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How to create unique shoes

Unique shoes are a great way to show off your style and personality.

Recently I started taking commissions for hand painted shoes. I have also had a go at decoupaging shoes and rhinestones as well. The shoes are unique and made to order perfect for the individual.

Decorating shoes can be very time-consuming. But it is by far the best way to get some great unique shoes!

How to create decoupage shoes

Decoupaging is the application of glue covered paper to a surface. These are then ‘sealed’ when finished. Decoupage can be done to any ‘shiny’ shoes such as patent etc.

Paper can be matched to the required design and many things can be used such as

• wrapping paper
• decorative papers
• magazines
• newspapers
• sweet wrappers
• fabric strips

as long as they aren’t so delicate they rip or too thick to glue!

Unique shoes using fabric

Another technique (not shown here) is to use fabric to recover your shoes. This is similar to decoupage but done in larger pieces to cover the shoes.

Pick a fabric design you like and then cut to fit the shoes. It is easiest to do this in sections such as two sides and a front piece. Perhaps even a separate back piece depending on the design of shoe.

Sparkly shoes with applied crystals

Crystals can be applied to any plastic parts of shoes. Using a good glue crystals should last whilst being worn. As long as they aren’t put anywhere that will rub against each other. 

Before applying the glue to the toes, or chosen area, it is important to file down the smooth surface. This is so the glue has better texture to adhere to. Decide how you want the crystals to look before applying glue.

Working in small sections gives you more time to change your mind or correct things and makes sure each crystal is fully stuck down. When finished simply leave somewhere to dry for 24hrs (or as according to the glue instructions). Then its time to sparkle in these unique shoes!

I decided to perk up some old high tops with some sparkly crystals. I wanted a neat straight edge so I worked in small sections. Gluing as I went, from the back line forwards and then round each side.

Crystals also look amazing on the raised soles of high heels and similar shoes.

Glitter and glue

Glitter and glue can be mixed together to add details to shoes or to give them a complete coat of sparkle.

Unique shoes with full glitter density

My favourite flat shoes were unfortunately ruined after getting wet. This did however give the opportunity to try something new! I decided to cover my shoes in glitter to cheer myself up.

For these I mixed glitter with PVA glue. I used two different sizes of glitter for maximum coverage, I used the same colour. A mix of colours would work too.

Carefully I painted this mixture over the whole outside of the shoe in thin layers letting it dry for about 4 hours in between. It took about 6 layers over the shoe and one layer inside. I personally wanted some of the original colour to show through.

The solidity of the effect can be altered in the glitter to glue ratio.

When I was happy with the coverage I left them to dry completely. Then I painted on 4 coats of outdoor Modge Podge mixed with water to seal the glitter in. The glue does make the shoe fabric a lot stiffer but this style of shoe can handle being a bit tighter. The beautiful glittery shoes are ready to brighten up the day!

Unique shoes with painted designs

Any canvas style shoe can be hand painted painted with acrylic paint and then sealed (with something like outdoor modge podge) to protect it from the weather.

Big bold designs work best I think, fiddly designs are not easy to do on a rounded shoe! I think the simple white on black design, for example, is very striking, clear and effective. But any designs wanted can be accomplished with time!

How to paint shoes

Painting shoes has to be the best way to create custom and unique shoe designs. I’m sharing some step by step instructions for some of my favourite shoe designs I’ve created.

Each shoe, depending on complexity, can take a fair few hours to create. But I think the end results are totally worth it. If you want unique custom shoes without the DIY then do check out my commissions page to learn how to order yours!

How to prep canvas shoes

This process is the same before all designs.

I start off with white canvas shoes and painted on 2 layers of thinned down white acrylic paint. This is to stop the canvas soaking up too much coloured paint as well as creating a surface which is easier to draw on. Also when painted this will show colours stronger.

Cover areas you don’t want to paint with masking tape or similar.

Star Wars Shoes

I took my pre prepped shoes and then sketched out some of the customers favourite characters. In this case I went for one shoe as the force (goodies) and one as the dark side (baddies)! 

Once I knew where everything was roughly going I painted the background leaving space for the characters. This is especially important where the background is dark (in this case the galaxy) and the characters (such as BB8) are light. If you are sensible (which I was not here but have been since) you would put masking tape on the white soles!

Cover the shoes with as many characters and details as you want. Perhaps avoiding small fiddly designs as shoes are rounded giving a different painting experience to say a flat canvas.

 Don’t forget the backs of the shoes! Here I represented a different character on each with pattern, and the trim, I used the colours of the light and the dark side to highlight the theme change.

Try and keep the paint thin, especially where the shoes could rub together. Thick paint is more likely to crack and will also feel heavy on the feet!

When the acrylic paint is totally dry paint over with a mix of Outdoor Modge Podge and water. I gave these shoes five coats leaving at least 5-6 hours per coat. I don’t think these shoes would last long in the pouring rain but a splash of mud etc shouldn’t hurt them now! To make the shoes less stiff you could put less Modge Podge or sealant on (you still want at least two thin coats) but obviously, they won’t be as protected.

Tiki Shoes

For these tropical themed shoes I took inspiration from Polynesian Islands and culture, including volcanoes, lush tropical plant life and Tikis from both Hawaii and New Zealand. 

I started off with white canvas shoes which I painted with two coats of white acrylic thinned with water. 

Next I drew on my design and painted with acrylic starting with the background first.

When dry I went over with a small brush for the details. I also used a thin sharpie to outline key images.

 I sealed the designs with 5 coats of Outdoor Modge Podge and water, leaving about 5 hours (or more) between each to dry.

Banana!!

With the design for these shoes I went bright and bold based on the beloved Minions characters from the Despicable Me film series. I wanted one shoe to be a yellow Minion and one a purple Minion from Despicable Me 2.

First I sketched out their facial features. When I was happy with the design I painted the background colours first, being very careful around the teeth. Then filled in the details.

For the white details I mostly left these ‘blank’ I didn’t want to add too much paint. In the preparation stage I had already applied white paint to the whole shoe. 

When I was happy I left it to dry and then went over the small details with a thin sharpie pen.

I wanted all the focus to be on the fronts of the shoes so I painted both side panels blue to represent the Minion’s dungarees! However I had a little fun with the back using thin and thick sharpies to create a design inspired by the prison sequence in Despicable Me 3!

When finished all that was left to do was seal the designs and it is time to “assemble the Minions!”.

By creating custom shoes you can have something to wear that is really unique and shows what you love.

What would you love to wear on your feet? Let us know in the comments below!