So, I got it in my head to make those Harley Quinn Suicide Squad shoes. You know the ones, the heeled sneakers? Looked cool, thought I’d give it a shot for a party. Didn’t think it’d be such a palaver, honestly.
Finding the Blasted Base Shoes
First up, finding the right base shoes. I figured, “Oh, I’ll just grab some cheap white heeled sneakers.” Easier said than done, mate. Scoured a few places, online, charity shops, the lot. Everything was either too flimsy, wrong shape, or weirdly expensive for something I was just gonna paint all over. Finally found a pair that was kinda close, not perfect, but close enough. They were a bit off-white, which already annoyed me, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?
The Messy Bit: Paint and More Paint
Then came the painting. This was the real test of patience. I got my acrylics – a bright red and a royal blue. Taped off one shoe for the red, the other for the blue. My kitchen table looked like a disaster zone for days.
- The red paint went on okay, needed a couple of coats though because of that off-white base.
- The blue was a bit trickier, seemed to want to streak more.
- And waiting for each coat to dry? Felt like an eternity. I’m not the most patient bloke when I’m in the middle of a project.
I almost messed up big time when I tried to speed up drying with a hairdryer. Nearly melted a bit of the rubber sole. That was a close call, let me tell you.
Scribbling and Details – The “Fun” Part
Once the base colours were finally, finally dry, it was time for all those little scribbles and words. “PUDDIN,” “HARLEY + JOKER,” little hearts, diamonds, all that jazz. I used a mix of permanent markers. Black, mostly. Some white for highlights, but that was a pain to get to show up properly on the darker colours.
Getting the handwriting to look “crazy” but still readable was a mission. My own handwriting is terrible at the best of times, so trying to make it artfully messy? Hilarious. I had reference pics open on my tablet, trying to copy the style. Some looked okay, others… well, let’s just say they have character.
I remember distinctly messing up the “HA HA HA” on one side. Had to paint over a small section with the base blue again and wait for that to dry before redoing it. Frustrating stuff.
Finishing Touches and Did They Work?
Then it was the laces. One red, one blue, obviously. That was the easy part, thankfully. I thought about adding studs, like some versions have, but by that point, I was pretty much over the whole thing. Just wanted them done.
So, how did they turn out? Honestly, not bad for a first attempt. They definitely looked like Harley Quinn’s shoes from a distance. Up close, you could see all the little imperfections, the slightly wobbly lines, the places where the paint wasn’t perfectly even. But hey, Harley’s not exactly known for being neat and tidy, is she?
Wore them to the party, got a few compliments. One mate asked if I bought them! That was a bit of a win. They weren’t screen accurate by any stretch of the imagination, but they did the job. And I learned I probably don’t have the patience to be a professional shoe customiser. Good fun, though, in a slightly maddening way.
