Make a pair of colourful glow-in-the-dark shoes

10 Mar 2021

Transform your favourite shoes into fabulous works of art. Use bright blocks of Resene colour and Resene FX Nightlight glow-in-the-dark paint to add some fun to your outfit. This is the perfect rainy-day activity to try with kids and also teaches them the value of upcycling.

You will need

A pair of simple canvas shoes
Paint brush, including a thin artist’s brush
Resene FX Nightlight
Resene testpots in your choice of colours – Fleur used Resene Quarter Delta, Resene Surfs Up, Resene Wet n Wild, Resene Meteor, Resene Waiouru and Resene Blue Diamond 

Step 1: Start by removing the laces from a pair of plain canvas shoes.

Step 2: Paint the canvas parts of the shoe in a white paint; Fleur used Resene Quarter Delta. For the optimal bright glow use a Resene White testpot. Fleur left the tongue of the shoe unpainted.

Step 3: Paint the area around the lace eyelets in Resene Surfs Up.

Step 4: Next, paint a small triangle in Resene Wet n Wild.

Step 5: Carry on painting blocks of colour around the shoe in Resene Meteor, Resene Waiouru and Resene Blue Diamond.  Make sure you leave a gap between each colour block so that the Resene Quarter Delta shows.

Step 6: Finish by using a thin artist’s brush to apply three coats of Resene FX Nightlight on top of the Resene Quarter Delta. Allow each coat to dry before applying the next coat.

Step 7: Glow in the dark paint needs to be exposed to UV rays, so leave your shoes in natural light (out in the sun works best) and enjoy wearing them at night.

The glow in the dark effect on these shoes was created by painting a coat of Resene Quarter Delta before applying Resene FX Nightlight. Other colours used on these shoes are Resene Surfs Up, Resene Wet n Wild, Resene Meteor, Resene Waiouru and Resene Blue Diamond.

project and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 10 Mar 2021