21 Show-Stopping Shoe Painting Ideas for 2024

If you've been wondering “What kind of paint do they use on shoes?” or “What do you seal painted shoes with?”, the answers are right here to help make your shoe painting ideas a reality.

According to the Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, many consumers use clothing for self-expressive purposes. However, like tattoos, art expressions — even on shoes — are incredibly personal. What strikes your fancy?

Here are some of the best simple shoe painting ideas and tips for beginners to get you started on creating your own self-expressive custom footwear.

Jump to Section

• How Do You Properly Paint Shoes?
• Simple Shoe Painting Ideas
• Leather Shoe Painting Ideas
• Sneaker Painting Ideas
• High-Heel Shoe Painting Ideas
• Shoe Painting Kits

How Do You Properly Paint Shoes?

1. Learn in an Art Class

One of the best places to start your hand-painted shoes adventure is to take an art class, so you can master the skills you want to use on your shoes.

You can always search for art classes near you, such as art classes in Houston, art classes in Portland or art classes in Boston, or you could try some online painting classes. Either way, you'll have fantastic fun and improve your art skills to take your shoe painting ideas to the next level.

2. Essential Shoe Painting Supplies

After learning the proper painting techniques, beginners ask “What paint is best on shoes?” Painting shoes with acrylic paint seems to be the most common method — and it's also the most effective type of paint to use on shoes for long-lasting effects, as it dries quickly and is water-resistant.

Any kind of shoes can be painted — from canvas, leather, mesh sneakers, to satin, vinyl and suede. You'll want a shoe cleaner or rubbing alcohol and cotton balls for cleaning the material before you get started.

Other shoe painting ideas and tools you might want on hand include:

• Fabric markers, paint markers, spray paint, paintbrushes of various sizes and shapes, sponges, masking tape, stencils and various additional supplies depending on the particular style you're going for (e.g. glitter glue for a glitter look, sewing implements for an embellished style, sharpies for tie-dye, etc.)
• Sealant (they come in matte, gloss and other styles) for a protective coating to prevent paint from chipping, cracking and fading
• Rubber gloves or newspaper to protect your hands and table while you work

3. Step-By-Step Shoe Painting Techniques

• Start the process of hand-painting your shoes by cleaning the material, then put on a base coat of paint — either a very light or very dark color, depending on the style you're aiming towards. This helps further paint layers adhere to the shoes and creates a smoother starting point for your shoe painting ideas.
• Make sure to let the paint dry completely between each layer applied in order to avoid smudging or accidentally mixing colors. Smaller brushes with finer tips make it easier to paint details, while larger bursts of color can be applied with a sponge.
• Once your design is completed and once again dry, use your sealant. Generally, these come in spray bottles and are intended to be held about six inches away from the shoes when applying for a more effective spread — and in a well-ventilated area, for health reasons.
• It won't hurt to add a second coat (after the first is dry), to make sure you didn't miss any spots. Finally, allow your artistic shoes to dry for at least 24 hours before wearing them.

Simple Shoe Painting Ideas

4. Tie-Dye

Here is one of the most classic shoe painting ideas: tie-dye! Painting shoes with acrylic paint or fabric dye can work to create this effect.

If you wrap rubber bands around the shoe in different areas, then dip the shoe into the dye or paint, you'll come out with fascinating shoe designs — whether you use multiple colors or a single color.

Another method is to use colorful Sharpie pens to draw on the shoes, then fill a medicine dropper (like an eye drops tube) with rubbing alcohol and drip onto the design so the colors spread and run together.

5. Glitter

If you're looking to add a little glamour to your outfit, glitter is the way to go. Whether you use glitter glue or loose glitter with a clear sealant, you're a few steps away from a dazzling shoe painting idea.

Will you choose to cover the shoe relentlessly or apply a gradient of color and quantity? Not to mention the unique additions of items like sequins. You can even use sandpaper on certain fabrics to make the surface a bit rough to add an edgy feel to your style.

6. Embellished Shoes

For a truly one-of-a-kind shoe painting idea, do a little more than add paint to the canvas! You could sew on buttons for an original design to go with your painted concept, like flowers on a landscape, or glue lace around the edges of your satin shoes for a fancier style.

If you found art ideas you'd love to reproduce, but your art skills are limited, you could print the pattern onto transfer paper to iron it onto the canvas (or onto a piece of fabric, which you then cut and sew onto the shoe).

You could even redo the entire exterior of the shoe by gluing on a different fabric that is cut to fit the shape. Get creative and make this shoe painting idea your own.

7. Vintage

Stencils, sponges and spray paint are your friends to recreate a retro or antique look. Create a statement with a solid metallic color spray paint or use stencils and round sponges to add polka dots to this shoe painting idea.

Leather Shoe Painting Ideas

8. Leather and Suede Painting Tips

Hand-painted leather shoes are certainly a novelty possession. You can use solvent to remove the shoe's finish, then cover the shoe with flexible leather paints and an acrylic finisher, or use acrylic paints for the featured presentation and a sealant for protection.

It may help to test your shoe painting idea on a rough surface before using it on the shoes. When you do start painting on the leather of your shoes, paint in thin layers.

There are acrylic paints designed specifically for use on leather, and these will work best. As for suede, fabric paint may be a more effective medium.

9. Animal Print

Whether you're going for a full animal image or just a print, you can best accomplish this wild shoe painting idea with a fine-tipped brush.

Start with a light-colored background, then add dots or stripes with black or brown paint — for a full figure, paint or draw the figure in black acrylic or fabric paint and embellish the artwork by experimenting with other colors, like pink and blue.

