A Personal Custom From the Start
Some customs feel special before the first brushstroke, and this pair was definitely one of them. The client is a huge Wrexham fan, the Welsh professional football club based in Wrexham, Wales, so this project had a lot of meaning behind it. It was not just about creating a cool pair of sneakers. It was about making something personal, detailed, and worthy of the trust placed in me.
Finding the Perfect Base Shoe
The request was very specific. The client wanted a base shoe with that brick-colored sole and a Nike SB vibe, so these Nike SB Dunk Low Pro were perfect for the design. They were not easy to find since they are no longer available at retail, but I’m so glad we found them. That sole color made a huge difference and helped bring the whole concept together.
Creating the Aged Look by Hand
One of the must-haves for this pair was an aged look. There are different ways people usually create that effect. Some artists use airbrush, but I’m personally not a big fan of having to tape down the entire shoe and work around covered and uncovered areas. Others may dip shoes in coffee or use markers, but for this pair, that did not feel right to me. I wanted the finish to feel intentional and connected to the artwork, so I took the harder route and aged the shoes completely by hand with a brush.
Taking the Hard Way
For me, working with a brush feels more personal. It gives me more control, and it feels more respectful to the art I’m trying to create. This pair was too personal to take shortcuts. Every aged detail was painted carefully so the shoes could feel worn, meaningful, and still clean enough to let the artwork stand out.
The paint I used.
Bringing the Wrexham Dragon to Life
For the main design, I took inspiration from Wrexham’s identity and added a bold red dragon across the shoes. I wanted the shoes to feel real, almost like you could touch the texture through the design. To bring that to life, I added dragon-scale-style details around the artwork, making it look as if the leather itself was cracking with energy. The goal was to make the dragon feel powerful, while still keeping the aged, worn-in look of the sneakers.
Small Details With Big Meaning
I also added the year the club was founded as a small detail, along with the club logo on the back of one shoe and the Wales flag on the other. I love creating contrast, so I added black linework over the red areas to enhance the dragon and bring more depth to the design. I also added beige tones into the red swooshes so they would blend better with the aged leather finish instead of looking too separate from the rest of the shoe.
The Most Delicate Part
One of the trickiest parts was painting the interior. That area had to be handled very carefully because one mistake could damage the shoes, and acetone is not really an option there without ruining the material. Sometimes, as artists, we are working on thin ice, but we keep going because we know the final result will be worth it.
Thankfully, everything worked out.
More Than 8 Hours of Work
These customs took more than 8 hours to complete. Between finding the right base shoe, creating the aged finish, painting the dragon, adding the small details, working around the interior, and making sure every part felt connected, this pair required a lot of patience and focus.
The Best Part
There is no better feeling than hearing from the customer that he loves them and could not believe how good they came out. After all the work, I was honestly very happy with the result too. The client was right from the beginning: that brick-colored sole made all the difference.
Final Thoughts
I’m always grateful to create unique pieces like this. This pair was personal, meaningful, and full of details, and I truly appreciate the trust placed in me to bring it to life. Custom work like this is exactly why I love what I do.
This is a custom art project and is not affiliated with Nike, Wrexham AFC, or any related brands.
