texture? Or are you asking how good a job I did at coloring it in?
how do those paint pens hold up on lacquered pickguards?
If they’re actually lacquered that should be fine. You just need to sand the guard a bit first so the paint will stick.
Hlw brad.....can you tell me that which type of clear coat should i use on a painted phone case?
What kind of paint did you use?
@@BradAngove acrylic color
great video as always brad & nice "doodling" ;) :)
+terrybear Thanks Terry.
What happens if a mistake is made? Can it be erased (how)? Also, what if my guitar is already finished… Should I still use acrylic pen? Thanks!
You can remove the paint or paint over a mistake. Just do so very carefully. I like to use a razor blade for that.
Yes I would generally use the same type of pen if the guitar were finished.
Hey Brad you’ve got a new subscriber. I’ve watched a few of your videos. You explain things clearly without being too pretentious and boring. I appreciate that. Is it possible to do this on a guitar without sanding that already has a finish?
It’s much safer to sand lightly first. Otherwise the new paint with have difficulty adhering and could delaminate.
Are the acrylic paint pens compatible with Nitrocellulose lacquer?
If you let them dry fully, I’ve had success with that combo before.
Can you still do this if your guitar already has a glossy clear coat finish?
You need to sand it lightly with 600 grit first so your paint pens will stick.
Can i put a base coat (lets say light blue) and then use one of these pens? will it make the paint from the pen go on differently?
You can do that. It should affect the paint, but if you’re using a transparent colour it will of course be affected.
Great videos and I will be painting my first guitar soon in this manner. Question - The guitar body is finished in clear gloss over wood, no paint. Can I primer over that or do I need to sand it down to the wood?
You do not need to sand to the wood, but you do need to sand enough to abrade the clear coat. Paint generally doesn’t stick well to gloss.
@@BradAngove Great job! Thanks for the inspiration and advice.
Love your work dude!
My friend is an artist who is going to be doing a full body piece for a custom build I'm doing. We've been researching into what paints she can use but there’s so much in conflicting information.
Currently the plan is to:
1. white primer the body
2. full body artwork on top
3. Close with a 2k clear coat
Should I be using specific primers and clearcoats and will her water-based acrylic paints work with it?
If she’s using water based acrylics that plan should work just fine. Just make sure they are given plenty of time to dry before moving on to the clear coat.
Brad Angove thanks mate! Is that based on a nitro finish or a poly finish?
The 2k? It’s a polyurethane.
Hello, great video. I really liked the song at the end. Do you know the title?
I don’t. It’s from epidemic sound but I change the titles so I know how to search them when I download them.
My guitar is black in color (matte)
I want to draw on it so what paint would I use to first paint it white? You said acrylic but can I use others?
You can use others. Acrylic or poly are pretty safe bets though.
It would be cool to draw on it in white now that I think about it haha.
Haha Never thought of that but thinking of like a guns and roses theme and not just a two tone color.
Matte black guitar, white painted graphics w/ candy blue or red would look amazing. Jmo
Did u apply any cot on guitar before drawing ???? And do the drawing dry on body after drawn or when we rub it come out ?????
It has a white base coat that I put down before drawing. I’ve also protected it with a clear coat to prevent it “coming out when you rub it”...
Hey, good info here. Although I probably missed this - With the acrylic paint markers, does it matter whether they're water or oil based?
I think oil based and acrylic are different markers. The answer is it depends on what type of finish you’re using. Broadly speaking both work.
@@BradAngove Thanks, I guess you answered the right question when I was asking the wrong one. 👍
Just wondering, my daughter has done the same thing with her guitar. She has put down white primer and drawn on with the acrylic pens but can she now just put clear coat on top of that including the primer only areas? Oh and by “base coat” does that also mean “primer” thank you
She can clear coat straight over primer if she wants. That shouldn’t be a problem.
Brad Angove great, thank you for taking the time to reply, much appreciated 👍🏻👍🏻
Brad Angove I’m REALLY sorry to bother you again but I have one last question! After applying the base coat should I smoothie it all done using wet and dry sand paper or should it be left a bit rough before adding the paint pen drawings? Thank you 🙏🏻
One question: can you draw your design with a graphite pen on the white body of the guitar and then later draw over it with the paint pen you are using in this video? That way you could at least get some guidelines
+Fran Rukavina I would try using a stabilo pencil instead in order to avoid potential adhesion problems caused by the graphite.
Brad Angove thanks for the awnser, i will try that out. This video is very helpfull, educational and you deserve more subs! Great work
+Fran Rukavina Thanks for watching. Feel free to share the video if you enjoyed it haha.
İ have an cort x1 matte black i wanna write something with sharpie do u think i can?
You can, but the durability might be an issue if you’re not protecting it after.
@@BradAngove how csn i protect it after?
With a clear coat like I used on this one.
@@BradAngove alr thanks a lot man
Thanks for the video!
