One Piece, made personal

The story

These were a gift for a One Piece lover, and they took a long time: about a month, working on them on and off. He chose the scenes himself. Only the outer side of each shoe is painted, plus the heels: Zoro on the right shoe, and Luffy with a dragon on the left.

I started with the heels. The right one carries the One Piece logo. For the left one I had my favourite idea of the whole project: his initials, R·M·A, designed in the same style as the logo. The little details around the letters are in One Piece spirit, but they're my own ideas, picked to suit the name. I love how matchy and cute the two heels look together, and how personal it made the pair.

Then came the real test. He has worn them for a year now: rain, sunshine, day and night, driving, long walks, no mercy at all. His logic was “if I ruin them, I know who'll fix them.” He brushes them clean often, and a year later the paint still looks impeccable. I'd say they passed with flying colours.

Process

1. 01Deglazing the whole shoes with acetone and cotton balls
2. 02Buffing with sandpaper in several grits, so the paint grips well
3. 03Brushing the surface clean
4. 04Sketching the designs onto the leather
5. 05Heels first: the One Piece logo on the right, the R·M·A initials on the left
6. 06Outer panels: Zoro on the right shoe, Luffy and a dragon on the left
7. 07Angelus paints in very thin layers, drying in between
8. 08Sealing with Angelus flat finisher, plus a coat of sofa leather finisher for extra protection