The Red Shoes | Acrylic on canvas

I recently got new shoes. One of them is a Dr. Martens Mary Janes in a cherry red color and while I was wearing it to try, it made me feel inspired and an idea popped in my head.

The color is quite bold and has a velvet texture, something that I didn't expect I would like because I don't know how to style it or I don't know if it will suit me!. The act of buying it made me realize that all I needed to do is to literally just do it and alas, the shoes became a symbol for transition for me.

Shoes have been quite a common symbol in arts, film, culture, and identity. They have been used as a symbol for journey, transformation, vulnerability, or growth.

For this painting, I want to convey an emotion of optimism. Buckling the shoes that fit perfectly, starting a new journey of moving forward, with a fiery red that shows passion.

Details

Process

After taking a photo of my ideal pose, I made studies both on digital and traditional. I want to be objective and intentional with my colors and composition so your attention would go instantly to the shoes. After a couple of tries, I kinda finalized what the colors would be so the shoes will definitely be the main character. :P

I taped a primed canvas on the wall (which I should've done a long time ago instead of worrying about stretching it on a frame) and I was glad it was secured enough with tape that I didn't need to staple it.

I did an underpainting just to experiment with it and started sketching.

I like to paint in many layers so this part is just like a relaxed painting but kinda sketching as well. I don't usually do glazing or let the underneath color seep through so I wasn't planning on doing that. I like this part too although sometimes I feel like that should have been enough and I should stop there. :D

Now I take the colors and color mixing seriously so I put a color wheel on the wall instead of trying to imagine it everytime.

Although the shoes were almost purple in person, I was aiming for a more ruby shade.

Mew would randomly come in my room and start sleeping there. A lot of times I don't notice him come in so I would be surprised to see him lol

I really like this style that I did but I realized the background was too vivid for the shoes that it overpowers the whole painting. It made it so heavy to look at on the floor and the rest was just meh.

I tried to make it work by having the wall background pale teal but it still was a bit weird and imbalanced for me.

So I went back to the original plan of having the background pink and the floor to be less vivid teal. (This is why we have studies!). Even though this have maybe 4 layers and it felt like a back-and-forth process, I still enjoyed it since I was able to learn on color mixing and the technique.

I love the result. :D

Let me know your thoughts on the work! :D