Saturday, November 28, 2009

Ukulele Art



My other addiction: ukulele.
Bought an inexpensive ($40) Makala ukulele, sanded the finish off and painted the image that was in my mind's eye when I looked at it...Thin layers of acrylic paint, a shellac finish and it still sounds decent..Still want to have a cleaner finish, no brush marks, no blobs, but need to take the strings off and spend some time sanding and polishing...Right now I am having too much fun playing it..
Got great advice from Mike Da Silva, uke builder extraordinaire! http://www.ukemaker.com/
All I need is the patience.

8 comments:

wutznot2lyke said...

Nice....surfer stylin with a bit of Hokusai....such a whimsical departure! Let's have a beach party so you can pluck away.

xola said...

stunning!

Bernie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bernie said...

Hi Mary--check out this site


http://www.reranch.com/reranch/

They help people refinish guitars using Nitro cellulose lacquer. This is what was used on vintage guitars.The folks on the forum are very helpful. This lacquer is available at Ace Hrdwr in spray cans and is simple to use.

I also play Uke and guitar . I have refinished many vintage guitars and have built several guitars.

I also surf and maybe I will bring a couple ukes with me when I come to surf Bolinas with my cousin Matt.

I love your art!

Bernie

James said...

I love this

Shelley Rickey said...

LOVELY!

Carey Ward said...

Hi Mary - this is so stunning. I would like to do something similar and was wondering if you had trouble getting acrylic paint to cover well, and if you painted a white layer underneath that pattern first. Thanks so much!

Nicola Graham said...

Ultimate buying guide for beginners at www.ukulelebuzz.com