DIY Shoe Makeover: Galaxy Shoes for Men, Women and Children

Last spring I made some pretty nifty shoes for my nephews. I purchased cheap black slip-ons and painted on them. The youngest had shoes adorned with scales to match his “Viper” superhero alter ego. Last fall I noticed he was STILL wearing these shoes and I was pretty sure that they couldn’t fit or be comfortable anymore. I asked to see the shoes and he said NO and carried them off.

I finally convinced him to show me his shoes by promising him that if they didn’t fit him anymore that I’d make him a new pair in the right size. Those shoes were brought to me and I could see why he wouldn’t let me see them up close. He loved those shoes so much that he wore holes so that his big toe could stick out and the sole was split where it would bend when he walked.

I showed them to my sister and she was truly surprised at how bad they were I took the shoes home with me just to assure myself that he wouldn’t try wearing them and potentially harming his young, little feet. But then I couldn’t find any cheap black slip-on shoes. The store I had originally purchased them from informed me that they were seasonal. So this past weekend when I saw hanging from the rack some black slip-on shoes I grabbed a few pairs to DIY and finally fulfill my promise I made a good 6 months ago.

Now, this whole galaxy shoe thing is a big deal for guys and girls alike. Just search for “galaxy shoe” and you’ll see tons of suckers and lots of DIYs and tutorials. I decided to go ahead and make my own partly because I wanted to see how I would make this work when left to my own devices. Plus, I wanted to see if I could make a pair WITHOUT bleach.

For this project you will need:

• black canvas shoes
• white acrylic paint
• two tones of  a secondary color, acrylic paint
• fabric/textile medium additive
• sponge brushes and/or sponge tip applicators
• small bristled paintbrush

First off mix your acrylic paints with your textile medium. This will make them a thinner consistency. Lightly dab your brush or applicator into the paint and daub away the excess. We’re going to lightly apply our paint and go over the areas until we are happy with the coverage. Why? Because it’s easier to add than remove paint!

Around the sole area of the shoe daub or lightly brush your white paint in a random “galaxy like” pattern. You can always look at photos online of space to help you out.

Next, go around the white with one of your secondary tones. Again lightly apply.

Then go over with the other secondary color. I got confused here and edited the right shoe so the pic is backward but you can still see what’s up!

Next, take your small bristled paintbrush and paint on little daubs for stars. They don’t need to be the same size or shape. Just go around and daub randomly.

Also, add some extra white to the galaxy bits around the soles to make them whiter and brighter.

To finish up, water down a bit of your white paint and flick your paintbrush to make faint, tiny stars. I went a bit overboard here so take caution that it goes from too little to too much very quickly!

And there they are! I used green as my secondary color because that’s my nephew’s fav. You can use red, blue, purple, anything really depending on your taste.

I think that I’d very much suggest your first pair be experimental because there are a lot of variables that can cause you issues (like my too much watered-down white splatter at the end). Perhaps play around with some old or thrifted shoes to really get the technique down. These guys look better from a distance, but like I always say, if no one is kissing your feet then no one will ever notice the difference!

Allison

A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.