Additive Painting Technique: Shoe Print Stamps

Materials list

acrylic paint

paintbrush

rice paper

shoes

Shoes often have creative patterns on their soles. You may find a wide variety of soles at your local thrift store or even in your own closet.

STEP ONE: Brayer or brush paint over the sole of the shoe, using one color or multiple colors.

STEP TWO: Press the paper onto the shoe, making sure to get a good impression.

STEP THREE: Peel the paper off the sole of the shoe.

STEP FOUR: You might be able to get several patterns from a single shoe, so feel free to experiment.

STEP FIVE: Repeat steps 1 through 3 and overlap shoe patterns.

STEP SIX: Be sure to really press the paper onto the shoe each time to ensure a good impression. Allow the layered patterns to dry.

STEP SEVEN: Tone down the white areas of the paper with washes of color. This will also tone the paint you stamped onto the paper.

STEP EIGHT: If you want the stamped paint to maintain its true color and patterns, try toning from the back side of the paper. The paint will soak all the way through, but the original paint color will pop rather than recede.

Sample Paper Created with Shoe Print Stamps

Would you have ever guessed that you could create such fun paper using the soles of your shoes as stamps? Crazy, right? Layered, painted, mixed and matched. The possibilities are endless.