Recently Miles Costales dropped by Angelus to demo just how to create a smooth gradient. Whether you're using a gradient as a background or the main effect, doing it in an even way will give your customs that professional look.
For this tutorial he's showing us how to create a gradient on some summer themed slides. An airbrush is an easy way to make sure the finish is smooth, but Miles is going to show us how to achieve the same effect with paint brushes.
1. Prep
Prepare the shoe for painting by removing any finish with Leather Preparer and Deglazer. Once the finish is removed, tape off any areas that you don't want to paint.
2. Base Coat
Miles uses the Angelus Paint Brush #10 Shader and Angelus White Paint to create a base for his design. It takes about ten to twelves coats of white paint to get a solid base.
3. Tape the Lines
More tape is used to tape off the lines for this design, so there are white lines in background.
4. Painting the Gradient
Just as many thin layers were used to create the base coat, thin layers are key to creating an even gradient. Miles mixes his colors, in this case reds, oranges and yellows for a sunset, then applies them from left to right, working quickly while they are still wet to help them blend. Use the brush to blend between each color.
5. Palm Tree Design
To add the palm tree design over the gradient sunset use a stencil or paint your own design in black. Use a fine brush for this kind of detail work.
6. Finish
Protect your work with some Matte Acrylic Finisher and remove the tape to reveal a custom pair of sunset themed slides with a smooth gradient.
More Custom Tutorials
If you want to see more custom tutorials like this one, make sure to subscribe to the Angelus YouTube channel to learn tips and techniques.
Also, make sure to follow Angelus on Instagram and check out our online store to grab the materials you need to create your own custom designs!