Arts Activity 8
Tim A Shaw’s Trainers Painting Workshop
Trainers made by a young person at Bluebird House, exhibited at Southampton City Art Gallery in January 2020.
Tim A Shaw is an artist and one of the co-founders of Hospital Rooms. For his workshop at Bluebird House, an adolescent mental health unit in Southampton, Tim invited the young people to customise their trainers, transforming them into unique works of art. He created his final artwork in the sports hall at the unit, and celebrated its completion with a game of football!
For this workshop, consider using a pair of trainers you were thinking of throwing away. Who knows, they might become your favourite pair again! You can also experiment with painting techniques like flicking paint (as seen in the example on the left), but making sure your surface and any valuables are protected first!
Painting trainers at Bluebird House, an adolescent mental health unit in Southampton.
You will need:
- A pair of trainers that you want to make into an artwork. These can be a new pair or an old pair that you may have thought of throwing away!
- Acrylic paint and and paintbrushes
- Fabric medium (optional)
- A palette to mix your paint. You could use a tupperware lid or a plastic bag.
Remove the laces to keep them clean.
You might want to use masking tape to cover the soles and the trim of the trainers to protect them from paint - but you don't need to and may just want to paint them freehand!
Acrylic paint is a good paint to use - it is flexible and water resistant. You can mix paint in a 1:1 ratio with something called Fabric Medium to give the paint more flow and make it more adhesive and flexible, but if you can't get hold of any don't worry - acrylic paint on its own is absolutely fine.
Start by using a brush to fill areas of your trainer with colour. The trainers here are canvas trainers, so it's the same as making a painting on canvas.
When your base colours are dry (which should take about 30 minutes), try painting shapes in different colours on top.
When you have finished painting, remove the masking tape (if you used any) and re-lace the trainers. Enjoy being the envy of all your friends!
Trainers customised by a staff member at Bluebird House, on display at Southampton City Art Gallery.
Trainers customised by a young person at Bluebird House, on display at Southampton City Art Gallery.
