Are you a fan of the heartwarming Disney movie Coco? Do you want to bring a piece of its magic into your world? Creating your own Miguel Coco Guitar is a fantastic way to do just that! Whether you’re planning a Miguel costume for Halloween, or simply want to celebrate your love for the film, this DIY tutorial will guide you step-by-step. Using affordable materials like a dollar store ukulele or a thrift store guitar and some vinyl, you can craft a replica Coco guitar that’s sure to impress. Let’s get started on this fun and creative project!
Red jacket that looks like Miguels from Coco
This DIY project is surprisingly simple and incredibly rewarding. You’ll be amazed at how easily you can transform a plain instrument into a vibrant and recognizable Miguel Coco guitar. And if you’re looking to complete the full look, don’t forget to check out the Miguel costume jacket tutorial we mentioned earlier!
What You’ll Need to Make Your DIY Coco Guitar
Before we dive into the crafting process, let’s gather all the necessary materials for your Coco guitar DIY. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A ukulele or toy guitar (dollar store or thrift store finds work perfectly!)
- White spray paint
- Black vinyl
- Gold vinyl
- Cricut machine (or craft knife for hand-cutting)
- Cricut Design Space file (provided below)
- Weeding tools
- BrightPad (optional, but highly recommended)
- Transfer tape (scotch tape works well)
- Velvet ribbon (optional, for a guitar strap)
- Glue
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Coco Guitar
Now that you have all your supplies ready, let’s get to the fun part: making your very own Miguel Coco guitar! Follow these detailed instructions to bring this iconic instrument to life.
Cutting the Vinyl Decals
The intricate designs on Miguel’s guitar are key to its distinctive look. We’ll use vinyl decals to recreate these details.
- Access the Cricut Design Space File: Open this Cricut Design Space File: Coco Guitar Bottom Vinyl Cutout. This file contains the designs you need for the guitar.
- Resize the Design: Adjust the size of the design in Cricut Design Space to perfectly fit your ukulele or guitar.
- Prepare to Cut: Click “MAKE IT”. Ensure the designs are split onto two mats (one for black vinyl and one for gold). If you want to keep the design placement consistent, you can “attach” the black elements together and the gold elements together before proceeding.
- Cutting Settings: Select your Cricut machine and set the material to “Vinyl”.
- Load and Cut Black Vinyl: Place black vinyl on a Standard Mat (Green), load it into your Cricut, and press the flashing ‘C’ button to start cutting.
- Load and Cut Gold Vinyl: Repeat the process with gold vinyl on a new mat.
Weeding the Vinyl Decals
Once the vinyl is cut, you’ll need to remove the excess vinyl around the designs – this is called weeding.
- Use a BrightPad (Recommended): A BrightPad makes weeding intricate black vinyl designs much easier by illuminating the cut lines.
- Weed Carefully: Use weeding tools to carefully remove the unwanted vinyl, leaving only the Coco guitar designs on the backing sheet. Take your time, especially with the smaller details.
Weeding Black Vinyl on the Cricut BrightPad
The BrightPad really helps to see the intricate details when weeding, making the process much smoother and less frustrating.
Painting the Guitar
While you’re weeding the vinyl, you can start painting the guitar white.
- Prepare for Painting: If your ukulele or guitar has strings, you might find it easier to remove them before painting. This prevents paint from getting on the strings and simplifies vinyl decal placement later.
- Spray Paint in Light Coats: Apply several light coats of white spray paint to the guitar. Light coats prevent drips and streaks, ensuring a smooth, even finish. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next.
- Ensure Full Coverage: Continue applying light coats until the guitar is completely covered in white paint.
Spray Painting a white guitar for the Coco Guitar
Patience is key when spray painting. Multiple thin coats are always better than one thick coat to avoid runs and ensure a professional-looking paint job for your Coco guitar.
Applying Vinyl Decals
Once the white paint is completely dry, it’s time to apply the vinyl decals.
- Transfer with Tape: Use a piece of scotch tape as transfer tape. Scotch tape is less sticky than standard transfer tape, which is ideal to prevent pulling off the fresh paint.
- Position Decals: Carefully position the black and gold vinyl decals onto the guitar, referencing images of Miguel’s guitar for accurate placement.
- Apply Pressure: Gently rub over the transfer tape to adhere the vinyl decals to the painted guitar surface.
- Peel Away Transfer Tape: Slowly peel away the scotch tape, leaving the vinyl decals in place.
- Adjust Placement (If Needed): Depending on the shape of your guitar, you might need to slightly adjust the placement or even cut and rearrange parts of the vinyl design to fit perfectly.
Coco Guitar in process of placing Vinyl Decals
Take your time when applying the vinyl decals to ensure they are straight and properly positioned. The details are what really make this Miguel Coco guitar come to life!
Adding the Ribbon Strap (Optional)
To make the guitar easier for a child to carry as part of a costume, you can add a velvet ribbon strap.
- Cut Ribbon: Cut a length of velvet ribbon long enough to comfortably sling over a shoulder.
- Glue Ribbon: Glue one end of the ribbon to the top of the guitar neck and the other end to the bottom of the guitar body. Hot glue or craft glue will work.
- Secure the Strap: Ensure the glue is dry and the ribbon is securely attached. This strap is suitable for costume use but might not withstand heavy play.
And with that, your DIY Coco Guitar is complete!
Complete Your Miguel Coco Costume
To truly embody Miguel from Coco, pair your newly crafted guitar with a Miguel jacket! You can find a DIY tutorial for creating a Miguel jacket over on Practical and Pretty. This combination will create a fantastic and recognizable Coco-inspired costume.
Red jacket that looks like Miguel from Coco
Imagine the smiles and excitement when you or your child shows off this amazing Miguel Coco costume, complete with a handmade guitar!
For the full tutorial on creating the Miguel Jacket, visit Practical and Pretty.
We hope you enjoyed this fun and easy DIY tutorial for creating your own Miguel Coco guitar. It’s a wonderful project for Disney fans, Halloween costumes, or simply adding a touch of Coco magic to your home. Happy crafting!
Don’t forget to share your creations with us! We’d love to see your versions of the Coco guitar.
