1
Twist the violin's tuning pegs to loosen and remove the strings. Strings will get in the way of painting the instrument. If you want, you can replace the strings once the paint is dry.
2
Coat the violin with varnish remover to prepare the wood surface for painting. Follow the directions on your varnish remover to determine how long to leave the product on the wood.
3
Rinse the instrument with water to remove some of the varnish. Use a scraper to remove additional varnish on large areas, and use sandpaper to remove remaining varnish from hard-to-reach spots. Rinse the violin again and allow it to dry thoroughly.
4
Sand the surface of the violin to prepare it for painting.
5
Coat the violin with at least three coats of gesso, letting each coat dry before adding a new one. Gesso is a primer used for fine art painting.
6
Sketch the design you wish to paint on the violin. Using an earth tone, paint an under-painting on the primed surface, based on the sketch. An under-painting is a rough painting that shows the composition, shading and rough details desired in the finished piece. Let the under-painting dry before adding more paint.
7
Paint the guitar. Block in large areas with a flat brush first, then add smaller details with finer round, filbert and liner brushes. Let the paint dry thoroughly before continuing.
8
Stick any paper or sticker embellishments onto the paint.
9
Coat the violin with varnish to seal and protect the painting and to add shine. The violin is finished once the varnish dries.
