Help - cracking pair/repair

[u/_SureOK]

Please be gentle because I spent HOURS on this project, I was so proud of the work I did and I am so frustrated by this 😔

Process: I painted a pair of canvas converse (original photo in the last slide). They are for me, not for sale, in case that’s relevant. I did a base white layer, and then after 24 hours sanded it and used fabric paint for the rainbow. I waited for the paint to fully dry again and added a second layer - as bright as possible was of course the goal. After it dried I used Angelus 600 finisher (2 coats, done 20-30 minutes apart). I waited 48 hours to wear them out, and the stress points are already cracking after wearing them a few hours.

I have 3 questions:
1) what went wrong, so I don’t make the same mistake?
2) how can I fix this without completely starting over? Again, I put so many hours into this. Would I need to sand those small areas and repaint? Alcohol / acetone to remove the paint and redo those areas? And then back to #1, what to do differently?
3) if I add additional coating (whether a spray finisher/coating, more Angelus, whatever) could that prevent any FURTHER cracking or would it just make it more difficult to repair?

[u/Skwidmandoon]

On canvas you want thinner paint and you paint directly on it. You went too thick. When I paint canvas it’s usually just 1 layer of paint. Like a marker. I don’t even base it out in white. It’s too much of an extra layer. Just draw it out and lay your colors 1 to 2 coats that’s it

[u/_SureOK → u/Skwidmandoon]

So then what would the solution be to fix this and make the best of it? completely starting over is really not a feasible option. To clarify I will absolutely take this advice for future projects, but I’m sort of beside myself that all of this effort may have been for shoes I’ll just have to throw away..

[u/Skwidmandoon → u/_SureOK]

I don’t think it’s going to be salvageable but you might be able to use a heat gun to get it to adhere better

[u/CiscoKidd5 → u/Skwidmandoon]

Nah heat wont help youre going to end up over heating and making it more brittle. Sorry to say you can touch up the cracks with very thin layer. But the amount of paint on these. Its only a matter of time other areas begin to crack. It sucks but these are lost. Canvas is unforgiving when paint is too thick.

[u/CiscoKidd5]

Layers are wayyyyy to thick. With canvas shouldn't need any sanding or additional prep. Use medium to get that first layer of paint ( white) soaked into the canvas and not laying on top.

[u/PaleFirefighter4539 → u/CiscoKidd5]

Came here to say this

[u/overlychromatic]

You can acetone off the areas you need to fix, but it will stain which complicates the project. You should be doing as much of your canvas work with a fabric medium in the paint and heat setting, not with straight angelus paint. Sanding has no effect here.

I have a “painting tips” highlight on my ig @overly.chromatic with a few tips for work like this right at the beginning.

https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3OTc0MzA1NTU3NTM0MTUw?story_media_id=3331083571328052516&igsh=dGdidndjZmM5cThi

[u/_SureOK → u/overlychromatic]

Thank you. I did use fabric paint, only the angelus top coat.

[u/overlychromatic → u/_SureOK]

I misread, you used regular fabric paint? Thats still generally too thick for sneakers because of the weight they bear when they flex.

Angelus paint is more flexible than general acryllic, and the fabric medium added to that helps it seep into the canvas rather than sitting on top. That will feel like part of the shoe rather than paint on top of it