Using stencils to create custom sneakers is next-level. Even if you're experienced – drawing, cutting, and placing stencil shapes onto the shoes can be frustrating. Anyone who has used stencils knows that making sure they go on perfectly requires a lot of patience and practice. Thankfully, there's a revolutionary tool that's changing the game — cupixel. Cupixel is an app that allows you to pick or upload a pattern or artwork, then look through your phone and trace it onto the shoe.
What is cupixel?
Cupixel is an all-in-one creation app that enables anyone to create art, regardless of experience. It was built with all skill levels in mind. It includes tools like artist-led classes, augmented reality tracing, AI to convert images from your camera roll into artwork you can trace, a text editor, and more. Our friend Jonathon Millar (@jsm_801_customs) partnered with them to adapt this technology to create customs, making it an essential tool for beginners and experts alike.
Here is how it works:
After downloading the app, check out JSM’s classes on customizing your shoes. Here, he gives beginners all of the tools, tips and techniques you need to prepare, paint and finish custom sneakers. One major component of this process is using augmented reality to trace any design directly onto the shoe.
First, you determine what you want to trace onto the shoe. The app has tons of ready-made patterns including drips, animal prints, and the Bape camo pattern. You can also select something from your camera roll - a photo you’ve taken, something you’ve downloaded, or an image you created in Procreate. You can also utilize the text editor to add a name or a jersey number within the app
Set your phone on a stand in between you and your shoe, look through the phone and trace. The innovative technology provides you with a live preview of your design as you work on it. This means you can experiment, adjust, and fine-tune your artwork on the spot, ensuring that your vision is executed exactly as you want it.