Sea Sponging: Dappled Layers of Color

 
One of the easiest, most eye-popping painting techniques for shoes is to dab on layers of color using small pointy sea sponges. This will be a how-to blog with some still shots grabbed from the YouTube video that Destiny and I are making about how to do this. First, let me show you some examples of what you can achieve.

If you want to start off slow, get a sea sponge like this:

...and just sponge on just one color. On the sandals below, I used Lumiere's Metallic Rust on the black insoles.

But you get much more dramatic effects using three or more colors. Here is a shoe sponge-painted with Lumiere's Metallic Silver, Pearl Blue and Metallic Olive Green:

The clog below was a very worn brown Dansko, which I sponged in several colors of Lumiere.

Here's a closeup so you can see the individual colors, which (I think) were Crimson, Pearl Violet, Pearl Blue, Halo Violet Gold, and Copper.

The flats below, like the heel pictured at the top of this post, were done in five colors, including Bright Gold, Burnt Orange, Sunset Gold, Brass, and Old Brass. (The inside is painted in Metallic Rust.)

Here's a closeup to show the patterns.

Okay, now for the how-to.  You'll need your paints, a big palette (I use a styrofoam plate), an out-of-date credit card (to use as a paint spreader), and one small torn-off piece of sea sponge for EACH color of paint. Get the kind of sponge with lots of little points -- sea wool or sea silk. You'll also need a piece of paper for testing the sponge pattern before dabbing the shoe. Don't forget to prep the surface of your shoes (and your insoles, if you are painting them).

The shots below from our upcoming video will illustrate how I painted these mules.In this case, I left the original color (black) show through, unlike in the other sponged shoes pictured above.

Start by pouring a small amount of each color on your palette. You are going to work quickly, so no need to worry about it drying up.

Using your credit card, spread the paint into a thin pool. You don't want your sponge to soak up a lot of paint. You just want to get the tips wet.

Dab one of your sponge pieces lightly in your first color (I used the blue first), then tap it on the paper to remove any excess paint. You don't want really thick splotches. Fainter dabs done repeatedly work better.

Start dabbing the color onto your shoe. Don't try to cover the whole surface, dab somewhat sparsely instead. Remember, there are other colors to come! (By the way, it's easiest if you use masking tape to tape off the sole so you don't get sponged color on it. Otherwise, you could touch up the sole later if it's black and you have black paint.)

Here's what the shoe looked like with the second coat (Metallic Green) applied.

Here I am adding the Metallic Silver. After that was done, the Pearl Blue I'd started with didn't show very well anymore, so I went back and did a final light dabbing with the blue. The last step? Go wash your sponges so you can use them again!

Here's another shot of the final result (taken at a weird angle,but it does show off the paint job well).

I hope you'll give sea sponging a try. I have seen women in our classes who've never painted shoes before get beautiful results. We'll post the link to the video here as soon as it's up on YouTube!

 

 

Comments

[Margot Silk Forrest]

Surprisingly enough, I'd never thought of that before. I'll try to do that in the future! And if I can find anyone to wear the samples I've painted, I'll post new pictures of these sea-sponged examples. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Bea]

Hi, I'd find it really useful to see pics of the finished shoes on someone's feet. It just helps me to picture how certain types of finishes would go with real clothes...I love the bright designs, but I'm wondering if I would like them in action.

[Margot Silk Forrest]

No, the paint doesn't come off on your feet, sweaty or not, rain-soaked shoes or not. I first painted the insoles of a pair of my shoes four years ago and I've touched them up since them (they are sandals and the toe area shows), but no wearing off on my feet. Go for it!

[Sandy]

I keep meaning to ask. When you paint the insoles, how does that work for people who get sweaty feet? Does the paint begin to come off easily?
Sandy in the UK