Cardboard Guitar!
This is a great alternative to the famed and easy to play "air guitar"!
What you need:
Cardboard, lots of it
A permanent marker
A craft knife
Hot glue
Several rubber bands
Flour
Water
A bowl
Scissors
Scrap newspaper
Paint
Paintbrushes
First, draw a guitar shape on your cardboard, without the neck. Cut it out with the craft knife. Trace the shape on several more pieces of cardboard and cut them out. I chose an acoustic guitar shape, but you may do an electric guitar. It's harder to draw, though. Cut the soundhole in the first one or two bodies.
Then, cut out several neck cardboards, as many as the guitar cutouts. Using the hot glue, glue the necks together. After that, glue the bodies together, sandwiching the neck between two of the bodies. You may want to support the bottom of the guitar by sandwiching more cardboard inside.
Add your strings, that is, rubber bands. Cut the bands so each becomes one line. Dab some hot glue onto one end of the sound hole, take one end of one rubber band and put the end onto the hot glue. The glue spot should be longer than the end of the rubber band. Once the glue has cooled a bit, fold the ends of the hot glue over the rubber band. The glue should be rubbery and stick to your finger. Repeat with the other end of the band and your other rubber bands.
Once everything is nicely glued together, prepare your papier-mache mixture. Mix one part flour with two parts water in a large bowl. Cut your newspaper into strips. Put the strips into the now rather cold and slimy papier-mache bowl. Once each strip is covered in the mixture, drape it over the cardboard guitar. Please make sure to cover your workspace with a tarp or more newspaper if you're working inside, and to roll up your sleeves. You may also need an apron. Keep sticking the strips over one end of the guitar, maybe folding them over the end to cover the sides. Keep the soundhole un-papier-mached. Let the guitar dry, preferably outside, before papier-macheing the other side.
The guitar should be completely covered by now. Fetch some paint for your guitar. Get a paintbrush and paint it. Please use your apron and tarp. Let it dry, then paint the other side. You can paint a design on your guitar, too.
Once the guitar is all dry, use a permanent marker to draw the pick guard, bridge, tuners, and strings. You may also want to write a logo on the top of the neck.
Happy making!
