Handpainted enclosure inspiration

tegendemuur

Well-known member
A recent build report mentioned going for handpainting after all boards were boxed. I've seen the occasional picture of such one-off boxes, and was reminded of this oldie that I had / sold, Freakshow Effects' Digilog Delay, which goes full arts and crafts with glitter, pen, paper, and glue!

As we have an inspirational metal enclosure thread, here's one for the more playful builders among us!

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I’ve doodled on a few, but it looks like a 1st grader got a hold of the markers.

Y’all are posting some cool designs.
 
What are y’all’s favorite pens, markers, paints to use? Curious about your process.
I use Posca pens - they're an acrylic marker. When I first started I tried using cheap acrylic paint and brushes but I've only ever really doodled with pencils and pens and I couldn't make brushes do what I wanted (either because they're the wrong tool or I haven't practiced enough). The Posca pens have a fine tip so it's easier to do detail work.

I grabbed some pictures of my pedalboards. There are a bunch of pedals with my early attempts at painting (generally the less detailed stuff). Please excuse the fine layer of cat fur on everything.

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I use Posca pens - they're an acrylic marker. When I first started I tried using cheap acrylic paint and brushes but I've only ever really doodled with pencils and pens and I couldn't make brushes do what I wanted (either because they're the wrong tool or I haven't practiced enough). The Posca pens have a fine tip so it's easier to do detail work.

I grabbed some pictures of my pedalboards. There are a bunch of pedals with my early attempts at painting (generally the less detailed stuff). Please excuse the fine layer of cat fur on everything.

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Hijack: what's going on with that Timeline? 😅

Those Posca's come in quite a few tip sizes, so you can go as detailed as you want. I recommend them as well. There's even a few metallics like gold and silver which look great.
 
My primary artwork technique is a knockoff of the @jjjimi84 style. He made a video that goes into his process.


Except I’m not much of an artist. I do the control labels, and then sometimes some geometric patterns because they’re easy and I can use a ruler.

For some moderate protection, I’ve been using glossy modge podge and baking it at 200F for 15-20 minutes. It keeps sparkling powder coats sparkling, and there a cool texture from the brush strokes.
 
I would do this stuff in a second if I was any good at drawing. But that shit ain't happening

I have Posca acrylic markers for labels. You can use a water based clear coat over them. I use a water based polyurethane but you could use an acrylic lacquer as well.

You want to hit the pedal with a nice primer as well to help the markers adhere. And rub the pedal down with IPA beforehand.
 
I’m not a pedal artist, but I label my controls with posca markers. The flow and opacity is great, but durability is definitely super low. I always hit them with a layer of rattle can clear coat.

Posca is very thin and needs primer, rough or a slightly absorbing surface (you see lasting tags made with these everywhere in public spaces). Bare metal or powdercoat is too smooth, and need special inks, like those used with screen printing.

I know there are transparent primers, but never used those.
 
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