Purchase some plain canvas shoes in the child’s shoe size. These can be found for an affordable price at most department or shoe stores. The shoes can be white or the child’s favorite color, which can serve as a bright background for your design.
Decide on a design for the shoes. This could be the child’s name, his favorite cartoon character or items like soccer balls or animals that represent his favorite activities or interests. You may also choose to design as you go, covering the shoes with elements like polka dots and stripes. You can select the same design for both shoes in the pair or choose a separate image for each one.
Draw your design in pencil onto the shoes. Fix any mistakes with an eraser.
Paint over the design using fabric paint. Fabric paint can be found in a variety of colors at any fabric, art or craft store. Use a small paintbrush to avoid mishaps and accurately fill in all the details of the drawing.
Allow the paint to dry completely. This can take anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes.
Spray the painted area of the shoes with a craft paint fixative or with aerosol hairspray. Allow it to dry and apply one more coat.