TOMS are undoubtedly one of the most trendy shoes of the past couple of years.
Jamie Rice, sophomore in economics, took her TOMS to a whole new level. She decorated her ivory TOMS with Sharpies.
"I was bored," Rice said, "and when I get bored I draw on things."
Song quotes cover the canvas, with lines like, "And my head told my heart, 'Let love go'," from the Mumford & Sons song "Winter Winds." Jason Mraz's "Details in the Fabric" and Ingrid Michaelson's "Keep Breathing" also have a spot on her shoes.
Rice added designs around the lyrics.
"Flowers and swirly lines are my specialty," she said. "I'm not really an artist. I can just doodle."
Amanda Claire Rives, junior in graphic design, added designs to her TOMS because she didn't like their dull appearance.
"When TOMS first came out, I kind of thought they were unattractive and looked like hospital shoes," Rives said.
Similar to Rice, Rives' artistic instinct soon kicked in.
"The fact that they were like a blank canvas was really intriguing to me."
As opposed to Sharpies, Rives prefers Prismacolor markers and acrylic paint. Acrylic paint stays on better, Rives said. Prismacolor Markers and Sharpies will bleed if the ink gets wet, though.
Rice's TOMS are blurry because she walked in the rain.
"I was walking to class, and I forgot that Sharpie blurs," she said.
Besides her TOMS, Rice doodles on almost anything.
"Usually just pieces of paper, but then I throw them away," Rice said.
Rives has decorated TOMS for four of her friends and is currently waiting to do another pair.
"I really enjoy doing it," Rives said. "I did butterflies, and I did flowers on one, and another one that I did was really random. It had stuff from words to stars to flowers and mushrooms--all sorts of stuff."
When she designs for other people, Rives makes sure what she puts on their TOMS reflect their personality.
Rives said she would like to combine her graphic design major with her love for drawing.
"I've looked into the TOMS internships," she said. "They have a lot of really good internships, especially in graphic design."
Rives said she would also like to participate in bringing art more into society.
"I love the fact that art can be worn and can be used in such an everyday atmosphere," Rives said, "it doesn't have to be just on a wall."
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