What better way to start the first day of school than wearing a fun pair of shoes you have designed by yourself. This is truly a project for any age and boys can design some fun and funky shoes too.
These really colorful, canvas sneakers were designed by girls ages 8 to 14. They turned out so great and what a fun kids crafts project! They are all looking forward to wearing them on the first day of school.
You can pick up inexpensive canvas slipons, or ones that lace, for yourself or the kids. Stores like Payless or WalMart are good options. The kids can even choose colors or a theme and then do all of the the coloring.
As far as choosing a design, we suggest doing a bit of doodling on paper first. We all love to doodle a bit anyways, right? Of course, kids are a bit free-spirited, so they might just want to go with the flow and start right on their shoes. We love kids art and they always seem to come up with adorable artwork. And how cool to be able to say “I made my own shoe design!”
All you basically need are the canvas shoes and Fabric Markers, which can be found at most craft stores, such as Jerry’s Artarama or Michael’s Craft Store.
- Canvas shoes
- Fabric markers
- Clear varnish paint/waterproof spray
- Pencil
What to Do:
- Decide if you want a very precise design or more freehand effect. You can either draw your design lightly with pencil right onto the shoe or draw your design freehand.
- Start drawing with fabric markers at the front tip of the shoe. This way, if the design ends up unsymetrical as you proceed, the front, most visible, part of the shoe looks great!
- As you move along, be aware that it is best to take shorter strokes to avoid bleeding out of the desired areas.
- Once you have done the front, work on the sides and finish up with the back of the shoe.
- You can make the second shoe completely different or match the first shoe.
- Let the shoes dry thoroughly.
- Apply a coat of clear varnish paint such as Liqiutex gloss varnish. Or you can opt for a waterproof spray like Scotchguard. These will protect your designs.
