Pencils up, friends! Try creating some charming custom painted shoes for back to school and get into the scholarly spirit. Follow this easy tutorial to make your own.

DIY Painted Pencil Back-to-School Sneakers

I don’t care if I’m not in school any more — I love back-to-school season with a passion!

Joe Fox said it best: “I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.” And I’m sorry if I’ve quoted You’ve Got Mail before, but it just may be one of the most perfect movies ever.

But I digress! Back to the business at hand, which obviously is creating custom painted shoes for back-to-school!

Psst — if you like this idea, be sure to sign up below for my VIP group so I can send more of my very best DIY ideas straight to ya!

What Shoes are Best for Custom Painting?

I found these cute sneakers, and they’re super comfy and the perfect transition from summer to fall! After I wore them once or twice I started thinking that the lines on them reminded me of binder paper and I totally knew what I had to do.

You can use any canvas sneaker that fits you well; they don’t have to be striped (although the striped ones are very cute!)

You could always use some classic Keds or something similar.

What Paint is Best for Custom Shoes?

Among the serious custom shoe community, you’ll probably find that the most recommended paint is Angelus acrylic paint.

Angelus is a long-lasting, very vibrant paint that’s great for painting on leather and staying true to color. It’s also advertised to be waterproof when used with the proper prep and sealant.

However, if you’re just looking to dip a toe (no pun intended) into the pool of custom painted shoes, give it a go with simple craft paint. If you already some handy, it’s an easy way to test out a project like this one.

Back to School Ideas to Try with this Project

Get into the back-to-school spirit!

I rounded up more of our best school-focused DIYs to get yourself or your kiddos ready for the year. Be sure to pin your favorites so that you can find them again easily.

Supplies for Hand Painted Shoes

You don’t need many supplies for these fun, school-themed custom painted shoes! You probably have most of them already in your craft stash.

Materials

Make Time: 30 Minutes

Paint a diagonal thick yellow line on the toe of your sneaker. This will be your pencil.
Paint a small gold triangle at the base of the line, which will become the point of your pencil.
Paint a rounded pink square at the top of the pencil. Allow all the paint to dry thoroughly and go over any spots that may need more coverage.
Begin tracing the outlines of your pencil with the Sharpie. Start very lightly so that you don’t overdo it; you can always add more black. Trace the outer edges of the pencil and create a few lighter lines in the center.
Draw a small triangular tip where the lead of the pencil would be; also draw a few scribbles coming from the pencil.
Trace the eraser by drawing a flattened oval at the top and two lines on either side, almost connecting with the lines on the sides of your pencil. Then draw a few arcs where the metal would be that connects the eraser to the pencil.
Repeat the process on the other shoe, mirroring the image you created on the first.

That’s it! Tell me these aren’t the cutest things you’ve seen all day.

Have a blast creating your very own custom painted shoes for back to school. Hope you try them out! xoxo

Custom Painted Sneakers

Yield: Custom Painted Sneakers

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $30

Pencils up, friends! Try creating some charming custom painted shoes for back to school and get into the scholarly spirit. Follow this easy tutorial to make your own.

Materials

Plain sneakers or canvas shoes
Craft paint
Pencil

Tools

Paintbrushes

Instructions

Paint a diagonal thick yellow line on the toe of your sneaker. This will be your pencil.Paint a small gold triangle at the base of the line, which will
become the point of your pencil.
Paint a rounded pink square at the top of the pencil. Allow all the paint to dry thoroughly and go over any spots that may need more coverage.
Begin tracing the outlines of your pencil with the Sharpie. Start very lightly so that you don't overdo it; you can always add more black. Trace the outer edges of the pencil and create a few lighter lines in the center.
Draw a small triangular tip where the lead of the pencil would be; also draw a few scribbles coming from the pencil.
Trace the eraser by drawing a flattened oval at the top and two lines on either side, almost connecting with the lines on the sides of your pencil. Then draw a few arcs where the metal would be that connects the eraser to the pencil.
Repeat the process on the other shoe, mirroring the image you created on the first.

Notes

Among the serious custom shoe community, you'll probably find that the most recommended paint is Angelus acrylic paint.

Angelus is a long-lasting, very vibrant paint that's great for painting on leather and staying true to color. It's also advertised to be waterproof when used with the proper prep and sealant.

However, if you're just looking to dip a toe (no pun intended) into the pool of custom painted shoes, give it a go with simple craft paint. If you already some handy, it's an easy way to test out a project like this one.

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