How To Draw A Galaxy On Your Shoes

They’re nice, comfy, and worth wearing to school every day but your kids are getting tired of their plain, canvas kicks. So how do you jazz up that pair to make it more exciting for your little ones? By adding a splash of colors and learning how to draw a galaxy on that blank canvas!

Give your old pair of canvas sneakers, espadrilles, or what-have-you’s a new lease on life by transforming them into colorful art pieces. Unleash your inner impressionist and engage in this little “how to draw a galaxy” DIY project with your kids. It will also give you some quality time to bond with your little ones.

Learning how to draw a galaxy on canvas shoes is guaranteed to be a fun experience — plus, it will encourage your youngsters to keep wearing their once-tired pair of sneakers with much enthusiasm.

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What Are Galaxy Shoes?

The Materials Are ‘Universal’

How to Draw a Galaxy On Your Shoes

Preserving Your Artwork

Enjoy Your Unique and Revitalized Kicks!

What Are Galaxy Shoes?

Galaxy shoes are exactly as described — a swirl of cosmic colors interspersed with starry strokes of acrylic paint and lots of blots of celestial bodies! That said, doesn’t learning how to draw a galaxy on canvas shoes sound like an exciting project to you? Any artistic endeavor should be!

There are a lot of commercially produced galaxy shoes in the market these days, but none compares to a pair designed and created by your very own hands. Whatever design you come up with will definitely be unique — the kind that you can never buy from a store!

Knowing how to draw a galaxy on your canvas shoes will definitely be worth your while. It will also teach your kids to be more creative and resourceful.

The Materials Are ‘Universal’

acrylic paint for 'how to draw a galaxy o your shoes' project

Image by stux via Pixabay.com

Pun intended, of course. The wonderful thing about making galaxy shoes is that you have the materials readily available at home or at a dollar store.

Light-colored and dark-colored canvas shoes will show a different outcome, so the materials will vary — depending on which type you’ll be using in this “how to draw a galaxy” project.

For light-colored canvas shoes, you will need the following:

Any pair of light-colored canvas shoes
Masking or painter’s blue tape
Permanent markers (varying shades of green, blue, purple, black, magenta, and pink are must-haves!)
Rubbing alcohol in a small spray bottle
White acrylic paint
Glitter or metallic paint (optional)
A set of thin to medium round-tipped paintbrushes (you can get a good set in various sizes from a dollar store)
Water-shield sealant (optional)

For dark-colored canvas shoes, you will need the following:

Any pair of dark-colored canvas shoes (with black as the most ideal)
Masking or painter’s blue tape
Acrylic paint in varying shades of green, blue, magenta, and pink
White acrylic paint
Varying sizes of paintbrushes
Glitter or metallic paint (optional)
A round paint palette to mix colors in
Water in a container (to wash your brushes with)
Water-shield sealant (optional)

Remember, if you are using dark-colored or black canvas shoes, the dark coloring of the shoe will act as the base. Make sure to pick the most vibrant colors of paint so they pop out. Experiment with tones and shades by mixing a bit of white paint with colored ones to increase opacity and vibrance.

As an important reminder, keep your kids under close adult supervision throughout the course of this “how to draw a galaxy” project. Adults should be put in charge of using rubbing alcohol and the water-shield sealant most especially.

How to Draw a Galaxy On Your Shoes

There are really no set rules when it comes to knowing how to draw a galaxy on your shoes, except for one: don’t forget to cover the rubber side soles with masking tape before using your markers. If you’re working on a pair of sneakers, don’t forget to remove the shoelaces as well. Think of it as similar to painting the walls of your house — you have to do the necessary preparations before doing the paint job.

Once you’re done covering up those soles, you can dabble away and start working on your cosmic masterpiece.

If you are still a bit hesitant about your artistic prowess, you can draw inspiration from various references: photos of the Milky Way, paintings depicting the universe, clip arts of stars and other cosmic images that will help you visualize the look of your artwork better.

