When sophomore Meredith Schneider offered to paint a pair of shoes for Glenbrook North alumnus Kevin Medansky (‘15) as a graduation present, he did not know what to expect of the final product.

Schneider, given only the instruction of wanting something “nature themed,” said the project was stressful because she was unsure of what Medansky wanted and did not know how the shoes would turn out.

“You’ve got to figure out what [the person you’re painting for] wants … that’s the hardest part,” said Schneider. “‘Cause once you start painting [the shoes], it’s easy.”

Despite Schneider’s struggle with the vague request, Medansky said he was amazed and happy with the final product.

“Basically I had no idea what [the shoes would look like],” said Medansky. “Meredith unveiled them, and they looked perfect. I was so, so pleased.”

The shoes depicted different scenes of nature on the four different sides of the shoes, including an open road with the moon in the background on one side and a purple galaxy on another.

Medansky also said the shoes held up well, and he received many compliments after wearing them on his first day of college.

“I’m so, so thankful that she made me the shoes,” he said.

Schneider said she started painting shoes when she was in eighth grade.

  “I think it’s just something that I saw on Pinterest that people had [done], and I [thought], ‘Hey, why not give it a shot,’” Schneider said.

The process of making one pair of shoes can take up to a couple months, she said.

  “First I have to design the shoe, so I’ll draw on paper the design of what I want, and I’ll find references [and] put together a design that I like,” said Schneider. “[Then I] pencil it onto the shoes very lightly.”

Schneider said she uses plain, white canvas shoes, such as Vans or Converse, because the bare shoes are the best for picking up the paint.

“Once that’s done I paint them [and] use my fingers to blend stuff and use really tiny brushes,” she said. “And then I’ll paint them, and after that I have to spray them, and I have to wait 24 hours.”

Schneider said she uses a clear lacquer spray that gives the shoe a glossy coating and also makes them waterproof.

Although Schneider has had this interest for two years now, she said she has only created four pairs of shoes.

“I did a pair for my sister that has a lot of different book-related, fandom ideas with different things on each side of the shoe,” Schneider said.

She said she also painted a pair of  “The Lord of the Rings” shoes for herself and made a pair with the theme of the book “The Fault in Our Stars” for her sister.

Schneider said that in the future she would consider selling the shoes, possibly on Etsy, an online marketplace for artists and crafters.

According to Schneider, she plans to continue to paint new pairs of shoes for friends, family and, maybe someday, buyers.