asking for trouble

Designing my dream shoes

Ever since I opened shop on Zazzle and got to design shoes, I’ve been desperate to own a pair myself. They are a bit pricey though, which is probably why I haven’t sold any yet though they get a lot of nice comments. Anyway, my aim with my Zazzle shop then became to make enough money from sales and referrals to pay for my own shoes. I finally reached that in December and since then, I have been trying to figure out what the heck to order. It’s one thing to be able to design your dream shoes, but quite another to actually know what that is.

I think I finally have a design I’m going to buy so I thought you might like to see the process.

Firstly, I didn’t go for one of my current designs (above) as Glasgow is a bit grimy and white shoes would be a bad idea. I also wanted them to go with most of my outfits and be suitable for most occasions, which kind of rules out bunny shoes. I already have at least 3 pairs of ridiculous shoes.

So I turned to my button design. This was the first try:

The grey background is a must, as grey is my absolute favourite colour, despite not even being a colour, and the majority of my staple clothes are grey. I love the colours in this but it looked way too garish on shoes. I think it will be nice for stationery and maybe also as fabric.

For version 2, I removed and swapped some of the colours but when I put it on the shoes I immediately thought a) I don’t actually like the pink and b) what on earth was I thinking with the red/grey button. Back to Photoshop…

Much simpler. By this point, I’d also learned where the buttons ended up best placed on the shoes, so the colours are positioned best for that.

And here are the shoes! Getting the trims and sole and insole to match all nice was probably the hardest bit but I think I’m happy. These are probably not my dream shoes but they definitely fit my brief so I think I’m going to order them. They take 4 weeks though – how can I possibly wait that long?

Depending on how the actual shoes turn out, I may make a habit of this, if my Zazzle store stays successful. Bunny shoes next time for sure!

What do you think? Would you wear them?

marceline

Hello! I’m Marceline Smith, the designer and owner of Asking For Trouble. I create illustrated stationery, accessories and gifts using my cute characters inspired by Japanese kawaii. This is my business and personal blog where I write about my creative doings, inspirations, travels, Japan trips and daily life. Read more »


Browse the archives

Buy my stuff

other things I Do

COPYRIGHT

All text, photos and illustrations are © Marceline Smith 2007-2024 unless credited otherwise. You may repost my images with full credit and link. However, do not reproduce full posts without my permission or use my images or writing for commercial purposes. Thank you!

DISCLAIMER

All opinions are my own and I am not compensated or sponsored for writing about any products or services featured unless stated in the post. Links to shops and websites may be affiliate links – I receive a small commission from your orders at no cost to you, which helps me fund this site. I do not accept advertising.