While spray painting your shoes is easy, it won’t allow you to get very detailed. Spraying works best when you are painting your entire shoes a single color. Remember to remove the shoe strings before you paint.
You can also use fabric paint for leather or vinyl shoes. However, you have to extensively sand the surface of the shoe down almost to its fabric base or the paint will not adhere.
Make sure to consider how your design will look from all angles, including the back and from an above view. If you are just starting out, try to avoid any designs that involve layering multiple colors or really intricate images. Instead, go with designs that feature large blocks of color, geometric images, or simple swirl patterns.
Before you finalize your drawing with marker, make sure that the design is symmetrical, if that is what you are going for. Check that the toes, heels, and sides are mirror images.
You can also cut open brown paper grocery bags and secure them around the top and edges of the table. Be careful using newspaper if you are working with white or light fabric shoes. The newsprint can leave black smudges on the fabric.
Let your shoes thoroughly dry after cleaning before attempting to paint. Make sure that you use 100% acetone for cleaning like this one, not a mixed nail polish remover.
Look over your shoes and make sure that your sanding is even from all angles. Otherwise, you may get an uneven appearance after painting.
Painters tape will make sure the paint doesn’t get anywhere it’s not wanted. You can find it in hardware stores or online.
This is a great approach if you’d like to layer colors or even have the original color of the shoes partially show through.
To keep your brushes and sponges from drying out in between coats, place them in some plastic wrap.
