Sassy Feet! blog

Revamp, Rework, Realize

The last few weeks have been HECK-TIC! From doing Wearable Art Shows with Margot, to
going to on an incredibly enriching trip to Chicago, and the current, complete revamp of my personal website which hasn't been touched in close to four years (new self-caricature for my bio page to the right), I have been up to my ears in things to do.  With so many different projects on all the burners -- including ones I hadn't realized I had -- it's been a full couple of months, to say the least.

If you haven't already pieced my story together, I was already an artist before Margot introduced me to the wonderful world of wearables. I don't consider myself a very good artist -- not that I have no skill -- but I am all over the place when it comes to my art. I really don't SPECIALIZE in anything.  I just do whatever I feel like doing. Draw, paint, sculpt, create mixed media, wearables, stitch stuffed animals, custom pet portraits, etc, etc. I now offer many of my creations on my etsy site. I even have a blog where I post some sort of sketch every day, both as a challenge to myself to do it, and to practice my skills.

My grandfather taught me how to draw when I was very young.  Even when I was preschool aged, he was a proper teacher, showing me how to layer my drawings using lines as a skeleton, finding the basic shapes that make up a form, and filling in all the final details at the end (like my fan-art drawing of Kratos from the God of War video game series, left). I doodled on almost all my school work. I was always drawing.

Thanks to my incredibly instructive high school art teacher, Bruce Hamilton, I discovered acrylic paints and computer graphics. Lucky, I was apt in both. I now enjoy doing vivid ink and water color paintings like the one below. Many of the skills I learned while painting on canvas I use when I paint on shoes and purses. My computer graphics skills have extended into a slightly lucrative hobby.  I've created flyers, logos, business cards, and a couple of book covers, including the book Sassy Feet!.

While in Chicago, my friend signed us both up for a glass blowing class at Prodigy Glassworks in nearby Oak Park. I've never done anything like it before. It was amazing! The artist and instructor, Matt, apparently loves what he does and it showed. I, however, felt as though I was fumbling and floundering through the lessons. He was patient and supportive and helped my friend and me feel comfortable with what we were handling. But, I walked away with something I hand crafted, something tangible to show people my talents. It was so out of my element and so very surprising. Here are my two finished glass pieces below, a paperweight and bowl.

I know when Margot and I teach DIY shoe classes, many of the students feel like I did -- unsure, unsteady, out of their element.  You don't know how to do it and think you can't even begin to fathom the process by which it is done, but you get there in the end! You walk away with new knowledge and something mind-blowingly tangible.

The sense of accomplishment you get is one of the best feelings out there. Don't let the unsure hold you back, because if I, the self-proclaimed klutz of the world, can do it around a vat of 2300° glass, you can do it with a pair of shoes! Or a watercolor paints, or clay, or a stick of charcoal. This summer, step out of your comfort zone try to give yourself the gift of an art or crafts class -- one you have always wanted to attempt -- and see what happens!

All About Dying Suede

Suede -- absolutely lovely stuff but once you paint it (which you can do), all that softness and subtle, variagated response to light disappears. Now, this can be a good thing if you suede shoes or purse are old and worn.

But what if you just want to change the color? I have found n excellent answer to that question and it's called Angelus Suede Dye.(You can find it online -- I buy mine from a site called www.turtlefeathers.net.) I have used it before and written about it here, and last week I tried a new project, a pair of ultra-discounted Ugg boots.

I got these awhile back for $39.99 from Decker's Factory Outlet Store in Ventura, CA, which also carrys Teva and Simple brands. (They don't have a website, but if you Google "Deckers Ventura" you'll find info and maps.) You can probably find other Uggs bargains online, if you're interested, since this is the time of year when no one else is buying warm fuzzy boots!

Anyway, these boots were a perfectly decent color, but since my last pair of Uggs (which I wore to a frazzle -- it isn't as warm here on the central California coast as you might think...) was purple, I couldn't very well switch to a plain "sand" color.

I decided to aim for a dusty rose and looked through the Angelus colors. No dusty rose. But there was a shade called Wine and advice on using their Neutral dye to lighten other colors. So I bought two bottles of Wine and one of Neutral to mix together.

Here are two VITAL tips about dying suede. First, wear latex gloves! Unlike the Lumiere paint I work with all the time, suede dye does not wash off with a little soap and scrubbing! It lasts and lasts and alarms your friends and family when they see the scary splotches of colors on your hands.

Second tip: Be prepared to do three coats. The reason for this is that it's hard to get the dye to absorb evenly, but three coats seems to be the key.  I let each coat dry overnight. For these boots, after the first coat, I didn't think the color was rose-like enough, so I poured in a bottle of Lilac suede dye that I had leftover from a previous project. Two coats later, I had a pair of crushed-raspberry Uggs to die for, pun intended.

As you can see, I also applied the dye to the rubber sole. It seemed to work pretty well, but I'll have to let you know how it wears over time.  I have these boots on right now and I love them! The color makes my feet happy!

Destiny has also used the Angelus Suede Dye on a shoulder bag she painted. She loved the contrast of the suede and smooth-leather panels, but felt the gray just had to go.

Now, another key factor in dying suede -- as in dying fabric -- is taking into account the existing color. Dye penetrates the leather (or fabric), unlike paint, which creates a layer over it. So whatever color you start with needs either to be factored into the color you want to get, or be overwhelmed by it.

I factored the slight sand color of my Uggs into my color choice; Destiny chose the overwhelm method and dyed the suede areas on this purse a deep purple, which she got by adding a little black suede dye to a bottle of Lilac.

By the way, she did the top section with Neopaque Black topped with Royal Purple Glitter It! The lower panel is done in several shades of Lumiere. (She has this one for sale in her Etsy shop, which will be back up as soon as she unpacks from vacation!)