Ikat-Print Shoes

This is a fun and easy project whose results are fairly impressive. The colors are easy to change to your liking, and the same goes for the type of shoe. (Just make sure it's closed-toe, so you have enough "canvas" to work on.)

Warning: Once you start painting/diy-ing your shoes, it's hard to stop, because there are so many fun designs and patterns that you'll just have to try. :)

With that, let's get started.

You'll need to have some shoes to work with. I got mine from Target for $15, but I'm sure basic closed-toe shoes are easily and cheaply found elsewhere. If you have old ones lying around, they'll work, too.

The color doesn't really matter as long as the paint colours you've chosen work with your shoe color.

You'll need three acrylic paint colours, including a white. (Mine were white, blue, and brown.) I like when they're contrasting, but similar colours should work, as well.

Next, some brushes and/or sponges. In the photo, I have sponges, but later on I switched to thinner brushes, because it was easier to get the line I wanted.

Masking or painter's tape for cleanliness.

Pencil and paper will also come in handy.

Take the laces off your shoes. You don't want paint all over those.

To avoid weird blobs of paint all over the sole of your shoes, cover them with your masking/painter's tape.

This step is optional, but I think it's a good idea.

You may want sketch a design of what the ikat print will look like. It doesn't have to be a perfect blueprint for what you're going to do, but just something to get you familiar with the shape.

Time to actually paint: (If this is confusing, the pictures should help.)

You have three colors, white (A), B, and C.

Start with A, and make a shape that's a cross-between a diamond and a Christmas tree, and then fill it in. Make 6-9 of these shapes placed around the shoe.

Next, take color B and fill in a bit of the shape you made with color A. This doesn't have to be very neat. Do the same to all the other color A shapes.

Finally, take color C, and outline the color A shape. It can overlap a bit. Then, put some color C on the color B section, to finish it off. Repeat on the rest of the shapes.

Paint the other shoe in the same way.

It should take a few hours, depending on how thick the paint is.

The shoes are done when they're dry, so you can take off the tape, and put the laces back.

Note: The shoes aren't waterproof until you waterproof them yourself, so if it's a rainy day, be careful not to get them too wet.

Have fun, and share pictures if you try this yourself!