Tutorial ~ How to Paint Leather Shoes

I contributed this post at Brassy Apple a few weeks ago, and I am posting this today in case you missed it.


Last summer, I spray painted my shoes with a regular can of spray paint. I loved the color and the shoes turned out very pretty. Though, after a couple times of wearing them, the paint started to crack here and there. I did touch up paint and wore them the whole summer, but after that I said good by to them. Hmm, there has to be a better way, I thought.
After searching online, I finally found the product I have been looking for! Angelus carries all sorts of items to help creative craving. I bought items that I needed and got busy! If you have old shoes still in good condition but in need of a face lift, or you want to create one of a kind shoes, you are in luck. :)


{You will need}

Leather shoes
Angelus professional leather prepare and deglazer
Angelus paint
Angelus Acrylic finisher
paint brush
Old rag(the kind the doesn't have lint)

*Note: I bought the smallest bottle of paints which is 1 oz in size. The reviews said that you don't need a whole lot of paint to paint the shoes and they were true! After painted my sandals I used the color of vanilla the most, but I still have tons left in the bottle. The 1 oz bottle is going for $2.69, but if you buy 5+, they become 2.45 each.


{How to}

1. Wipe the shoes clean with a slightly wet rag and let them dry. Follow the instruction of the bottle and wipe the shoes with deglazer. Wait until the shoes are completely dry.

2. Tape painters tape or washi-tape to tape off the bottom and heal.

3. If you are painting your shoes just one color, you can ignore the next few steps. I wanted to paint my shoes with multiple colors; so I painted using the vanilla color first, because that was the largest area that I needed to paint. I had to apply 3 coats of paint to cover the original color completely. Here is a few bits of advice for you...

*Don't put too much paint on at once.
*Spread a nice amount of paint evenly.
*Make sure to apply the next coat of paint when the surface is completely dry.

Don't worry about brush streaks. This paint is AMAZING! Once it dries, it looks nice and smooth.

4. I chose the color of patty for my next step. I had to apply 3 coats of paint again.

5. The third color I chose is Shell Pink. I painted the rest of the unpainted surface.

6. I was going to leave it as is, but it was so tempting do more. This is the chance to create something completely original, so why not, right? I painted the back part of the sandals.

7. After the paint is dry, apply Angelus finisher.

8. They are done!

It is time to enjoy...

I am wearing a dress in this picture, but I wore them with my slim pants with a plain t-shirt today. I loved the shoes with causal clothing too.

Ahh... It was so much fun. My choice of colors are muted soft palette, but I can picture in my mind what these sandals could have looked like in bright vivid colors as well. The possibilities are endless!

I want to paint more shoes and experiment.  I will share pictures when I am ready in the near future.