Seeking tips

HooRU

Me and my brother in law both build guitar pedals. The boxes for them are plan, drab aluminum (some alloy or some such). We've built pedals that are actually quite valuable (if one doesn't count branding).

I'm a musician, but I'm not a visual arts person. I'd love to be though.

What materials and tools should I look at the do artwork.

Let's say I generate something in Linux, some artwork, how do I transfer that on to the pedal box?

I can't draw for crap, even my stickmen are awful.

I've seen some cool paint effects as though some sort of oil and water, gooey splatterings of colors.

vaxvms

It's great that you're looking to enhance what you make. But there are, imo, lots of questions to be addressed.

Just what kind of thing are you looking for? Real images? Artwork type of stuff? Colors and pinstriping? Creative text? Abstract stuffs? 3D goodies to attach to the pedals?
Do it yourself? Pay someone to do it? Look for free help?
Create a logo to put on them to brand them? Decals to put on all your pedals or customize each pedal?
Do it yourself? Outsource it with your own custom designs?
Paint? Decals? Etching?

If you're not familiar with any kind of creative software it's gonna take time (and money) to get up to speed with doing it yourself.
There are lots and lots of fonts, and icons, and artwork to be bought or obtained, or stolen on the net.

egeezer

I'd first think of a trademark name, register it, then create and register a stylized logo based on that name.

Edit; you could, for example, use something like "Bluesbox" and blue anodized aluminum with a stylized clef/guitar logo - all trademarked if possible.

HooRU

No desire for any trademark, not planning on marketing stuff. I just want to improve the visual value of the pedals. I don’t even know what I really want, it’s an open book.

I use Linux so an open source image (gIMP) and some art app that is open source would suite me fine.

One though is the lava lamp effect involving multiple colors (say 3 colors).

Guy54435

HooRU How about etching your chosen whatever onto your metal enclosure.

vaxvms

HooRU So if I understand correctly,
You “don’t even know what I really want”, you’re not a visual arts person, you’re unfamiliar with tools to create something using an open source app and open source art app you’re unfamiliar with, and you’re looking for a tool to help you do this.
If “I don’t even know what I really want, it’s an open book.” my suggestion is that you should seek out someone who is creative (and knows how to use the tools to do it) to help you achieve your goal. You’ll need to explain to them what you want. Learning how to use these tools to do it will take some time.
I don’t think you need a trademark (name and image) but that’s just my opinion. Getting a trademark isn’t a hard or expensive task.

You have a noble goal but a very open ended request right now.

I wish you well.

HooRU

Well, I own a website called pickfetish.com and I could use my logo from there and brand stuff with that I suppose.

I don’t know what the paint effect is in order to name it, but it’s like oil and water making blobs of color. That is one effect that probably doesn’t require a program.

I did some drawing, actually quite a bit, when doing lab reports in my 30’s back in college, with Corel Draw.

I know some about gIMP. I’d probably try and use inkscape along with it.

I have to mention that some pedal’s artwork I don’t actually like. I have an Obscura pedal:

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=obscura&product_type=effects-and-pedals

That I love, but I don’t like the artwork, it’s too hard to read and it’s too loud and too crowded.