Sketch-Fu: Men's Footwear

Ya, the proportion is off if it’s a low cut. This one of yours is the closest. Much too many eyelets. Normal low cut might have 6 or 7 at most.

In terms of design, it’s not only that you should work on things that aren’t on the market, but moreso that you need to show something interesting in detail, function, form, etc. All i’m seeing now is a few basic lines and colorblocking so nothing really new. It’s also as mentioned that all your shoes look so visually similar.

R

Thanks to NMaloy and his awesome work with his handmade shoes. I’m working on a making handmade footwear this quarter as a side project. Here’s one of the main directions Im looking at moving forward with.

not sure it is an experience thing, it maybe a knowing your audience type of thing (i’m always forgetting this!), but it is DEFINITELY a “practice makes perfect” thing. and a R kind of stated, it all prefaced by whether or not the designs are interesting enough, rendered well enough, or thoughtful enough to matter.

related to that is that there probably isn’t a ‘sole’ (pun intended!) thing that will effect how people see your design(s), in a way it is the sum of its parts. is it a cool idea, present an insightful or even novel solution? maybe the proportion isn’t as important. rendered exceptionally & well proportioned, maybe the design (hey, being honest!) isn’t as scrutinized. create an crazy interesting story around or case for your product, then maybe nothing else matters? of course, ideally all those things would to be done highly proficiently…

design isn’t a science, so there will always be varying degrees of subjectivity involved (though if the intention was for some/all of these to be lows, you are prolly going to want to tweak your silhouette some) you really just want your design to be understood (Ex: low, mid, or high; basketball, boot, or running; ; breathable, flexible, or supportive). it is easy to forget in the quest to draw some supa dupa cool ish, that you are trying to communicate the idea(s).

pretty dope sketch sain!

Well put. Just as a example of this, here’s a sketch (not done by me - found it in a designers portfolio a long time ago on coroflot - if anyone can attribute it, please do- I’d like to give the designer credit if possible) that doesn’t have “100% correct” proportions but a cool idea and it gets across the type/style of shoe. Also note with the variety of views, sketches it helps tell an interesting story so you don’t worry about proportions. As a looser sketch proportions are also less important.

R

PS. Also always a great idea to collect sketches of others. Can give you new ideas for presentation, style, etc.
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Those sketches were done by Kevin Dohn while he was at Puma. I think he’s at Alpine Star now. He was a few years ahead of me at Cincy. Some the all time hottest sketches I’ve ever seen were done by that guy.

Just updating an old concept I did awhile back.

Did not want to waste a thread on this, any recommendation for how to dye or paint old sneaks? Nothing crazy just basic colors to pass some time.

Go over the parts you want to paint with some nail polish remover to remove the glossy coat. Use a cotton ball to apply the nail polish remover until the texture of the leather goes from slippery and glossy to feeling like suede or nubuck.

Mask off the parts you don’t want to paint with some masking tape.

Use Angelus Leather paints and apply the color you want. Depending on the color you’re painting over, you may need to apply multiple coats. Let dry and repeat until.

If you’re applying color to a material that’s already absorbent and flexible like suede, then you can even go with regular acrylic, mixing it with nail polish remover in a 2:1 ration.

Here’s some of the more recent stuff I’ve done with that technique:

Thanks for the reply and info. Appreciated. What about the soles? Will that paint work on them?

midsoles are tougher since not only do they bend and flex, but are bare the brunt of a lot of impact and scuffing. for the most part, i would suggest against painting the midsole, but instead finding a shoe with a midsole already the color you are looking for, and then customizing that.

…but, if you are adamant on painting the midsole, i’ve had decent success with a 1 to 1 mix of acetone and acrylic paint, and awesome success with spray paint. just make sure to mask off and have the proper ventilation.

Hi my name is Emerique Tousse from Cameroon here is my new design for this year 2012 in memory of the former footwear Designer Thinker Halfield. this is my new AIR MAX ROYAL. tell me things I still need to improuve on that .

Fun sketch! Tinker is still a footwear designer.

yeah…i got really scared with that wording and did both google and yahoo searches.

Ha. Me too.

R

ha ha glad to see I’m not the only one.

Hello it is Emerique Tousse just to ask you to excuse me for my word on the first postet message when I said my AIR MAX WAS IN OMAGE TO Mr Thinker Halfiel, I have forgoten to mention that I just try myself English. so in fact I speak Fench because in my country we all speak French , so that word was just a confusion because I was trying to say that my Design was in onore to Mr Thinker Halfield, so excuse me all people. in fact I am a young designer willing to learn to becaume a professional please i would like you to give me feed back on my work

Emmanuel.

The lines on that boot are really nice. I like the simple tag. Everything is really working together really well. Looking forward to seeing the mock-up.

Additionally, I’m really diggin your website. Clean, clear, and personal. I still struggle with the personal touch. The chair project is amazing! I had seen it before, and I’m not sure if I had commented. If I have, thought it deserved another shout out.

How did you like your time at Priority? I interned there when I was at Ohio State. My skills improved so quickly when I was there. A great crew to learn from.

Keep the momentum up. Lots of great work!

D.

Thanks for the comments, still not 100% happy with my site. But glad you like it. So much I’d like to do with it, so little time when you actually try and sit down.

Priority is awesome. Love the guys there, so much talent in that office. I wish they would promote themselves a bit more, but they keep a pretty low rep. Would love to see that office on the west/east coast.

Actually just took my first stab at pattern making and went surprising well. Here’s a few more details of the final design. Should be able to get fairly close to the final intent.

Working on this for Mesh01.

Feedback?

Not for mesh01