Give your frayed shoes a funky look

Should it be Nike or Adidas, Hush Puppies or Reebok, Converse or Bata? We are willing to pay so much to buy a pair of shoes that someone else designed. How about being your own shoe designer and owning a pair that is unique and super cool?

Now that it is holiday time, most of you are not using your school sports canvas shoes, and by the time school re-opens the shoes will be too small for you. Make good use of these shoes and change them into something unique — a one-of-its-kind pair to wear with your favourite T-shirt and jeans.

Remember to soak your canvas shoes in some soapy water and give them a good wash before you start work on them.

Materials required: A box of fabric paints (with gold and silver), paint brushes, sequins, beads, a bright pair of shoelaces, and lots of imagination.

What is design?

Design is something you draw, paint or create with design software, with a certain purpose in mind. Most designs are created to make a very practical object look better and make it easier to use. It could be an outfit, a washing machine, a watch or a pair of shoes. So, are you ready to be a designer?

How to start...

Take a sheet of plain paper and make a simple drawing using simple shapes like squares, triangles or organic shapes like hearts, waves or swirls. Keep the shapes simple because they will have to be drawn on the shoes next. Use a fun composition to make the design interesting.

Remember, there are three important visible sides to your shoes: the two sides and the front.

Shoes are worn in a  pair so the design should look symmetrical on both shoes. If you make a design on the left side of your left shoe, repeat the same design on the right side of the right shoe.

These are the most visible parts of your shoes, so make the shapes a little bigger.
For example, you may have enjoyed a beach holiday and you might want to show a star fish, a few shells and waves to recapture your holiday magic.

Remember to make the same design as similar as you can on both sides of the shoes.
When you draw the rough design (draft) on a sheet of paper, you need to draw it for only one shoe and then you have to use the mirror image onto the other shoe in the pair.

This will make both the shoes similar and give them a cool ‘designer’ look!
Finally, after you have drawn the design onto both the shoes you can start painting your shoes in with the colours you like.

The paint will be absorbed into the canvas, so you might need to paint 2 coats to make the colours look bright and attractive.

After the paint dries, you can stick some beads or sequins to give your shoes a funky look. Replace old, worn-out laces with a bright new pair.

If your shoes are worn out at the toes, use some fabric paint in silver or gold to patch up the wear and tear, even as you step up the fun factor!