OSS - One Sixth Sense - 1/6 Scale One-Of-A-Kind OOAK Designs - Doll Art & Sculptures

Another example of painted boots:

Here are the boots on my OOAK Haute Goth Doll...Linear Bliss!

BEFORE

AFTER

Step 5

Your boots/shoes are sealed and dry. Now comes the FUN!! You can embellish or customize the shoes with beads, feathers, laces, or anything you can imagine. Just make sure you use a good adhesive. You don't want those detailing touches to fall off when you touch them later.

For my doll, I wanted a buckled and cinched look. I used a thin, cream colored vinyl cut into thin strips. The tiny gold buckles are the perfect scale for the 11.5" dolls. I use them on shoes and belts etc.. Buckles in this scale and leather lacings can be found at Rio Rondo Enterprises online at Rio Rondo.com . I used gold crimp tubes on the ends of my straps to form a metal end. After sliding on the tube, flatten with a small hammer, and then trim at angles with snips.

Step 3

Choose your acrylic paint. In this case, I wanted black boots. I use both Liquitex and Golden paints. It is important that you choose a quality brand of paint to avoid problems that might arise down the road.

With a small paintbrush, apply 2 coats of your color. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second coat. Again, make sure you paint the sole, the heel, and the tiny rim at the top.

Set boots aside. Allow to dry for several hours. I like to let this base color dry for at least 24 hours. The longer, the better. But if you're like me, you can't wait to get onto the next step!

After the base color is completely dry, you can now add PAINTED detailing or PAINTED embellishments.

Step 2

Use Gesso as a primer. With a small, soft paintbrush, paint a generous coat of Gesso over the entire sanded surface of the boot. Prime the sole and the top rim. Make certain you paint the Gesso into all those tiny crevices. Allow the Gesso to dry thoroughly. If necessary, touch up again to ensure thorough coverage.

Now, you have a smooth, matte surface with which to work!

Note:

There are different brands of Gesso. I happened to have this particular brand on hand.

Items Needed:

shoes/boots

fine grain sandpaper or file

small paintbrush

Gesso

acrylic paint

sealer or varnish

embellishments

Step 1

Using a finely grained sandpaper or manicure board, lightly roughen up the surface of the plastic shoe/boot. Don't forget the sole of the boot and the very top rim! When you have completely sanded the boots, wipe them with a damp cloth or moistened paper towel to remove the "dust". Set boots aside for a few minutes to dry thoroughly.

Painting Plastic Shoes/Boots

TUTORIAL: Painting/Customizing Plastic Doll Shoes/Boots

This tutorial arose from my desire for a certain "look" for a doll I was creating for an online contest. I had the right boots, but I wanted them to be black. I picked the brains of several other doll artists and, wanting to avoid a trip to the craft stores, I finally decided to experiment with products I had on hand. In this case, my experiment was a success! I cannot tell you if the technique will last for years and years since this pair of painted boots was completed rather recently. I was, however, very pleased with the results. Good luck and enjoy! And please share your own results with us here at One Sixth Sense. We'd love to hear from you! ossinfo@onesixthsense.com

D.D.'s

for the diminutive diva

One Sixth Sense

and OSS Unlimited for Doll Art in 1/4 Scale

OSS Tutorial

Step 4

Now that you've finished painting your boots, it's time to seal the paint. I wanted this pair of boots to have a shine to the finish in order to simulate patent leather or vinyl. I used the gloss medium & varnish in the photo. You could just as easily use a high gloss varnish or a matte varnish. It depends on the "look" you want to achieve.

Again, use a good brand of sealer/varnish. You don't want to scrimp on this step.

Allow your varnish to dry completely. I like to wait at least 24 hours before adding any embellishments.

Neither D.D.'s One Sixth Sense nor the artist has any affiliation whatsoever with any doll company or manufacturer.