Sneakers · 2022 · Nike Air Force 1

Sushi cats

Four ginger cats as four kinds of sushi, hand-painted on black Air Force 1s for a best friend's birthday.

hand-paintedsushicatsblack sneakersgift

The pair of black Air Force 1s: a ginger cat peeking out of a nori-wrapped maki on the front shoe, and a cat curled inside a ring of rice on the shoe behind it.

The story

These were a birthday gift for one of my best friends. All she asked for was a pair of black Air Force 1s: she can walk 10,000 steps in them and they're still comfy, and black doesn't get dirty as easily as white. So I got my first real challenge: can I paint on black sneakers? Spoiler alert: oh yes, I can.

The design was all mine; she had no say in it. I only knew that she loves sushi and she loves cats, so I combined the two: sushi drawn as cats. An orange cat plays the salmon, fluffy white rice gives a great contrast on the black leather, and a black nori sheet in some of them completes the sushi vibe. I found inspiration in cute sushi-cat artwork online, most likely on Pinterest, but sadly I don't remember the artist.

My first idea was a different cat altogether, holding a fork and a knife. I drew it on tape and tried it on the shoe, and didn't like the vibe. It was too portrait-y for the side of a sneaker, which needs something more landscape-y. And who eats sushi with a fork and knife, anyway?

The roll and the maki were givens: the most basic sushi, the ones everyone adores. For the other two sides I needed wider shapes, and the only landscape sushi is nigiri. So I made two: a classic nigiri, with the cat lying on its bed of rice, and a nori nigiri, where the cat is tucked in, ready to sleep, with the nori sheet as its blanket. A gunkan was too tall for the shoes, so it ended up on the Nike box instead, as a little extra.

I started on 22 April 2022 and finished on 27 April, at 4:37 in the morning, to be exact. Not the healthiest way to work: I used to leave everything to the last minute, and her birthday was already overdue.

Process

01Trying a first idea, a cat with a fork and knife, drawn on tape, then dropping it
02Deglazing only where the cats would go, so the black finish stays untouched
03Outlining each cat with tape and painting the base colours inside, in thin layers
04Peeling the tape off
05Line details with a black Posca liner: faces, stripes and paws
06Sealing
07A gunkan cat on the shoe box, as a finishing touch

What I learned

Yes, you can paint on black sneakers.
The side of a sneaker wants wide, landscape designs. Tall ones don't sit right.
Not all leather paints are equal: the ones I used then weren't as good as Angelus.
Painting until 4:37 a.m. gets a gift finished, but it's not a healthy way to work.

See the post on Instagram →

Gallery

A black sneaker with a ginger cat peeking out of a black nori cup topped with white rice, its paws over the edge. — The maki cat, peeking out of its nori.

Close-up of a ginger cat painted inside a round ring of white rice with a strip of nori, on a black sneaker. — The roll cat, snug in its ring of rice.

Close-up of a ginger striped cat lying on a white bed of rice, painted on black leather. — The nigiri cat, lying on its bed of rice.

A ginger cat asleep on rice under a black nori blanket on the front shoe, with the nigiri cat on the shoe behind it. — The nori nigiri cat, tucked in under its nori blanket, with the nigiri cat behind.

A collage of four photos showing each side of the pair, each with a different sushi cat. — All four sides, all four cats.

The pair on the Nike box, with a gunkan cat painted on the box. — The pair with the box, where the gunkan idea ended up.

Making of

A cat holding a fork and knife, drawn on tape and stuck on the side of a black sneaker. — The first idea, drawn on tape and tried on. Too tall for the shoe, and who eats sushi with a fork and knife?

Tape over the shoe with the maki cat's shape cut out and filled with orange and white base colours. — The maki cat outlined in tape, with the base colours painted inside.

The roll cat in flat orange and white base colours on black leather, right after the tape came off. — Tape off: the roll cat in flat base colours.

The roll cat with its first line details, the maki cat shoe and paint jars in the background. — Line details on the roll cat, with the maki cat and my paints in the back.

liked this one?

Commission a similar pair — but yours.

No two commissions are the same. We take the mood of this project and rebuild it around your story, your colours, your shoes.

Request something like this