Purchase the plainest and/or cheapest pack of CDs you can find.
It's better if they're not colored. You can get more if you choose the kind that come in a plastic container rather than in their own slim jewel cases. Memorex and Sony are good brands.
Burn your CD.
Burn your music tracks to the CD. You can use any music burning software to do this.
Obtain a set of poster paints.
Get the kind that come as a set of 8 connected by bits of plastic. Also, obtain a set of regular glass stains (or glitter, it doesn't much matter), preferably with some of the same colors as the poster paints. Both of these can be found in the craft section of your local store.
Grab some cotton swabs.
Chances are the paintbrush that came with those paints will be useless, so pick up a big box of cotton swabs. They don't have to be Q-tips—brands with less cotton on the tips would work better. A box of 300 or so works.
Have a fan handy.
A little travel fan works best. Takes up very little room on the desk, has 2 speeds and is adjustable. Runs on just two D batteries, difficult to knock over, and has thick, soft foam blades that displace a lot of air.
Set up your workspace.
Clear off your desk, set up a work table, whatever. As long as the environment is clean, sturdy and comfortable it doesn't matter.
Have paper towels or napkins nearby.
Either grab a roll of paper towels or cut an old towel up into 12x12 squares. When you're ready to start personalizing the CD, lay two paper towels (folded over to create a double layer the size of a single towel) or one towel square down flat on your worktable and place the burned CD on it, with the side that goes up in the player face-up. You can't paint the bottom. Here is where anyone who knows anything about paint might get confused. The surface of a CD is almost perfectly smooth, and paint won't stick to a smooth surface. You could sand the CD, and ruin it, or you could keep reading.
Expect to have to give your CD a second or even third coat.
Keep the design simple, like a name or star. Work with one color at a time and dry between coats, using the fan. If you want to get creative and mix colors or paint and stain, then keep the fan off until you want to dry your work. If you want a solid color, work with the fan going. It dries the paint as you work, so you can start on a second coat directly after finishing the first.
Work slowly!
Patience is a virtue, and your CDs look better if you take the time to make them that way. Use a reference picture if you want, but originality is always smiled upon.
Write something on the CD.
If you want to write something, like "Christmas 2021," paint a background for it first. Then, use a good quality felt-tip permanent marker. Seal it with a discreet coat of glass stain the same color as your background. Beware: Ballpoint pens are murder on CDs/DVDs. Use only as a last resort, with as little pressure as humanly possible and even then, if possible, limit ballpoint writing to the un-coated ring of clear plastic in the very center around the spindle hole.
Clean the back of the CD if it gets dirty.
Once the CD is completely dry, check the back for paint. It can usually be cleaned off with water.
Play the CD!
Or, if it's for someone else, find a suitable case for it. Paint the case if you want.
Give to your recipient!
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