Okay, so I’ve been wanting to customize my sneakers for a while, and I finally decided to do it. I had this pair of plain white Nike Jordans, and I was like, “Let’s make these pop!” I’m a big fan of pink, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that somehow. My vision was a pair of nike jordan pink and white.
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my materials. This was pretty basic:
- My plain white Jordans
- Some pink leather paint (I went with a lighter shade, almost pastel)
- Painter’s tape
- A few different sized paintbrushes – some fine ones for detail work
- A sealant to protect the paint
- Some rags just in case it’s messy
Prepping the Shoes
The most important part is honestly the prep work. I cleaned the shoes really well with just some soapy water and a rag, making sure to get all the dirt and dust off. Then, I used the painter’s tape to carefully mask off all the areas I didn’t want to paint. This took the longest, to be honest, because I wanted those lines to be super crisp. I spent like, an hour just taping, no joke!
Painting!
Once the tape was all set, I started painting. I applied thin, even coats of the pink paint to the sections I wanted. I think I did about three coats to get a really solid, even color. Between each coat, I waited for the paint to dry completely – super important to avoid smudging. I used a blow dryer on the cool setting to the drying up a little bit.
The Finishing Touches
After the pink paint was totally dry, I carefully removed the painter’s tape. And Wow! It looked so much better already! To protect my masterpiece, I applied a thin layer of sealant over the painted areas. Then I put back the shoelace and then stepped back and admired my work. It is not perfect, and has some flaws.
The whole process took me a good afternoon, but it was totally worth it! Now I have a pair of custom kicks that are totally unique. Next time, I might try a bolder color or a more complex design, but for a first attempt, I’m pretty stoked with how these turned out!
