So, I had this idea rolling around in my head for a while. I really wanted a specific pair of Dunks – pink, black, and white. You know how sometimes you get a picture in your mind and nothing else will do? That was me. Couldn’t find the exact combination I was looking for anywhere, at least not without paying some crazy price. So, I thought, heck, why not just make them myself? Seemed like a decent way to spend a weekend.
Getting Started: The Base
First thing was finding the right shoes to work on. I spent a bit of time just scrolling through different sites, looking for a good starting point. Didn’t want to ruin a super expensive, brand-new pair right off the bat, especially since I hadn’t done much of this before. Eventually, I found a pretty clean pair of all-white Dunks. They were used, but the leather looked solid enough for painting. Grabbed those.
Prep Work: The Not-So-Fun Part
Alright, shoes arrived. Now the real work began. This part isn’t glamorous, but you gotta do it right.
- Cleaning: First up, gave them a really thorough cleaning. Got out my sneaker cleaner and a brush, scrubbed away any dirt and grime. Needed a totally clean surface for the paint to stick properly.
- Deglazing: Heard this was important. Used some leather preparer and deglazer stuff. Rubbed it all over the leather parts I planned to paint. Apparently, it strips off the factory finish so the new paint adheres better. Smelled pretty strong, did this bit outside.
- Taping: Then came the taping. Oh man, the taping. Used that blue painter’s tape. Carefully, and I mean carefully, taped off everything I didn’t want painted. The rubber soles, the sock liner inside, the little Nike tag on the tongue. Getting those edges perfectly straight, especially around the curves and the swoosh? Took forever. Seriously tested my patience.
Painting Time: Where the Magic Happens (Slowly)
This was the part I was looking forward to, but also kinda nervous about messing up.
- Gathering Supplies: Had my Angelus leather paints lined up – black, white, and this really nice shade of bright pink I picked out. Also had a bunch of different sized brushes, from tiny ones for details to slightly bigger ones for the main panels.
- Applying Color: Decided on the color layout beforehand. Started with the black. The key thing everyone says is thin coats. So, I applied a thin layer of black paint to the panels I wanted black. Let it air dry for maybe 15-20 minutes. Then another thin coat. And another. Probably did 3 or 4 thin coats of black in total until it looked solid and even.
- Adding Pink: Moved onto the pink next. Same process – multiple thin coats. Put the pink on the swoosh, the heel tab, and maybe another small section. Pink sometimes needs more coats than black to look vibrant over white, so this took a bit longer. Patience, patience.
- Keeping the White: Left the other panels white, as planned. Had to be careful not to drip black or pink onto them. Did a tiny bit of white touch-up where needed, just to keep things crisp.
- Dealing with Mistakes: Had one spot where the black paint bled a tiny bit under the tape edge. Super annoying. Had to wait for it to dry, then very carefully went in with a super fine brush and some white paint to fix the line. It happens, just gotta deal with it.
Finishing Touches
Once I was happy with the paint coverage and everything was completely dry – like, I left them alone overnight just to be sure – it was time for the final steps.
- The Reveal: Slowly peeled off all the blue tape. This is always the best part, seeing those clean lines finally appear. Mostly clean, anyway!
- Sealing the Deal: To protect the paint job, I applied a matte finisher. Sprayed on a couple of light, even coats over all the painted areas. This helps prevent scuffs and cracks, makes the custom job last longer hopefully. Let that dry completely too.
- Laces: Last little detail – swapped out the original white laces for a pair of pink ones. Really helped tie the whole pink, black, and white theme together.
The Result
And there they were. My very own custom pink, black, and white Dunks. Are they factory perfect? Nah, if you get super close, you can spot tiny imperfections from the process. But they look pretty awesome, I think. And the best part is, I made them exactly how I wanted them. It was a pretty fun project, took most of a weekend but felt good to create something with my own hands. Definitely learned that patience during the prep and painting stages is everything. Might even try another pair sometime.
