First off you need to have all the right materials to do a proper custom job. When painting leather the only paint I 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)
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
OK the coating is off, now it’s time to mask these off. There are lots of types of tape you can use, I use Scotch masking tape. I’ll then cover all the areas that I don’t want to get paint on, then I’ll use an X-Acto knife and cut along the edges so I have clean lines.
OK the shoes are prepped, time to paint. I’ll start mixing colors, I rarely use colors straight from the bottle as it’s never an exact match. This is just trial and error, the more you do this the better you will get.
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.
You’re done with painting! Are you done with the custom? Not yet, you need to seal them. Before I do any finishing I’ll 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. I personally 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.
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