How to Customize Black Shoes

Black shoes are both timeless and classy, but they don’t stand out from the crowd much. If you don’t want your black shoes to look like everyone else’s, you can customize them to make them your very own. Spend an afternoon crafting and DIYing to freshen up your look and turn heads when you go out.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Permanent Marker

1. Clean your shoes off with wet wipes. If you’re drawing on the body of your shoes, focus on that area; if you’re going for the soles, clean those off first. Scrub your shoes with a wet wipe until they’re really clean, then dry them off with a soft cloth.^[1]
   
   • If your shoes are brand new, you can skip this step.
2. Make your initial lines with a fat tip marker. You can use a permanent marker, a paint marker, or a fabric marker to draw your design. Metallics and bright colors pop well on black shoes, so try gold, silver, pink, green, blue, or white to really make your design stand out!^[2]
   
   • You don’t have to be an amazing artist to draw on your shoes. Simple lines, scribble art, or even words all look great on black shoes.
   • Try making random shapes in varying colors for a simple, fun design.
   • Or, fill in the logo on the side of your shoes to make them pop.
3. Add details with a fine tip marker. You can use a fine tip marker on top of the designs you drew, or you can use it on the soles for small details. Add flower petals, clouds, or beach waves to make your shoes your own.^[3]
   
   • If you’re working on white soles, a black marker will really pop.
4. Seal your shoes with an acrylic finisher. Permanent marker actually does wear off over time. Use a small paint brush to add a layer of acrylic finisher onto the soles of your shoes, and let it dry fully before you put them on and show them off.^[4]
   
   • Even with the acrylic finisher, your marker may fade a little bit over time. Expect to refresh your design about once a year to keep your shoes looking great.

[Edit]Acrylic Paint

1. Clean the shoe well with a soft cloth. If your shoes are leather, grab a wet cloth and wipe them down to get rid of any dust or dirt. If you’re working with canvas or mesh shoes, use a lint roller to get any hair or dust off your shoes for a clean, smooth surface.^[5]
   
   • If your leather shoes are really dirty, use some acetone on a cotton ball to clean those cracks and crevices.
2. Take the laces out. You probably don’t want to get paint all over your shoelaces. To prevent that from happening, slide your laces out of your shoe and set them aside for now.^[6]
   
   • Even if you aren’t painting your entire shoe, you should take the laces out just in case.
3. Cover the parts you don’t want to paint with tape. If you aren't painting the soles of your shoe, grab some painter’s tape and place it carefully all over the bottom of your shoe. That way, you won’t accidentally drip any paint onto parts of your shoe where it doesn’t belong.^[7]
   
   • Acrylic paint doesn’t stick to rubber very well, so it’s best to customize the body of your shoes, not the soles.
4. Push a towel into the shoe so it holds its shape. Painting the tongue and body of the shoe can be tough if it doesn’t have anything behind it to hold it up. Grab a small washcloth and push it into your shoe to push the tongue outward.^[8]
   
   • This will also make the front of your shoe much flatter so it’s easier to paint.
5. Mix a 1:1 ratio of acrylic paint with paint softener. On its own, acrylic paint has a tendency to crack with any movement. Grab whichever colors you’re using and mix them with a paint softener in a 1:1 ratio. This will help keep the paint flexible as it dries so it doesn’t crack as easily.^[9]
   
   • You can find this additive at most craft stores near the acrylic paint.
   • Angelus 2-Soft is the most common brand of fabric additive for acrylic paint.
6. Paint your design onto your shoes. Here’s where you can really let your creativity shine. Go in with your bright colors and make your shoes your own! For large areas, use a large, wide paint brush; for fine details, go with a small, skinny paint brush. You could try:^[10]
   
   • A sunset
   • Your national flag
   • Characters from a TV show
   • Words and symbols
   • Floral designs
7. Peel the tape off and clean the soles off with a spot remover. Peel the tape off your rubber soles and check to see if any paint got on them. If it did, dip a cotton swab into a spot remover and use that to quickly wipe off any areas that look splotchy.^[11]
   
   • You don’t necessarily have to do this, but it can give your shoes a cleaner, more professional look.
8. Brush on an acrylic finisher. Grab a small, clean paintbrush and dip it into a bottle of acrylic finisher. Cover all the areas that you painted with the finisher to seal the paint so it doesn’t run when it gets wet. Let your shoes air dry before putting them on and showing them off to your friends.^[12]
   
   • You can also spray on a clear gloss coat instead of using an acrylic finisher. Both work just fine!

[Edit]Decorations

1. Glue on rhinestones to make your shoes sparkle. Fill a syringe with super glue and draw a line across your shoe. Carefully pick up your rhinestones one at a time and press them into the glue, holding for about 10 seconds. You can do stripes, embellish the logo, or even add rhinestones all over for a totally bedazzled shoe!^[13]
   
   • If you’re pretty rough on your shoes (if you go running or hiking in them a lot) the rhinestones might fall off. Keep a few extra around in case you need to patch up your design.
2. Add some lace to your shoes to make them look classy. Pour some fabric glue onto the top of your canvas shoe and spread it around with a small paint brush. Cut out a piece of lace that’s slightly bigger than the front of your shoe, then press it onto the fabric glue. Once the glue is dry, use scissors to trim the excess away for a beautiful, delicate shoe.^[14]
   
   • Fabric glue won’t stick to leather shoes, so this method works best on canvas or mesh ones.
   • Try using red or white lace to really make the design pop on your black shoes.
3. Make your shoes shine with glitter glue. Draw your design lightly on your shoes with a pencil so you have an outline to work with. Grab a few glitter glue pens and fill the shapes in (and try to stay in the lines as best you can). Let your shoes dry for about 30 minutes before you show them off!^[15]
   
   • You could draw stars, circles, or fill in the logo on your shoes.
   • Try mixing and matching glitter colors, like silver and gold, red and pink, or green and blue.

[Edit]Tips

• Draw your design on paper first to see how it looks before painting your shoes.

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

[Edit]Permanent Marker

• Wet wipes
• Soft cloth
• Permanent marker
• Acrylic finisher

[Edit]Acrylic Paint

• Cloth
• Acrylic paint
• Painter’s tape
• Acrylic softener
• Hair dryer
• Paint brush
• Acrylic finisher
• Spot remover
• Cotton swab

[Edit]Decorations

• Super glue
• Fabric glue
• Lace
• Rhinestones
• Glitter glue
• Paint brush

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgAuW12Co2M&feature=youtu.be&t=317
2. ↑ https://footwearnews.com/2018/focus/athletic-outdoor/how-to-customize-shoes-alexander-john-1202717322/
3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB3mlfB39M0&feature=youtu.be&t=47
4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu8_QoLqXBI&feature=youtu.be&t=163
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH3RpP6mJjg&feature=youtu.be&t=48
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqrPuirzgw&feature=youtu.be&t=19
7. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoqZV9b4-k&feature=youtu.be&t=40
8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoqZV9b4-k&feature=youtu.be&t=40
9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoqZV9b4-k&feature=youtu.be&t=71
10. ↑ https://footwearnews.com/2018/focus/athletic-outdoor/how-to-customize-shoes-alexander-john-1202717322/
11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODoqZV9b4-k&feature=youtu.be&t=514
12. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqrPuirzgw&feature=youtu.be&t=133
13. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzLpMkMcVW4&feature=youtu.be&t=34
14. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ma3Lx_z7ro&feature=youtu.be&t=87
15. ↑ https://crafterward.com/posts/diy-glitter-star-shoes