Summer Shoes

The STAEDTLER Design Team was given the challenge to decorate a pair of canvas gym shoes. 

I used the STAEDTLER watercolor crayons to create my warm summer tones on my shoes.

 

A plain canvas shoe was our starting point:

I started with the yellow watercolor crayon:

 I colored patches of yellow onto the canvas shoe.

 I repeated the process with the orange crayon:

I finished off the shoe with the red crayon.  The beauty of this is that you can always add more color when you are finished. 

The next step is to get the shoe wet.  I spritzed it with water until it was soaked and used my finger to smear and blend the colors to get to this effect:

 

 I added the color to the inside and the tongue after I achieved the effect on the outside. I also came back and added more color in areas that didn't get enough or I wanted more of one specific color.

After I had finished that I decided I wanted a slight pattern on my shoe.  I pulled out a cling stamp from Hero Arts with a lovely damask pattern. I inked it up with an orange pigment ink. 

 The cling stamp gave me the flexibility to press the stamp into the fabric.  I also added touches where the stamp didn't completely stamp on the canvas but inking up the stamp and pressing portion of the stamp into empty areas.  I repeated this until the outside was covered.

 I then used the same techniques to color a sheet of muslin cloth.  I used the coordinating fabric to create flowers to decorate my shoe.  I die cut them using the Tattered Florals Sizzix die. I also colored white tulle by smearing the watercolor crayons on my craft mat and spritzing it until it was watery. I dipped the tulle into the inky water until it was covered in the colors.  I then let it dry. 

I wanted something to seal my shoes to help them from bleeding watercolor ink and had a lovely Krylon spray with a glittery finish.  I used this to coat my flowers, shoes and tulle.  I would test out your seal before wearing your shoes out in the rain or washing them! I wanted to heat set mine but our dryer decided to go on the blitz.  I would treat them as if you had tie dyed a t-shirt. (Cold water, like colors, etc)

 Here is the finished shoes.  I used my stylus to poke holes in the center of my flowers and brads to hold them together. I poked holes in my shoes to put the brads through the canvas and hold my flowers in place.  I would recommend covering the brads on the inside of the show to protect your feet. ;) Or attach them with stitching.

My daughters have shown a great interest in how my shoes had turned out.  Luckily my feet are a little bigger than theirs and I don't have to worry about them walking off. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Suzz