It's my first time doing something like this...

[imikeyi]

Hi

Great board here (this is my first post )!

I want to get rid of the boring 'black gloss' paint job on my guitar. Infact I'd like to paint a picture on it. Do you know the 'Monsters of Rock' Kramer that EVH played? Well I'd like to do that kinda style: black around the edges and my own artistry on the inside (I have no neck humbucker so there's plenty of space to paint on).

Can someone answer a few questions?

1/ My guitar at the moment is black. I want to leave all of it black except for 80% of the face. Would I be better off sanding the entire guitar, getting rid of all the paint, and repainting, or just sand the area I want to paint on and leave the rest as is?

2/ Is there any particular paint I should be using on the wood? The picture I want to paint is going to be a cartoon, and will be fairly detailed.

EDIT: Can I use high quality marker pens instead, as I'd feel more comfortable with this but don't know how it'd turn out on wood.

3/ What do I coat the body with once I'm finished painting? I'd like it to be as professional as possible (smooth, invisible, not sticky, not smelly).

I'd appreciate any help you guys can give me.

Thanks!

[vh-guitarstore.com]

thats a big project for a first timer....that graphic is airbrushed over a solid black background......id scuff sand the guitar and paint another black background and then airbrush

[imikeyi]

Ah I see...

Airbrushing.. I suppose I should leave that to a professional then.

But assuming I strip the guitar and have it airbrushed etc.. what do I do then? What do I coat it with, and how would I go about this?

Also, is it possible to use decals on a guitar, and then coating the guitar? Or would it look dodgy?

thx