Tie-dye is a popular art form and can be applied to many different kinds of material. Applying it to a guitar body is no exception and, in this post, we are going to show how to tie dye a guitar body.
First, take your guitar and lay it on an old towel or something soft that will not be harmed by paint. This will protect the surface from any splatters as well as make handling much easier when it comes time to move the guitar again. Next, you will want to decide what colors you want for your design. You will need at least three colors but five would work better because then you’ll have a nice gradient effect.
Next, fill up all five bowls with the desired color (or colors) of paint and grab one of your rubber bands. If you use more than one color, tie each group of rubber bands together so they’re easy to keep track of! Now that all of your materials are ready, pour some paint into each.
Related Article: How to dye a guitar fretboard
What is Tie Dye?
Tie-dye is a popular art form and can be applied to many different kinds of material. Applying it to a guitar body is no exception and, in this blog post, we are going to show you how it can be done.
First, take your guitar and lay it on an old towel or something soft that will not be harmed by paint. This will protect the surface from any splatters as well as make handling much easier when it comes time to move the guitar again. Next, you will want to decide what colors you want for your design. You will need at least three colors but five would work better because then you’ll have a nice gradient effect.
Next, fill up all five bowls with the desired color (or colors) of paint and grab one of your rubber bands. If you use more than one color, tie each group of rubber bands together so they’re easy to keep track of! Now that all of your materials are ready, pour some paint into each bowl until they are about half full and then add water until they’re full. Now you’re ready to start dyeing!
How to Tie Dye a Guitar Body
Tie-dye is a popular art form and can be applied to many different kinds of material. Applying it to a guitar body is no exception and, in this blog post, we are going to show you how it can be done.
First, take your guitar and lay it on an old towel or something soft that will not be harmed by paint. This will protect the surface from any splatters as well as make handling much easier when it comes time to move the guitar again. Next, you will want to decide what colors you want for your design. You will need at least three colors but five would work better because then you’ll have a nice gradient effect.
Next, fill up all five bowls with the desired color (or colors) of paint and grab one of your rubber bands. If you use more than one color, tie each group of rubber bands together so they’re easy to keep track of! Now that all of your materials are ready, pour some paint into each bowl and mix them together with the water until they are well blended.
You may want to set up a card table or an old magazine rack for drying purposes once you are finished dyeing the guitar body. Once everything is set up, cover the body with rubberbands (the more rubberbands the better), making sure there’s enough overlap so that no part of the guitar body is uncovered. Make sure there’s at least 30 minutes between applying each layer so that
Important Things to Keep in Mind
-Paint should be at least room temperature so that it doesn’t dry too quickly.
-Wearing an old shirt is recommended to protect your clothes from the paint.
-Use a large, flat surface to work on and put newspaper down if you don’t want any paint to get on your table or floor.
-It’s best to start with a dark color and gradually add lighter colors after you finish each layer so that when you remove the rubber bands, you’ll have a rainbow effect.
What Materials You Will Need
Guitar
Old Towel
5 Bowls of Paint
5 Rubber Bands
The Process – Step by Step Instructions
1. Pour a small amount of paint into the bottom of each bowl that you have created for tying dye. The more you pour, the more vibrant the color will be when it’s finished.
2. Put on your rubber bands and pick up one of your bowls with paint in it. Hold it over the top of one side of your guitar and let go, allowing the bowl to rotate around and cover the guitar with paint.
3. As soon as you release your grip, grab your next bowl and repeat this process on another part of the guitar. Continue until all 5 bowls are empty!
4. Now that all five bowls are empty, you can start rotating them around over different parts of the paint job to create a tie-dye effect!
It is not terribly difficult to do this yourself so don’t worry if you don’t have painting skills – just follow these instructions and you’ll be good to go!
Clean and Dry the Guitar Body
Before you can start, it’s important to clean and dry the guitar body. You want to make sure there is no dust or other particles that will interfere with your design.
Now, take your first bowls of paint and put some on the front of the guitar body. Make sure not to go too close to the edges so that you don’t get any paint on them. Next, lay the rubber bands out next to the bowl and cover them in paint as well. Grab a few sponges (you’ll use these later) and insert them into the middle of each bowl. Now you’re ready for the next step!
Create Your Design
Now it’s time to create your design! Lay out your guitar body and start painting. Your first color should be the one that you want to be most prominent on the guitar. For example, if you want your design to be predominantly orange, then you would use a lot of orange paint and not much of any other color.
Once you’ve finished painting one “layer” of color, carefully pull up the rubber bands and move them so they’re over another section of the guitar body that is still empty. This will help you make sure that each layer is evenly distributed and not just clumped in one spot.
Continue doing this process until you have reached the desired amount of “layers”. The more layers there are, the more vibrant the tie-dye effect will look when it dries. Once it is completely dry, remove all of the rubber bands and admire your work!
Cover the Entire Body with Paints
Pour some paint into each bowl, but don’t just pour it all the way to the top. You’ll want to leave about 1/4 of an inch of room at the top so you can stir in some water and make a tinted version of each color. Stir thoroughly and then pour that mixture onto your guitar body. Now, cover the entire surface with as many different colors as you desire.
Next, take one of your rubber bands and dip it into one of the open bowls with paint. Tie that band around your guitar body so that it creates a loop-de-loop across the painted surface (don’t worry, we’ll show you a picture). Keep adding loops to create designs on your guitar body!
When you’ve finished making your design and are ready to move on to another section, use a paper towel or something else absorbent to clean up any extra paint on the surface before proceeding. Repeat these steps until you cover every section of your guitar body!
Let it Dry
Be sure to let your guitar body dry for a few days before you touch it. This will make it much easier to apply the design again, should you decide to do so in the future.
Enjoy Your New Guitar!
Now that your guitar is all tie-dyed, it’s time to enjoy the new look! You can now play your guitar with a new style and show off your art to everyone around you. You can also hang your guitar on the wall or propped up on the ground so it’s a focal point in any room.
How to tie dye a guitar body FAQS
You can use any colors you would like but it is best to use five so that you have a gradient effect.
I don’t have rubber bands!
You can also use string, yarn, or even packing tape to tie up the different groups of fabric.
The paint will last for about 12 hours before it starts to fade or starts to bleed onto other parts of the guitar body.
Conclusion
If you’re not sure how to tie dye a guitar body, we hope this guide has helped you out. There’s no reason to be afraid of tie dying an instrument that you love—you just need the right materials and a process to ensure your guitar can get back to its normal, functioning state.
It’s also important to keep in mind that tie dye may end up fading or rubbing off if you don’t take proper care of it. But with a little time and effort, you can make your guitar look better than ever.
