How To Paint Shoes

1
Apply fabric or leather paint with even, short brush strokes. If you are using acrylic paints, dip your brush into the paint and then put the paint on the shoes using short strokes. Keep refilling your brush until you’ve fully coated the area and no longer see any of the shoe’s original surface.^[7]

A #6 or #8 brush is flatter and good for painting the edges areas. A #0 or #1 round brush has a fine shape that works well for details. A #1 or #2 fan brush can spread paint over the flat sides of a shoe quickly.

2
Apply fabric or leather paint with a sponge for a partially covered look. Get a small bath or scrub sponge. Pour your paint into a small bowl. Dip the edge of the sponge into the bowl. Then, dab the extra paint off on a nearby piece of paper. After that you can start to quickly press the painted sponge against the shoe until it is painted.

This is a great approach if you’d like to layer colors or even have the original color of the shoes partially show through.

3
Spray paint onto the shoes if you want a single color. Hold your spray can nozzle about 4-6” away from the shoes. Press firmly against the nozzle trigger to apply an even coating of paint across the entire shoe. Make sure that you cover all areas.
4
Coat the shoes with a glitter mixture. Get a plastic cup and pour 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of Mod Podge into it. Add a small container of glitter and stir it together. Use a paint brush to apply the glitter mixture on top of your current shoe’s fabric. You can also use this over newly painted shoes, but they’ll need to be fully dry first.
5
Let the shoes dry. Leave the shoes on the paper-covered table for at least 1 hour or until they are fully dry. Then, you can apply a second coat of paint, if needed. You’ll also want to wait 2-3 days to wear them. This allows your shoes to dry on both the outside and inside (if any paint seeped through).

To keep your brushes and sponges from drying out in between coats, place them in some plastic wrap.

6
Peel off the protective tape slowly. Grab the ends of each piece of tape and apply gentle pressure until it pulls away from the shoe. Continue until you’ve removed all of the pieces. If you see any small pieces remaining, use metal tweezers to carefully remove them.^[8]
7
Apply a spray on acrylic sealer and avoid washing your shoes. If you are worried about your design getting damaged by water, you can spray your finished shoes with an acrylic sealer spray (for cloth shoes) or even a clear matte spray paint (for leather shoes). This will protect your shoes from exposure to the rain, but it is still not a good idea to wash your shoes in a machine. If they get dirty, simply dab at the spot with a warm wash cloth.