Painting a uke

So I'm building a uke that is going to be painted by someone, and I'm wondering how best to finish it. I do not know what kind of paint they will be using, nor am I sure how much will be covered. I was hoping someone could share some insight with this.... Should I put down a base coat of shellac or something before they paint? Will I be able to put some finish over the paint? What kind of paint should they use?

hi camface, this topic has been explored in the past and here's one thread from this forum as a jumping off point:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?34977-Ukulele-Painting-Tips
there might be others too if you do a search.
here's some more info on painted ukes but more from the arts side:
http://ukulelehunt.com/2007/07/25/art-ukes/

all the best
tomas

I would think any good paint for wood.
I like brushed oil based enamel, thinned, but acrylic enamel would be fine also.
Think 3, or so, thinned coats, well dried & sanded back between coats.
A grain filler would be nice underneath.

Here is a picture of a ukulele we painted. We use milk paint on bare wood and then sand through the paint to give a weathered aged look. We paint only the sides and back however because the paint dramatically changes the sound of the instrument if you paint the soundboard. The image is a moonface painted in a native Alaskan style.