Custom Sneakers

Hey guys, Welcome again to another blog and today its about custom sneakers. Yes that simple, everyone likes a custom sneaker or wants to custom his/her sneaker but just how that is the question. I have been getting a lot of calls recently from sneaker heads around east Africa asking me how they Can Custom a sneaker. So you really need to know the person who customs a sneaker to that for you or if you goo in art and know how to play with colors then you can do it yourself.

So what do you need to custom your sneaker bring out of your sneaker, below are the instructions that can help you.

1. Materials

First off you need to have all the right materials to do a proper custom job. When painting leather the only paint that is recommend is Angelus paint (Google it). Then there's acetone, rubber gloves, cotton balls, a glass that's not made of plastic, medium and liner paintbrushes and an airbrush if you're going that route, masking tape, an X-Acto knife, a matte finisher and lastly a hair dryer (which is optional).

2. Prep

The most important part of any custom job is the prep work! You can have an awesome paintjob, but if the shoe wasn't prepped properly that couple of hours you spent is going to be a waste when it cracks and peels after the first time wearing them. The key is to strip off the factory coating on the shoe so the paint will bond with the leather properly. First thing, put on your gloves. Take your acetone (its cheap and you can buy it any any hardware store) and soak cotton balls with it. With those cotton balls you're going rub that coating off the leather....the coating may leave a paste-y residue when it comes off, that's supposed to happen. You'll go through a lot of cotton balls if you're doing this properly. the leather may be grey now that the layer is off, but not always....run your finger over the surface and if it's still really smooth you haven't taken the layer all the way off. This process alone can take between 30-40 minutes.

3. Masking

Okay the coating is off, now it's time to mask these off. There are lots of types of tape you can use, you can use Scotch masking tape, then cover all the areas that you don't want to get paint on, then  use an X-Acto knife and cut along the edges so you have clean lines.

4. Mixing

The shoes are prepped, time to paint. I'll start mixing colors.

5. Paint

When applying paint, always paint in light, thin layers to avoid streaks and looking like it's painted. Some colors aren't as opaque as others. You may need more coats to achieve an even finish like red or yellow. Just make sure the layer dries before applying the next coat. You can use the hair dryer to speed up the process.

7. Details

 This where a steady hand pays off! Using a small liner brush this is where you clean up any edges, small details along the shoe. Don't rush this, this is where people tend to get impatient and turn a quality custom into a mediocre one.

8. Finishing

You're done with painting! Are you done with the custom? Not yet, you need to seal them. Before you do any finishing it is better you do one more pass with the hair dryer to make sure all the paint has dried. Once the shoe is completely dry even though the Angelus paint is made to hold up to the elements I want to take that gloss the paint leaves off so it looks more factory. There are tons of finishers out there, even Angelus makes one. You can also use Krylon Matte finisher, you can get it at arts and crafts stores. The fumes are kinda crazy, so spray an even light coat over the shoe and let that dry.

9. Presentation

You've now successfully made a custom! Now lace those bad boys up and snap your Instagram pics Lol!

So there you go guys steps to custom your sneakers or you can just take them to person who does that I will be dropping contacts soon. 
You want to read more on custom sneaker go to http://www.complex.com/sneakers/2012/09/a-step-by-step-guide-to-sneaker-customization-by-mache/finishing 

So there you go guys Here are some pics of custom sneakers 

 
 So guys the competition is about to start the Rihanna X Puma Creeper is about to begin and the winner will receive his/her puma in June so guys stay up for updates.
And still I will be asking what do you think about "Bata Wopsis"because God willing they will be dropping out soon and I will be showing you some of my sketches and you can judge but before that tell me what you think.

As always like our page on Facebook that is www.facebook.com/wopsis
And you can contact me on +254707248258 especially if you are a custom sneaker guy or you want to try it out.
Remember to leave a comment and suggestions guys as always.

Thank you 
See you on another blog. 

Bang!!!