Rock Star Artist

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

Sarah Gallenberger: I paint custom designs on guitars built by Fender, a guitar manufacturer. Fender sends me guitar bodies, I paint my designs on them, and then I return them to the company, where they’re built. My custom guitars can sell for between $10,000 and $20,000, and are sent to musicians all over the world.

SA: What is your working process?

SG: Sometimes I’m given a specific design to paint or I’m asked to give an idea my own spin. Other times, I have complete creative control and can paint whatever I want. Some designs are easy to sketch on the guitar with a pencil and then paint. I sketch more intricate designs on transfer paper to avoid doing a lot of freehand work directly on the guitar. I paint with acrylics because they’re nontoxic, quick to dry, and can be varnished once my design is complete.

SA: What is most challenging about painting on a guitar?

SG: Guitars aren’t flat like a canvas; they have curves and contoured sides that can be tough to transfer a design onto. Sometimes I make a flexible stencil to help me work a shape around the curves. It takes a lot of patience.