Leather. A priceless commodity. Especially so when it’s customised to suit one’s needs.This week, Artist Celine Chia shares with us leather painting in Singapore and how to paint on leather products.Â
Table of Contents:
Materials Needed for Leather Painting:
- Leather (depending on item)
- Leather Paint (Acrylic)
- Fine Paintbrush
- Stencils/tape (for beginners)
- Varnish or Leather Sheen
- Duller (optional)
- Cloth (For Cleaning)
The Following are the Steps to Leather Painting:
Firstly, clean the surface of the leather object. It can be any leather object from valet trays to shoes and even bags.
For glossy surfaces, use a duller to make it suitable for painting. (e.g. shoes, bags)

Use a sticker stencil to mark out the area where you want to paint. The stencil is supposed to be left there throughout the whole painting process, until you are done with the painting. To start off, paint a base layer onto the leather.

Outline the shape that you want to draw. In this case, we are drawing The Great Wave off Kanagawa. (Minimalist Style) If this particular design or style does not suit your preference, feel free to go with your preferred variations! It’s your own product and you’re be displaying or wearing it out after all.

Next, paint the background black.

Then, we use white leather paint for the first layer for the crest of the wave. (top part)

The next layer involves painting the wave with light blue leather paint, followed by adding another layer of white on top.

Last but not least, use navy blue leather paint for the shadows of the waves. End off with using black leather paint and a fine tipped brush to outline the crests of the wave.

After the acrylic paint has dried, use varnish or leather sheen to add a matte/gloss finish to your work of art. Varnish or leather sheen is used as it is water repellent, durable and a high gloss finish to protect the layers underneath. (Your beautiful artwork!) The final step is to gently peel off the stencil.
And there you have it, your very own customised leather painted valet tray! The same technique applies for other items, so you can paint your own bags, shoes and more! If you’ve mastered the basics, you can consider purchasing leather paint for figurines and more intricate items!
Some additional information to take note of is that the paint that we use in Angelus Paint. This particular paint is specific for leather and is imported from the United States. Angelus Paint can also be used for canvas and fabric.
For beginners, it is advisable to get the smaller volume to try out for yourself and get used to it before moving on to bigger objects and products. There are different brands of leather paints as well, but majority of the quality brands requires shipping from overseas.
Ultimately, please choose your leather paints wisely and DO NOT compromise on the quality and price of the paints.
Seeing your works of art come to life in your everyday product can be oddly satisfying. From your wallets to your shoes, all your apparels can be customisable.
Should you be interested in customising your products, do sign up for our Leather Painting Singapore Workshops today!
If you require any customisable products, feel free to reach out as well. In the meantime, do stay tuned to our socials for more upcoming workshops updates!
Hi just check if I provide my own coin pouch goat skin leather, r u able to paint a picture of my pet dog?
Hi Magdeline, Artist Celine Chia has attended to your query. We look forward to your update once you’ve gotten the pouch!