artwork/complex designs?

[Screaming Wind]

what's the best way of putting complex design or somewhat detailed or flashy artworks on a guitars body?

is having someong who does portraits and paintings of landscape on canvases be advisable to do art on a guitar using a paintbrush?

[Sethmetal]

I have had my girlfriend do work on my guitars. She is more skilled with color pencil than paint. But we have done both.

She uses Prisma color pencils. The work looks good, but it is difficult to adhere without scuffing up the whit primer I lay down. Paper has a natural texture which helps grap ink and pencil. The other problem I have noted is when a surface (particularly a body) is covered, I'm not sure how well the clear coat will adhere to the waxy surfacy created by the pencil.

I have had much success with this on headstocks and am currently clearcoating the first body. I'll post when I get my finished results.

As far as paint. We painted directly on a scuffed white primer and clear coated and everything seemed to work well. I wouldn't suggest oil paint, I think clearcoat may not stick well. But Acrylic with proper dry time should work nicely. After all airbrush is basically painting.

The only think with using a bristle brush it to try and maintain as flat a surface as possible. Anybumps will still be there unless you do a ton of clear coats and block sand.

-Seth