I'm trying to finish a guitar for the first time, and I'm having a bit of trouble understanding. I want to spray a primer, then spray paint it base white, and then use a paint pen to draw stuff onto it like you are in this video, before sealing it.
Are most spray paints water based?(I was looking at Rustoleum and Krylon) And with that, I should be using acrylic marker, right?
Once everything is set, do I need to use clear spray paint? Or use spray lacquer?
I bought some oil based Sharpies, but after hearing this video, it sounds like I should replace them.
Thank for any help you can provide!
The Rustoleum painters touch is a solvent based acrylic that works well with those acrylic markers as long as you let it dry and sand lightly. I would stick to the same type of clear rather than switching to a lacquer, which may react poorly.
@@BradAngove Thanks for the reply!
Followup question: How do I tell whether the paints are the same type? I was looking at some other options, and most times the can doesn't say whether it's solvent based acrylic, lacquer based, etc.
@@BradAngove For those dupli-color automotive paints, would an oil based pen cause any problems?
The duplicolor paints are mostly acrylic lacquer, which should work well with the acrylic pens (unless the can says enamel).
Can you paint it with acrylic? And maybe a sealant spray?
Yes
Bro i have done design with a pencil but it will clear away what should i use to make my design permanent? Does resin will work?
You might be able to use fixatif follows by clear coat or resin.
Hi ! Is the sanding part an obligation ?
If you want the paint to stick
Can i use automotive clear over that marker
Yes
Thank you, love your channel.
I’m looking to draw colored flowers around the edge of my bass. But I want the base color to be a light blue. Will the colors get screwed up when I start drawing on my design? Also what should I get for the base coat light blue? Thanks for the video!
The markers are generally pretty opaque, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
You can use essentially any base coat if you’re drawing in acrylic like this. What type of paint do you want to use?
Brad Angove I’m not 100% sure on what kind of paint I should use. I’ve been looking around at different suggestions but you’re video makes sense to use an acrylic type base as well
Yeah, that’s logical.
Hello Brad. Thank you for the video!
I have a question: we would like to use white tele with gloss polyester finish as our wedding guitar. The idea is to sing couple of songs with it during the wedding and then give it to all guests for signatures. Unfortunately, we won't have time for scuffing it during the wedding and we want it to look good during songs, so doing it before is not a quite a good option as well I guess.. do you think if it's ok to give it to guests to sign with acrylic paint markers on a factory gloss finish and then clear coat it after several days?
You may be able to improve the chances of success by spraying with an adhesion promoter before clear coating. But I think if you try to clear coat over the gloss the risk of delamination is high. If you don’t plan to play it after it’s signed you may be better off not clear coating.
@@BradAngove Thank you so much for the response!
Yeah, given that information I would just probably hang it on the wall.
That’s probably your best bet.
@@BradAngove hey one more question. In this case what's the better long term solution - acrylic paint pen or just a regular permanent sharpie? Even if it's just on the wall?
I’d still go with paint pen. Sharpie work too, but is a touch more likely to fade.
What would you use for the pickguard?
To draw on one?
@@BradAngove yes, I mean who just wants to see a White Pick guard anymore.
You would combine this tutorial with my tutorial on how to paint plastic parts properly.
Hey !😀 if i want to make a design on acoustic guitar , which pen will be suitable ?
It depends on what finish you plan to use. I would generally go with nitrocellulose lacquer.
@@BradAngove nitrocellulose will be use to sustain the artwork?
You can get nitrocellulose touch up pens to do the artwork.
@@BradAngove thank you😀
Hey Brad I have a red satin finish Jackson soloist slx, could I get away with drawing with acrylic pens and adding liqueur after. I like the red to be there in the background or should I sand everything first?
Just sand it lightly with 600 grit before using the markers. Then clear coat overtop.
Brad, have you worked with stencils to create designs on a guitar? I'm curious how that would work out.
I have. What kind of designs are you considering? I’ve used them for airbrushing for example, and spray can work for that matter.
@@BradAngove Thank you for your reply, I haven't chosen anything yet, but I'd like to try adding a design of sorts on a future guitar finishing project. I'm about to enter the buffing phase of my first refinish project and I'm already thinking ahead! I'm probably getting ahead of myself but I'm enjoying the process; aside from sanding...For what it's worth, I've watched a ton of your spray can videos and have learned a lot! They've been very helpful, thank you!
@superlead1002 I’m glad to hear you’ve found the videos useful.
Will hydro dipping colors dissolve the marker
You want to hydro dip overtop?
@@BradAngove No I was thinking to draw it after the paint is dry and then apply a clear coat by spray
That shouldn’t be a problem.
@@BradAngove okay thanks!
Does this work on wood guitars, without a paint base?
If you seal them first.
Brad, I'm going to with Posca pens. Can you please recommend a base coat spray can paint that will work well with posca, also I plan on wet sanding the clear coat; can you please recommend a clear coat for this?
+hnremak I'd consider using a liquitex base coat. Ideally I'd use a 2k polyurethane clear coat.