Decoupage guitar with fabric. New life for old things: musical instruments in the interior Scarves and ribbons

Do you have an old, shabby guitar in your stash and, of course, you don’t dare throw away the musical instrument? A guitar can be turned into a chic decorative element (or as a photography prop) using the decoupage technique.

We will decoupage with fabric. The blank can be an ordinary guitar or a children's toy.

Unfortunately, restoration using decoupage will “ruin” the guitar as an instrument; restoration of old musical instruments can only be done by professionals in this field. After all, everything in a guitar is important - the material, layer and type of varnish, every little detail affects the sound. Therefore, decorating a guitar is possible only for decorative purposes and you should not experiment with expensive high-quality instruments!

So, to decoupage a guitar with fabric we will need:

• guitar
• fabric (such as bright American quilting cotton)
• decoupage glue
• primer
• acrylic paint
• brushes
• polymer spatulas
• sandpaper or varnish remover
• ruler, scissors

First, you need to prepare the surface. To do this, you need to remove all the varnish from the surface of the guitar and sand down all the chips and irregularities. If there is a special wash, then use it. If not, then you can remove all excess with sandpaper. For greater convenience, the sandpaper can be attached to a block - it’s easier to use.

Before sanding, you need to remove the strings and other “interfering” parts. And let's get started. After removing the varnish and initial leveling with medium-grit sandpaper, take fine-grained sandpaper and sand it a little.

Now we cover the guitar with primer.

We wait for it to dry and cover it with acrylic paint of your chosen color.

Now you can start decorating directly. We cut our fabric into squares 8-9 cm wide. We begin to carefully glue the squares of fabric onto the guitar. Apply glue to the area in the center and glue the first square there. Smooth out (it is convenient to use polymer (silicone) spatulas). And then we glue the squares close to the first one - on the sides, up and down, covering the entire area of ​​​​the guitar.

Carefully (more conveniently with nail scissors) trim off the excess fabric from the sides along the contour of the guitar.

A guitar already looks cool, but many musicians want to celebrate their personal instrument by decorating it in a special way. Decorated with your own hands, these items become more valuable and close to the heart. We offer several ways to decorate a guitar.

Painting the instrument

The first thing that comes to mind when wondering how to decorate a guitar is to change its color. Yes, so that it is not simple, but, for example, some bright, poisonous color. You can apply an interesting pattern to the surface. Various stencils can help you in the process.

You can change the color of your guitar in a store, but it's not as fun as doing the job yourself. The main thing is to treat the process with special caution, because painting can affect both the modulation of the wood and the sound of the instrument.

Maybe you shouldn't take such a risk if this is your favorite guitar? Let's look for easier ways, without the risk of damaging the musical instrument.

Overlay

Maybe painting the whole guitar is risky, but working on the pickguard is safe. It won't hurt, but it will add variety.

In addition, you can replace the guitar pickguard by purchasing a new one at the store, or paint it yourself. Remove it from the instrument using a screwdriver, after removing the strings. You can decorate it with paint, markers, use stencils or stickers.

Scarves and ribbons

If you are wondering how to decorate a guitar, you can follow the example of Jerry Garcia, who inserted flowers and various decorations between the strings of his instrument. A bright scarf or a wide satin ribbon tied at the nut will become a distinctive feature of your guitar. Such decoration is inexpensive, does not spoil the instrument, does not interfere, and can be removed at any time.

Tie a piece of fabric or a small scarf tightly - this is the simplest approach to how to decorate a guitar with your own hands.

This is the second simplest and equally popular way to decorate an instrument. You can attach only a few stickers to the body, but some people completely cover their instrument with images.

Some believe that such decoration can ruin the sound of the guitar, but it is almost impossible to notice the changes in practice. As for cheap instruments, the difference is not visible at all.

To decorate the guitar you can use:

• images of musical groups;
• bumper designs;
• logos.

Stickers are bright and interesting. They can also be removed if necessary.

Bright belt

Do you know what can make an impression without harming the instrument in any way? Cool belt. This is not only an interesting decoration, but also practical. You can look for such an accessory in musical instrument stores.

Adjusting your strap can tell others about your playing style. For example, you need to lower it low if you prefer punk, and raise it to the very top if your music is indie.

You can attach badges to your belt to suit your taste.

Toggle switches

We offer another way to decorate a guitar for owners of power tools. Plastic toggle switches are easily removed and replaced with something interesting and original.

