By: Meghan K.
Want to add a
little more color to your wardrobe? Maybe you have a pair of white canvas shoes
lying around and you want to spice them up a little bit. Watercolor sneakers
are a great way to do this, and you can make them with just a few household
items and some art supplies!
You will need:
- A pair of clean white canvas shoes (Converse, Vans, etc.)
- A pencil
- Sharpies in your choice of colours
- Painter’s tape or masking tape
- Rubbing alcohol
- Eyedropper
- Waterproofing shoe spray
- Newspaper (optional)
- Ruler (optional)
Let’s get started!
Steps:
- Take the laces out of the shoes and set them aside. OPTIONAL: Stuff your shoes with newspaper so that they keep their shape (this is only really necessary if you’re working with high tops like Converse) and cover your workspace with newspaper.
- Use a pencil to draw a design on your shoes. Simple stripes, swirls and other geometric shapes tend to work best; we’re going to make the design run later, so highly detailed patterns aren’t recommended. If you’re drawing stripes, you’ll want to use a ruler to keep the lines straight.
- Cover any areas you don’t want to get Sharpie on with painter’s tape or masking tape.
- Once you’ve drawn your design, color the shapes with Sharpies, making sure to leave a little bit of white space around each shape when you change colors.
- After you’ve colored both shoes, remove the tape and move the shoes to an area you can get wet and fill a small container with rubbing alcohol. Take the eyedropper and carefully squirt rubbing alcohol all over the shoes. This will make the colors run into each other.
- Let the shoes dry. Leave them overnight, if you can.
- Once the shoes are dry, take some waterproofing shoe spray and spray everywhere that you’ve colored. This will keep the color from fading or running off. NOTE: Make sure you do this in a well-ventilated area, or even outside if you can!
- Leave the spray to dry for the recommended amount of time; usually about two hours, depending on what kind of spray you’re using.
- Put the laces back on.
- Rock your new shoes!
Tips,
Tricks, and Inspiration:
- Dark colors, especially reds and black, will run more than light colors or pastels.
- The waterproofing spray may cause the color to run a little bit more. Be prepared for this!
- Make sure to use the rubbing alcohol in an area that won’t be damaged. When in doubt, use it over a sink.
- You can color the laces to match the shoes (or not match, however you want).
- You could color just the top of the shoes and drip the rubbing alcohol down the shoe for a paint drip effect.
You now have a fun pair of colorful shoes!
No two pairs of shoes made this way will look alike (They’re kind of like
people!). So take pride in your unique new shoes!
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