So I got these pair of vintage Italian made Gucci shoes on ebay last week.
They are the same exact pair Brad Pitt wears as Tyler Durden in Fight Club, but they were too dark! I got a helluva deal on them ($35) so I figured I'd just buy em even though they were too dark and try to lighten them up somehow.
After purchasing I started researching how to lighten leather only to discover that lightening leather is pretty much impossible. :facepalm Sure, you can go darker, but once the dye impregnates the leather there really is no going back. So I started researching some alternative ideas. I found a couple youtube videos of people customizing their old nikes with acrylic paint. So I figured I'd try an experiment of my own.
I started with some deglazer. I guess this stuff is pretty much just acetone.
Detail, right before applying the deglazer.
Deglazing finished. This stuff works fast and with minimal effort. Pretty much just slop it on and wipe it off.
After stripping the wax and protective coating off I used a little fine grit sandpaper to give the paint better adhesion.
Then I cleaned with rubbing alcohol.
I didn't have any specialized leather formulated acrylic paints (I hear the Angelus paints are ideal) but I really wanted to get rolling on the project so I just used some cheap folk art acrylics I had on hand.
I mixed up a batch of light color for a quick primer coat.
After first application. Woah thems some fugly loafers! :confused
Then I sanded them down again.
Detail shot.
For the initial base coat I decided I added some higher quality Liquitex paint into the mix which I also had on hand.
After some trial and error mixing, I finally got the color I was looking for and brushed on the base coat.
Base coat on both shoes.
To achieve a smooth even colored surface I knew some airbrush work would be required, so I masked off the buckles, soles and inside of the loafers.
My good ol' Paasche single action :love
I thinned my base mix with water so I could run it through the airbrush.
One shoe done.
Both shoes done.
Then I ran some Badger yellow through for highlights and to warm up the color a bit.
After that I ran some burnt umber along the stitch lines and creases in the loafer that had developed over time from regular wear. This really brought it home for me.
After removing all the packaging tape.
Now to protect the finish. I went with Liquitex High Gloss Varnish. (because, you guessed it . . . it's what I had on hand)
After the first coat.
And the final product after 2 coats of varnish. (I'm thinking I might add one more coat.)
Couple detail shots.
For reference, here is the color I was trying to match:
I think I pretty much got there. :thumbsup
Now for the durability test. I'm going to wear these shoes every day to work for the next month to see how they hold up. I already got a comment this morning from the boss "Pretty snazzy kicks you got there", he says. If anything, the shoes TD wears are pretty worn down, not all sparkly new looking, so hopefully they will only get closer to ASOS with age.
They are the same exact pair Brad Pitt wears as Tyler Durden in Fight Club, but they were too dark! I got a helluva deal on them ($35) so I figured I'd just buy em even though they were too dark and try to lighten them up somehow.
After purchasing I started researching how to lighten leather only to discover that lightening leather is pretty much impossible. :facepalm Sure, you can go darker, but once the dye impregnates the leather there really is no going back. So I started researching some alternative ideas. I found a couple youtube videos of people customizing their old nikes with acrylic paint. So I figured I'd try an experiment of my own.
I started with some deglazer. I guess this stuff is pretty much just acetone.
Detail, right before applying the deglazer.
Deglazing finished. This stuff works fast and with minimal effort. Pretty much just slop it on and wipe it off.
After stripping the wax and protective coating off I used a little fine grit sandpaper to give the paint better adhesion.
Then I cleaned with rubbing alcohol.
I didn't have any specialized leather formulated acrylic paints (I hear the Angelus paints are ideal) but I really wanted to get rolling on the project so I just used some cheap folk art acrylics I had on hand.
I mixed up a batch of light color for a quick primer coat.
After first application. Woah thems some fugly loafers! :confused
Then I sanded them down again.
Detail shot.
For the initial base coat I decided I added some higher quality Liquitex paint into the mix which I also had on hand.
After some trial and error mixing, I finally got the color I was looking for and brushed on the base coat.
Base coat on both shoes.
To achieve a smooth even colored surface I knew some airbrush work would be required, so I masked off the buckles, soles and inside of the loafers.
My good ol' Paasche single action :love
I thinned my base mix with water so I could run it through the airbrush.
One shoe done.
Both shoes done.
Then I ran some Badger yellow through for highlights and to warm up the color a bit.
After that I ran some burnt umber along the stitch lines and creases in the loafer that had developed over time from regular wear. This really brought it home for me.
After removing all the packaging tape.
Now to protect the finish. I went with Liquitex High Gloss Varnish. (because, you guessed it . . . it's what I had on hand)
After the first coat.
And the final product after 2 coats of varnish. (I'm thinking I might add one more coat.)
Couple detail shots.
For reference, here is the color I was trying to match:
I think I pretty much got there. :thumbsup
Now for the durability test. I'm going to wear these shoes every day to work for the next month to see how they hold up. I already got a comment this morning from the boss "Pretty snazzy kicks you got there", he says. If anything, the shoes TD wears are pretty worn down, not all sparkly new looking, so hopefully they will only get closer to ASOS with age.
