Shoe Altering Tutorial - Craft Foam

For anyone interested, here is a step by step tutorial on one way to alter existing shoes for cosplay.  I use the shoes for my Hyrule Warriors Cia cosplay as the example, but this method could be used for other characters as well.  Possibilities are endless! ^_^


1)  Materials- Paint (I used bronze, gold, silver, and black)
                    Masking Tape
                    Mod Podge (I used both a matte finish and a gloss finish)
                    Paint Brushes
                    Something to draw with
                    Exacto Knife
                    Craft Foam
                    Scissors
                    Newspaper (to keep your work area clean)
                    Fabric Glue

                    Optional: Pearl Ex pigments (these are very useful if you're using metallic paint)

2)  Find your pair of shoes and cover one of them with masking tape, then draw out your design on the tape.  You do not need to do both shoes in this step, just one will be sufficient.

3)  Carefully take the tape off your shoes.  I cut mine right down the middle and very carefully pulled it off in two separate pieces.  Flatten the tape out as much as you can without sacrificing your design.  

4)  Cut out the pieces of your design.  You now have patterns!  I numbered mine to help me keep track of where they went.

5)  Transfer all your pattern pieces to craft foam and cut them out.  Once you're done, do it again!  You'll just have to flip the second set over so that they fit on the other shoe.

6)  This step will take a little time and patience.  You're going to glue your craft foam pieces onto your shoes.  Fabric glue is very nice for this project because it will stay a little bit flexible, making it less likely the craft foam will pop off if the shoe gets bent or flexed while walking.  The craft foam isn't going to stay on the shoes without being held down, so use a few pieces of masking tape to secure it, then let it dry.  You may have to only do a piece or two at a time, depending on how many details you have and how close together they are.

7)  This is what my shoes looked like after getting all the pieces glued down.  

8)  Once all your foam pieces are on and dry cover your shoes in a few layers of Mod Podge.  I used a matte finish for this step since it wouldn't show at all once the paint was on.  Doing this will help protect your foam pieces and it makes for a very smooth painting surface.  It will also act as a glue, so your craft foam will be secured to your shoes even more  I used 5 layers, but you can use your own judgement and decide how many you want to put on.

9)  Once they are nicely sealed with Mod Podge, its time to paint them!  If you want to know how I painted mine, you can check out my Painting Tutorial.  I used the same method as described there.  You can also see how I use metallic paint HERE.  Once they are painted, seal them with another couple of layers of Mod Podge.  I used a glossy finish for this step.

10)  Once they're dry, You're done! 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!