I have a rather cheap, white cello, because I can't afford a nice one at the moment. And I decided that I would like to paint something on it to give it some flavor, because even if I do screw up, it won't matter that much. I was wondering if anyone had any idea about how I should go about doing this. As in, what kind of paint would one use on a cello? And I'm assuming the sound will remain unchanged, as long a I don't drown the thing in paint, right? I'm a little paranoid about that.

Any ideas about this?

I've never seen a white cello.

I don't really know, but here's a thread from the Internet Cello Society that might interest you:

http://p078.ezboard.com/Hand-Painted-Cellos-By-Julie-Borden/fcellofuncellochat.showMessage?topicID=17821.topic

I've heard that in general, the more layers of varnish/paint/whatever you put on the wood, the more the tone diminishes (the wood becomes less porous and able to vibrate). But, if the cello isn't the greatest to begin w/, go for it!