These are pretty time consuming, but use simple material and can be done on a fairly low budget.

First, get some shoes you like the look of. The best materials to paint are canvas, obviously, though I've had sucess painting suede and you can paint smoother leather - but be prepared for your paint to crack, unless you're using stains.

Next get yourself some acrylic paints - I've used all sorts of qualities and colours. Magenta tones are hardest to manage as they frequently have poor coverage.

Finally get yourself a laundry pen or some other thin outlining pen you can be sure won't run on fabric.

I chose a Dinosaur design on one side of this shoe and a strawberry on the other. That's right - this is the same shoe! The other half of the pair I did in black and white using a laundry pen, but that's a tale for another day.

Step 1: Prepare Your Shoe

You'll want to make sure your shoes are clean, if they're not and they're canvas (like the ones pictured) then you can wash them with warm soapy water and leave them to dry well over a few days.

If there are some stubborn marks you may want to consider covering them with a base colour of paint. If you do this make sure to be patient (I'm often not) and let it dry properly before painting other layers.

Sketch your design onto your shoe using pencil. You'll find it'll rub off with a normal rubber (eraser for those non UK residents here) from the canvas, or simply be covered by the paint.

Step 2: Start Painting

I painted the dinosaur first, then covered the rest of the shoe in blue. I had a little help from the internet on how to make my dino as cute as a button!

The strawberries didn't have a background on them, as they stand out well on the shoe on their own.

Step 3: Details Details

Outline your painting - it'll neaten up any rough edges and give the design some punch. I use something called a laundry pen which I picked up in our local hardware store. Be careful with which pen you use - often markers will run on material and ruin your design.

I added a touch of glitter on some of the strawberries as well.