First Attempt at the Patina Technique

Here is my first attempt at the Patina Shoe in Blue. I think I need a little more working on this technique but it was a whole lot of fun in the trying. What is interesting is that it really matters about the quality of the leather and how this magical living material lends itself to all kinds of treatments but the important thing is to understand the movement of the shoe and the gradual process of applying the dyes, creams and the polish. This was a great experience and I can see I can only get better.

Onwards and upwards.

This was a complete mess, an utter disaster but an interesting learning process. The dyes and polish started coming away from the shoe revealing the previous black shoe beneath. My efforts were too impatient and the shoe paid me back for that. I have to strip everything back with nail polish remover and start right from the beginning, allowing appropriate time for each phase. The secret is to do 5 per week, one on each day so you are then have shoes to work on throughout the week.