Hello everyone

In this instructable, I am going to show you how to customize a pair of Vans High top Sk8 shoe. But this process of design and painting can be used on any kind of shoes. I did not take photos of all my materials so you will have to bear with some stock images.

Step 1: Preparing Your Shoe.

On any shoe, you want to take off all tags and unlace the shoes. If you have a shoe tree you should put it in to keep the shape of the shoes. If you don't have a tool like I do you can use foam or newspaper to stuff the shoe. This keeps it stretched and the paint will crack much less then if it was kept flat while painting. On this pair of shoes, they are all canvas except for one section of leather. When shoe companies make shoes they put a clear varnish to protect the leather. But this prevents your paint from sticking on through any wear and tear. You need to use some acetone and cotton balls to wipe it off. On a shoe that is all leather you will need to wipe the whole shoe. When doing this use a protective respirator, gloves, and glasses to protect your self.

Step 2: Drawing

For this step, you want to draw your design or pattern on the shoe. Use a very light pencil as it is very hard to remove without painting over it.

Step 3: Painting

Now you need to paint your shoes. You will need several different types of brushes. I used a very fine point and several different sizes of flat tipped brushes but you can use whichever kind you prefer.

Step 4: Protection

Once you have painted and let your shoes dry you want to keep your kicks clean and protected. I would suggest using some sort of spray on a clear coat or fabric protector. This will protect your paint job and make the shoes last longer.

Step 5: Rock Them

This is the best step. Once you have let the clear coat dry lace up the shoes and wear them out and show them off. I hope you enjoyed this instructable. If you enjoyed it or just found it interesting like it and if you have any suggestions leave a comment. And please vote for me in the contests. Thanks for reading and enjoy your shoes.