DIY: Painted Canvas Sneakers

Source: Refinery29

Happy Friday!! So I had a pair of Keds that I really liked because it had a monkey on it. (I love monkeys!) Unfortunately it got dirty from walking through something, wet grass I think. I washed them in the washer but that didn't completely remove the stains. I chose to keep them as cleaning shoes or whatever reason I made up. Basically, the sneakers sat in the closet from lack of wear. Obviously, I wasn't ready to give them up so finally after about a year or so of going nowhere, I decided to paint them.

Here's how I did mine.

Make sure the shoes that you use are free from all dirt. You can also buy a pair of all white sneakers.
Gather your painting supplies. I bought four 2 oz bottles of paint for 59 cents each at Joanns. The colors I used were black and mocha brown. One bottle of each color was plenty enough.
Tape the areas that you don't want painted with painter's tape or masking tape.
Pour the paint in a bowl or a paint tray and begin painting using a paintbrush. I used the largest that came in the pack I bought from Joann's for $1.50. Paint both sneakers.
Let dry for an hour.
Apply another coat to the sneakers and again let dry for an hour.
Find the design you want to add. You can print a template and cut out the design/shapes to use as a stencil. The design I was going for was tribal/aztec.
Pour the second color paint of your choice into the now cleaned bowl. You can use as many colors as you want. Begin applying the design/shapes with the smallest paintbrush you have. You can also use a paint marker which may be easier. I used freehand.
Let dry for an hour.
Remove the painters tape. Use some q-tips and nail polish remover to remove any excess paint around each sneaker.
Spray them with acrylic paint sealer and you're done.