Alright, let’s dive into this black spiderman dunk lows project. I’m gonna walk you through the whole process, from start to finish. It was a wild ride, lemme tell ya.

First things first: Inspiration hit me like a brick. I saw some custom sneakers online, and the black spiderman theme just screamed at me. I’m a sucker for anything Marvel, so I knew I had to try my hand at it. I started looking around online and saved a bunch of pictures of Spiderman, sneakers, and the color palettes I wanted to go for.
Then came the hunt for the dunks. I didn’t want to mess up anything too expensive. I ended up snagging a pair of plain white dunk lows for a decent price online. They were a little beat up, but that didn’t matter, I was going to customize them anyway!
Next step: Prep work. This is the boring but crucial part. I had to clean those shoes inside and out. I used some sneaker cleaner, scrubbed them good, and let them dry completely. After they were clean, I taped off the areas I didn’t want to paint – like the soles and the inside lining. Trust me, you DO NOT want to skip this step.
Now, the fun begins: Painting! I used acrylic paints mixed with a fabric medium. The fabric medium is key, it helps the paint bond to the leather and prevents cracking. I started with the base coats – mostly black and some dark grey. I did multiple thin layers, letting each one dry completely before applying the next. Patience is a virtue here. I used a heat gun (on low!) to speed up the drying process a bit.
The details are where the magic happened. Using small brushes and some stencils I cut myself, I added the spiderweb patterns and the spider logos. I also experimented with some gradients and shading to give the design some depth. It took forever, and my hand was cramping like crazy, but it was so worth it.

After the paint, comes the sealing. I used a matte acrylic finisher to protect the paint job. Again, multiple thin layers are better than one thick one. This will help prevent scratches and keep the colors vibrant.
Laces and final touches. I swapped out the original white laces for some black ones. Then I went over the whole shoe with a damp cloth to clean up any smudges or stray paint. Finally, I sprayed them with a waterproofing spray for extra protection.
And boom! Done! The black spiderman dunk lows were finished. They aren’t perfect, but I’m super proud of how they turned out. It was a long process, but I learned a lot, and now I’ve got a one-of-a-kind pair of sneakers.
- Lessons Learned:
- Thin layers are ALWAYS better.
- Good prep work makes all the difference.
- Fabric medium is your best friend.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Would I do it again?
Absolutely. Next time, though, I might try using different types of paint or experimenting with different textures. The possibilities are endless!