How to Draw Gangster Shoes

Few articles of clothing can make a statement as powerfully as classic black-and-white gangster-style shoes. These shoes have so much personality that a person can instantly recognize these shoes even if they aren't attached to a gangster from the 1930s. Drawing these shoes may be done with a few simple shapes, such as ovals and basic lines. Once you have mastered drawing these shoes, you can add them to your figure drawings to class up a character or create your own illustration of a tough but dapper mobster.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black Ink Pen
• Black Marker
• Eraser

Instructions

1. 

   Draw the guideline of the two shoes with oblong ovals. The left side shoe should have the tip pointing diagonally toward the bottom right-hand corner. Draw the right side shoe pointing toward the right edge of the page. Add the tips of the shoes with a small sideways "L" shape across the bottom third of the shoes.

2. 

   Draw small ovals on the back of each shoe for the foot hole. Add the tongues of the shoes with two small circles at the front end of the foot holes. Draw an upside down "V" attached to the bottom right of the tongues. Attach two horizontal lines to the bottom left and right sides of the upside down "V" shape. Add an upside "J" shape to the upper left side of each shoe to create the leather trim.

3. Draw the shoelaces with three horizontal lines running across the upside down "V" shape. Add two diagonal lines running across the horizontal shoelace lines. Add two ovals at the bottom of the tongue shape for the lace loops. Add two diagonal lines under the lace loops.

4. 

   Erase any overlapping lines. Ink the entire illustration. Let the ink dry for 5 minutes and erase the pencil work.

5. 

   Color the tips of the shoes black. Add black to the back and middle of the shoes. Use a band of black to create the sole of the shoe on the bottom left side of each shoe. Place this band near the front end of the shoe.

Tips & Warnings

• You can leave a tiny semi-circle inside the black sections white to make the shoes look shiny.

• Place a piece of paper under the illustration while you use the black marker to prevent the ink bleeding through.

Resources

• A gallery of shoe illustrations in many different styles and colors.