You can use anything as such an item, for example, clay balls, dice.

Inscriptions

Using a marker or paint, you can put a quote from your favorite song or poem on your guitar. “This machine kills fascists,” was written on Guthrie’s instrument. Write your slogan, appeal, popular phrase or acronym, name or stage name on the guitar.

Surely one of the seven ways to decorate a guitar presented in the article will appeal to you. Decorate your musical instrument by adding a piece of yourself, your imagination, and fill it with personality.

Guitars look cool enough without any decorations, but if you want to make them even cooler, you can learn how to decorate them using the DIY method, making both minor and major changes. If you want to learn a couple of ways to shoe a guitar, learn how to properly dress electric and acoustic guitars.

Steps

Making minor changes

Replace or decorate the trim. The simplest and easiest way to add some flavor to your guitar without having to damage the instrument itself or spend a lot of money is to replace the pickguard with a brighter alternative, or buy a regular pickguard and then finish it with markers or paint.

• Most pickguards on electric guitars can be removed using a small Phillips head screwdriver after removing the strings. To replace it, you just need to insert a new cover and re-tighten the screws. Pickguards are sold at any guitar or music store.
• The easiest way to decorate the guitar's pickguards and body is with acrylic paints and permanent markers. A more detailed description of guitar coloring is described in the next section.

1. Hang something on the head of the guitar. Jerry Garcia sometimes inserted a rose between the strings in the head of his guitar, and a variety of little decorations hanging from the head or from the guitar's tailpieces can look pretty cool.

   • Try taking some ribbons or pretty scraps of fabric, wrap them under the strings on your head and tie them tightly.
   • Wrap a couple of strings between the tailpiece and the guitar's strap to hold it in place.

2. Apply stickers. The second incredibly easy and effective way to decorate your guitar is to use various stickers on the body of electric and acoustic guitars. Some people believe that this will negatively affect the wood modulation and resonance of the guitar, but the difference is quite difficult to notice, and on cheap guitars it is not noticeable at all. The following items are great for decorating a guitar:

   • Group stickers
   • Bumper stickers
   • Logos
   • Stickers along the fretboard

3. Get a bright belt. This could be a leather belt with a psychedelic symbol, with zippers or with a bandolier. A cool belt can have the same effect on your stage presence and atmosphere as a decorated guitar. Search online stores for a suitable belt, or consider making one yourself.

   • Adjust the height of the belt according to the style of music you are playing. That is, lower it low if you play in a punk band and raise it to the top if you play in an indie band.
   • Attach pins of your favorite bands to your belt. This is also a great opportunity to visit select music stores, bookstores, tattoo parlors and hair salons in your city.

4. Decorate toggle switches. Most electric guitars have plastic toggle switches that can be removed and replaced with something fancy, or removed altogether for a more punk or industrial look. Most toggle switches have a durable metal core that can be used on its own or decorated with anything you like.

   • Take out the volume control on your guitar and replace it with a die with a drilled hole, then glue it to the metal rod. In addition, you can also attach clay balls, LEGO people and medicine bottles.

5. Write the slogan on your guitar.“This machine kills fascists,” read the inscription on Woody Guthrie’s guitar, and Willie Nelson’s guitar, Trigger, was filled with autographs from hundreds of famous people. A few words can highlight the uniqueness of your guitar, no matter what message you want to convey.

   • Use a permanent marker and let it dry completely before touching the lettering. It is very easy to smudge and then the smudge will remain on the guitar forever.

   Guitar painting

   1. Get the right guitar. Use only cheap guitars for finishing and painting. If you have an old guitar that you want to modify a little, then go ahead. But if it's a Les Paul Standard '66 that you inherited from your grandfather, then it's best to leave it as is. If you want to change the color of an expensive guitar, buy a guitar in the right color or take it to a guitar store for refinishing.

      • You must understand that painting a guitar can seriously change the modulation of the wood and affect the sound the instrument produces. Consider yourself warned.

   2. Remove the tuning machine and strings. Before finishing and painting can begin, it is important that the guitar is ready for modifications and in working order. To remove the strings, loosen them completely and then unwind them from the pegs. To remove the pegs, simply unscrew them from the head with a small Phillips screwdriver and then pull them out of the socket.