For Light-Colored Canvas Shoes

a pair of white shoes which you can use to for galaxy shoes DIY project

Image by katie175 via Pixabay.com

Permanent marker inks will definitely show on a light-colored canvas, so it’s the best medium to use. The kids will also have better grip control over their scribbling.

When you start scribbling, alternate colors as much as you can and if possible, leave some parts blank for the colors to bleed. (You’ll thank us later on for giving you this tip!) Work your way until both shoes are substantially and colorfully covered in marker ink.

Once you’ve achieved the desired outcome, start generously spritzing your painted canvas shoes with rubbing alcohol.

Drench, if necessary, to allow the colors to bleed and to soften the borders between them. The effect will be similar to the wash technique commonly used in watercolor paintings. Allow the alcohol to dry completely (this usually takes about a day).

With the background completed, it’s time to work on the little details — by adding stars and other celestial bodies.

Use a paintbrush and some white acrylic paint and indulge yourself in starry strokes, planetary dabs, and other cosmic-related artistic expressions that will come to mind. The key is to let your imagination fly. The sky’s (literally) the limit!

To create the illusion of tiny stars, flick some white paint off your brush with your fingers to dot your background with small speckles of whi te paint. You can also add shimmer and shine to your artwork by adding glitter or by outlining the stars with metallic paint.

When you’re finally and fully satisfied with your masterpiece, allow the paint to dry completely.

Here’s another tip: If you want your shoelaces to match your artwork, scribble some permanent marker color on them then spritz generously with rubbing alcohol to achieve a dyed effect. Allow to dry completely before putting the shoelaces on your sneakers.

For Dark-Colored Canvas Shoes

an old pair of shoes which you can use to learn how to draw galaxy on shoes

Image by Ricardo Resende via Unsplash.com

While you will be using a different set of materials for a dark-colored canvas, dabbling with paint and color can be just as equally fun.

Use a paintbrush to apply different colors on the surface of your canvas. Because you won’t be using alcohol to bleed the colors together, use your paintbrush or a sponge to blend colors.

While markers and rubbing alcohol create a watercolor/wash effect, using acrylic paint on a dark canvas gives a more opaque and dry brush effect. If you want a softer effect on the edges, you can dilute the paint with a little water before proceeding with your brush strokes.

If you don’t like your paint to have a watery consistency, you can spread out the paint more thinly around the edges with a dry brush instead. This will preserve the opacity of the paint a lot better. Add character to your painting by applying swift brush strokes as you go along.

To achieve a tiny-stars effect, flick some white acrylic paint off your paintbrush with your finger. You may also use a toothbrush and a screen mesh for better control and a finer look.

Paint various sizes and shapes of stars to add more detail and depth to your composition. If you fancy adding shimmer and shine to your creation, use a bit of glitter or metallic paint to create that twinkly effect.

Preserving Your Artwork

For both light-colored and dark-colored canvas shoes, preserve your artwork and prevent the colors from bleeding into your socks when the shoes get wet by using a heavy-duty water-shield sealant. Follow instructions on the can as directed.

Remember to let the sealant to dry completely before putting on your Van Gogh-inspired and fantabulous footwear.

Enjoy Your Unique and Revitalized Kicks!

Image by PublicDomainArchive via Pixabay.com

Nothing else can be as unique as your hand-painted masterpiece. Your kids will proudly enjoy wearing their one-of-a-kind galaxy kicks.

What’s even better is that knowing how to draw a galaxy on your canvas shoes is an inexpensive hobby — you can do it over and over as you please! Who runs out of canvas shoes, anyway? You’re bound to repeat this activity at some point, and it only gets better on the next one.

Experiment with other galactic themes such as planets or the Milky Way and turn every pair of canvas shoes into a work of art. You can even work on individual planets as a theme — a fiery red for Mars, a purplish Jupiter, or a mix of the deep hues of greens and blues for our very own planet Earth.

Now that you know how to draw a galaxy, you can illustrate just about anything on your canvas shoes — oceans, orangey sunsets, a moonlit forest, a day at the beach. Stir up your imagination and turn your canvas shoes into some wonderful and colorful creation.

Featured Image by spirit111 via Pixabay.com