A child coloring on a white canvas shoe with a marker.

Epic craft project!

Oh my goodness, learning how to decorate canvas shoes with markers was an epic success with the grands! Every age grand will love this craft and would love doing it more than once over time. You will like it too.

When it's OK to draw on your shoes...

Do you remember getting in trouble for drawing on your tennis shoes as a kid? Maybe it was just me, but doodling on my shoes was such a temptation. Perhaps that’s why this craft is one of my favorites! This is one chance the kids (and I) have to doodle on shoes without getting in trouble.

A pair of white canvas shoes and some colorful Sharpie markers.

White tennis shoes as a canvas

The “canvas” for your artwork is a pair of canvas tennis shoes of any style. It is best to start with white shoes so the colors of the designs come through clearly. They can be a pair of pull on or tie up shoes. This is a link to some Canvas Slip On White Tennis Shoes (Child) as an example.

I’ve seen people online that take top end Vans and decorate them for people, but just low cost shoes from the discount store work just fine. Actually, if you have some white canvas shoes in decent shape they don’t even have to be new (just clean them up first!).

A child adding shoelaces to a pair of white canvas shoes.

Permanent markers are key

The next important supply item that is needed are permanent markers. Permanent markers are alcohol based and will last longer on the shoe. Water based markers will not last long at all, washing off or fading easily when getting damp or wet.

There are amazing sets of permanent markers with such vivid collections of colors. Purchase as large a set as you are able and choose the fine tip type.I purchased a set of 24 Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers.

I like to have a set of Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Black Permanent Markers handy to do fine lined detail work or for outlining drawings as well but this is optional.

A child drawing with a pencil on a white canvas shoe.

Paint aprons and table protection options

Smaller grands need to be well supervised with permanent marker use. It may be wise to put on paint aprons or an old t-shirt to protect clothing. I always put out newspaper or mats underneath while they are working to protect the countertop or table as well.

Tip: Take a plastic tablecloth and cut it into rectangles larger than a placemat. Use these underneath art projects. These work great when playing with play dough or Legos as well.

A child cutting out a picture of Winnie the Pooh with a balloon.

Design first and then draw

A lesson I’ve learned is to have the kids (even my older students at school) draw their design out before beginning. They always want to start coloring directly on the shoe and usually want to change the design and start scribbling over their drawings. The time spent designing helps their ideas transfer to the shoe more successfully. But this is up to you of course.

Free printable shoe outline to help shoe design

I’ve included a free printable shoe outline to help with this step.

A child coloring with a marker on a white sneaker.

Draw the design on your shoes

Now let your budding artists draw their designs on the shoes with pencil. If they draw lightly it is possible to do some erasing.

Permanent marker coloring fun!

Use the Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers to color in the design. The markers do bleed some so touch them lightly to the canvas (don’t let the tip sit on the canvas and soak up more color) and color a bit inside the line you have drawn. Another cool technique is to make small dots of color for shading.

A child holding a canvas shoe decorated with colorful markers.

Outline

It works really well to outline in black either before or after you color your design. This is what I really like the Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Black Permanent Markers for, outlining.

Dry for 24 hours before wearing

When finished, let the artwork dry for 24 hours before wearing. If you want, spray the shoes with a waterproofing spray (like Scotchguard Fabric Water Shield Spray)to help protect the drawing. This step is done outdoors for ventilation. We don’t consider this a long term project so we don’t always do this step.

A spray sealant being sprayed on a pair of shoes decorated with marker pictures.

Post pictures of your How to Decorate Canvas Shoes with Markers creations

Please post pictures of your shoe masterpieces after you try How to Decorate Canvas Shoes with Markers. I’m excited to see what your budding artists create.

Optional design idea for your tennis shoes

Note: Another fun option for coloring a canvas shoe is to use the Sharpie and alcohol technique that was used in the Cool Sharpie and Alcohol Painting on Canvas post. You can color a design with the permanent markers on the shoe and then use a spray bottle of alcohol to cause the design to blur. This could be a fun way to rescue a colored shoe design that didn’t turn out the way the child wanted or a fun project to try next time!