10. DIY Tap Shoes

You can create your own tap shoe painting ideas — or make some for your children — with a pair of comfortable flats, super glue, salt and coins.

Simply add glue to the sole of the shoe, one glob at the heel and two globs across the toes. Add salt to the glue, and then the coins. Once everything is dry and hardened, get to tapping!

11. Make It Slip-Resistant

Elevate your shoe painting ideas by making them slip-resistant, which mainly involves making the soles rough. Using 50-grit sandpaper on the soles or scuffing them against rough surfaces can do the trick.

Another method is to paint a mixture of rubber glue and salt along the heel and sole of the shoes.

Sneaker Painting Ideas

12. Graffiti

Canvas shoe painting ideas make for the perfect art ideas for teens because they love funky self-expression and canvas shoes, like Vans or Converse. Street style is also a popular concept among teens.

To create this effect, spray paint or use acrylic paint in various colors to create a vibrant and edgy graffiti-inspired design. Stencils can be helpful here, too, for a more traditional graffiti style.

13. Nature Themes

There are a variety of motifs that fall under the category of nature. Paint a swirling, writhing ocean with hues of blue and images of boats.

Try summer painting ideas with vibrant flowers and trees or use earthy tones and pastel shades for spring or autumn scenery. Florals, in general, are popular, but if you can't decide, there are always more flower painting ideas to explore.

14. Splattered

Pull a Jackson Pollock when doing your Vans painting or Converse painting. Your shoes will never look cooler than sporting splashes or drips of multiple colors of paint. You can use a toothbrush or a paintbrush to flick different colors onto the shoes.

If you want a few distinct patterns, you can tape the shoes before you fling paint, keeping those parts of the canvas clean. UV paint can also create some fun imagery, or you could try pour painting, rather than the splatter method for a shoe painting idea that makes a splash.

15. Pop-Culture & Characters

Who doesn't love a good pop culture reference? From cartoons to literature, music to television, quotes and characters' images are constantly part of our world and in our thoughts. Showcase your favorite characters or quotes for your next shoe painting idea.

Use your newfound painting skills, or for painting tips for beginners, use stencils of iconic images, logos and quotes to mark your shoes. You can't go wrong with ultimate personalization.

16. Canvas and Mesh Painting Tips

This may be the most common trend in painting shoes, but it is not necessarily the easiest. Mesh and canvas are a bit more difficult to prepare, despite Vans painting and Converse painting being so popular. Here are some top tips for creating your canvas shoe painting ideas:

• Clean the material, remove laces, and tape areas where you don't want paint to spread.
• Use a shoe tree or plastic stuffing to keep the shape of the shoe while you're working on it.
• Angelus 2-Soft is a fabric medium that, when mixed with acrylic paint, helps it cling to soft materials without making said material stiff.
• Apply a very thin first coat, so that the paint doesn't saturate the layers of canvas and mesh. You can also do this by dabbing the paint on with a sponge, which is faster but uses more paint at one time.
• You'll also need to do the edges of the shoe with a brush, even with the sponge technique, to protect the midsole from being painted accidentally.
• Once the first coat is dry, you can apply two or three more coats of paint as you bring your shoe painting ideas to life!

High-Heel Shoe Painting Ideas

17. Geometric Shapes

Add a little swagger to your step with some colorful patterns! Making geometric shapes, lines and dots with a fine-tipped brush can add crisp lines and sharp edges to your artwork and create unique and abstract shoe imagery.

For a bold effect, use contrasting or extremely bright colors. This can also give it a vintage feel — maybe you could use this for couple painting ideas, then go out dancing.

18. Costume Shoes

Other fun shoe painting ideas can include making shoes to match a costume — for Halloween or the stage. For example, you could use cardboard, packing paper and duct tape to add a curl to the toe of your witch's heels, then paint over it so it looks like a seamless part of the shoe. Impress your friends or the audience with your ingenuity!

19. Satin Painting Tips

• Carefully wipe down your satin shoes with cotton wipes with a dab of rubbing alcohol on them, as this removes grease from the shoes, which would prevent the paint from being absorbed by the satin.
• Be cautious around the edges where the satin fabric is glued to the shoe, as the rubbing alcohol could dissolve that glue, as well.
• Let them dry after this process before beginning with your shoe painting ideas.
• Using textile paint is the most effective.
• Keep extra cotton swabs on hand to clean wet paint off of parts of the shoes where it is unwanted.
• You'll want to do the featured painting all in one sitting to avoid coloration issues.
• It's also possible to use a waterproofing spray afterward to protect the finished product.

20. Vinyl Painting Tips

While there's not much difference between leather or satin shoe painting ideas and vinyl, the main tip here is to prepare the vinyl shoes with a lacquer thinner, which will help to clean any dirt or grease before you start the rest of the painting process.

Shoe Painting Kits

21. Leather Paint Kit

After all these suggestions, if you're still struggling to get started, you can use something that's been put together to help you! The Angelus Acrylic Leather Paint Kit has everything you'll need to get started on your hand-painted leather shoes project.

Executing your best shoe painting ideas has never been easier with a shoe painting kit that includes everything you need. You just supply the kicks!

Let's get started painting! So many shoe painting ideas, so little time. Of course, if you get bored and want to start over, you can always put your painted shoes for sale — upcycled artwork is a beloved form of self-expression. If you find it's a creative hobby you love, make a creative side hustle out of it!

For even more fun art ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!