      Remove anything you are not going to paint. If necessary, remove the pickguard and pickups, as well as any toggle switches and volume controls that you do not plan to repaint in the color of your choice. Typically, you can simply pull them out and then put them back in.

      • If you accidentally break a knob during the removal process, buy a new one from any guitar store or online store that sells guitar components, provided that the guitar was a standard model.

   3. Remove trim. Depending on the type of guitar finish, you will use different methods to remove it.

   4. Apply primer and an even coat of water-based paint. Guitars are painted just like any other wooden object. They should first be carefully sanded to create a smooth surface to work on, then a wood primer applied, and finally finished with at least two even coats of latex or oil paint suitable for woodwork.

      • It is better to use high gloss paints, which are more common on guitars. It will also help hide defects on the surface.
      • Allow each layer to dry completely before moving on to the next.
      • In general, you shouldn't use spray paint unless you want your guitar to have a junkie look, which can also be cool.

   5. You can add even more decorations on top if you wish. Once the base coat of paint has dried, you can take a brush and acrylic paint to add additional details and patterns. Keep these details simple. Consider using any of the following patterns as additional detail:

      • Spiked branches
      • Flowers
      • Various ornaments
      • Skulls
      • Stars
      • Your group logo

Every musician knows that his instrument is not just a thing. It's impossible to play music without investing in yourself. Anyone who felt the moment when the instrument finally sounded in his hands and instead of awkward strumming a melody emerged will never be able to simply throw it away. Therefore, often a broken or simply old drum/guitar/violin gathers dust in the closet for years. Give it a second life by turning it into a unique decorative item. Here are some inspiring examples:

Guitar

Drum

Thanks to its shape, the drum can become almost anything. Fill it with water and the aquarium is ready. Place a lamp inside and you will have a new stylish lamp in your home. Use the tool to store books or other small items. You can even make a small home garden or pet house from a drum set. Imagine!
Everything can be transformed! Use cymbals or drumsticks to make a lamp or unusual clock.

Brass

And also...

What if you don’t play, but just like to listen to music? Use what you have. Old records can make a nice table or panel. Even old cassettes can be useful.

Guitar decoupage.

But I don’t have a guitar. Maybe you have one?

Then look how beautiful it is!

To get started, we will, of course, need the guitar itself. We thoroughly wipe the surface of the guitar from dust and other unwanted contaminants. We remove the strings.

Now we take one-component craquelure and cover the black parts of the guitar with it: the stand, neck and head. We wait for the composition to dry to a slight stickiness.

While the composition dries, we will work on the body of the guitar. For this we need a napkin with a suitable pattern.

We are thinking about how to place the pattern. Remove the top layer of the napkin. Then, using glue for decoupage of hard surfaces, we glue our napkin onto the body of the guitar. If you get small folds somewhere, it’s not scary (in this case it’s intended to be that way).

This is how the body of the guitar turned out after gluing the napkin on it.

While we were working on the body of the guitar, it's time to work on the guitar's neck and bridge. We take white acrylic paint and confidently apply it to the surface of the parts that were coated with a composition for one-component craquelure. Apply strokes of paint in the direction in which the cracks should appear. We try not to brush twice over the same place, so as not to rip off the previous layer of paint. Cracks appear almost immediately. Now we don’t touch these parts until the paint is completely dry and all the cracks appear.

Let's return to the body of the guitar again. The napkin is completely dry and we can continue working. We will need a tube with a thin spout and a textured paste of sour cream thickness. Fill the tube with paste. And now the most important thing: we outline the pattern on a napkin with a structural paste, squeezing it out of the tube spout.

In this way we “paint” the entire body of the guitar.

Now our guitar will rest until the paste dries well.

After the structural paste has completely dried, we cover the entire body of the guitar with white acrylic paint. And again we leave the tool until the paint dries completely.

Now take a piece of foam rubber and gold acrylic paint. We soak the foam rubber in paint, shade it on paper and apply dry strokes to the convex pattern. Superficially, barely touching, we gild our pattern.

At this point we have completed our first day of working on the tool.

After the paint has completely dried, coat the guitar with acrylic varnish. We are waiting for it to dry completely and continue working on decorating the instrument. Now we need some lace and glue to stick it to the side of the guitar body.

Glued the lace.

Now we take pearl-colored half-beads and glue them into fragments of the lace pattern. We tighten the strings again.

That's it, our rework is finished. The instrument has received its new life, and we have a beautiful wedding accessory for a photo shoot.