How to Decorate Your Ukulele

Last Updated: September 16, 2021 References

Your ukulele is an extension of yourself, especially when you’re making music. It’s only natural that you want to jazz up your instrument a little bit! There are plenty of fun, creative ways to liven up your ukulele—scroll through this list and see if any of them appeal to you.

1

Paint your ukulele.

Paint the face of your ukulele with acrylic paint. Squeeze out a grape-sized amount of various paint colors on a paper plate. Dip a sponge into the paint and dab it onto the surface of your ukulele, creating the design of your choosing. Be careful not to get any paint on the strings or inside the instrument! Let the paint dry for several hours before playing your instrument again.^{[1]
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- For instance, you might paint a bouquet of flowers or a blue sky on your ukulele.
- You can also use thin paint brushes for this, if you’d like.^{[2]
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2

Spruce it up with fake flowers.

Slide a small homemade lei along the neck of your ukulele. Thread some fake flowers and leaves onto some elastic string, along with some colorful beads. Knot both ends of the elastic together, and slide it onto the very end of your ukulele as a beautiful accent!^{[3]
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- Swipe a dot of clear nail polish over the knot to hold it in place.
- You can also use a pre-made lei if you're not up for making your own.

3

Stick on inlays.

Decorate the fretboard and body of your ukulele with colorful inlay stickers. Shop online for colorful inlay stickers that you can stick to the fretboard or body of your ukulele. Pick out some bright, fun stickers that really match your personal aesthetic and help liven up your instrument.^{[4]
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- For instance, you might put a sticker of a flowery vine on your fretboard, or place a hummingbird along the bottom of your instrument.

4

Add washi tape.

Stick long strips of colorful washi tape along the base of your ukulele. Visit your local craft store and pick up a few rolls of washi tape in a design you really like. Snip off a few small, 3 to 5 in (7.6 to 12.7 cm) strips and place them along the body of your ukulele. This can add a fun splash of color—plus, you can just peel them off whenever you’d like!^{[5]
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- Washi tape is a special kind of decorative tape. It’s pretty similar to masking tape, but is covered with fun designs.

5

Draw with markers.

Doodle a design on the body of your ukulele with permanent markers. Grab some colorful permanent markers and find an open space along the base of your instrument. Sketch out any kind of design that you’d like on your ukulele, whether it’s squiggles, polka dots, swirls, or something else altogether.^{[6]
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- For example, you might line the edge of your ukulele with polka dots.
- You might write an inspirational quote on the front or back of your instrument in marker.

6

Embellish the border with rhinestones.

Place individual stickers along the body of your ukulele. Grab a sticker sheet with a lot of really small, uniform rhinestones. Peel away these stones and attach them one-by-one to the wide, bottom part of your instrument. You can place them in a uniform row, or place them sporadically for a more freeform effect!^{[7]
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7

Use a paint pen.

Embellish the border of the sound hole with a paint pen. Grab a regular pencil and sketch a design around the circular opening in your ukulele. Trace over this design with a painting pen, and let your instrument dry for a few hours.^{[8]
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- You can create a simple design by drawing on a dark ukulele with a white paint pen. Or, you can have fun with colorful paint pens!
- This option is a bit simpler and less messy than traditional paints.

8

Coat the top with glitter.

Bedazzle the body of your ukulele with craft glue and glitter. Spread a thin layer of craft glue along the surface of your ukulele. Then, carefully sprinkle glitter on top of the glue, so it stays in place. Wait a few hours before you start playing with your new, sparkly ukulele!^{[9]
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- Try not to get any glue or glitter on your ukulele strings.

9

Glue on sequins.

Embellish the edge of your ukulele with a row of sequins. Add a dot of craft glue or hot glue to the bottom of a sequin, and stick it along the edge of your instrument. Continue sequins in a row along the outside of your instrument. Create a cool border along the body of your ukulele, along with the pegboard at the top of your instrument!^{[10]
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10

Create a pineapple theme.

Paint and redecorate your ukulele so it looks like a pineapple. Coat the body of your ukulele with yellow paint, the fretboard with brown paint, and the pegboard with green paint. Let the paint dry for several hours, and then grab a few permanent markers. Draw criss-crossed black or brown lines on the yellow paint to imitate the spiky sections of the fruit, and sketch out green leaves along the green pegboard. Enjoy playing your fruit-themed instrument!^{[11]
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- It may help to remove the strings before you start painting.
- You might want to paint your instrument white before adding the yellow, brown, and green paint—this will make the colors a lot more vibrant.

Community Q&A

Question

What would happen if you paint on the strings?

Ethan Tran

Community Answer

The strings would be harder to play. When you pluck it it would make the paint fall of. It could make the sound travel less so all you get is a soft squeak.

Warnings

If your ukulele is high quality or on the older side, you’re more likely to impact the sound by adding decorations. Save your decor for a cheap ukulele instead.^{[12]
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