When someone usually says this to me, it's usually in the form of a statement, not a question.
"I'm not an artist. I can't do that".
Like many beginners, when you look at the talent on Instagram or TikTok - you get intimidated.
On automatic, you start telling yourself: "These people are drawing full blown SCENES from cartoons, and I can barely draw a stick man straight! They're blending colors...Adding drop shadows...They're using like 16 colors! I was thinking about getting 5, MAX"!
And like that, you talk yourself out of even starting. Here's the thing. Most sneaker artists are creating these works of art for clients. You're creating your sneaker art for yourself.
Do you wanna go big and create a spectacular piece of Naruto-inspired art someday? Sure. But for now, a simple colorway to compliment your new outfit will do just fine, in stunning the masses.
Less is More. True Story.
People get so intimidated about sneaker painting, that I had to make a video giving them this bit of advice:
"If you're getting in your head and have decision paralysis on what colors to choose for your shoes - remember, you can never go wrong with - Black, White, and (1) Color".
We're going to refer to this, from now on, as "BW1C".
Nike has proven this to us time & time again with their full color wheel Jordan Collection. And I gotta say - they weren't wrong. I don't care if you're working with Nikes, Adidas, Fila, Reebok, Vans, or a Walmart brand - the BW1C colorway, turns heads!
I've said this in my online sneaker painting class, and I'll keep saying it, because this has been the #1 reason people have been hesitant to pickup this hobby:
"If you can color in between the lines, you can paint your sneakers. If you can pick one color - just ONE (because the black and white will be the staple that doesn't change) - you have your game plan". - Gigi Rodgers
So "no", you don't need to be an artist to start painting your sneakers. You just need to pick one color & start.