S4 from Sole Creations followed up his Chi-City Nike Vandals with a pair of Air Force Ones based on tattoo art. The Life and Death Forces show the opposite poles of life and death using black/white and a few touches of color. These Forces were found at S4’s Customsnkr.com blog linked here.
S4 did an awesome job translating the detail and life-like look of tattoo art onto these Air Force Ones. The toe boxes feature black/white images of skulls with the left skull emitting ribbons of smoke while the right shoe is donning an S4 hat and a bandana. S4 wrote out “Life” and “Death” along the heel of the right shoe to spell out the two elements of every person’s existence.
While the Life and Death Forces sound a dour note through black and white, S4 comes to the rescue with a flash of color. The right heel has a flaming lock shaped like a heart that erupts against the black backdrop. In addition to the extraordinary touch S4 used when creating these customs, I am impressed that he was able to create sneaker art that shows the complexities of life and death. You can reach S4 at romanempire@helloworld.com if you want your own custom sneakers.
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As a kid growing up in the 1980s, one of my favorite cartoons was Thundercats. I had Lion-O’s sword as well as a few of my favorite characters like Panthro and Snarf in the toy box. Hektik Kicks is celebrating this classic cartoon with a pair of Thundercats Air Force Ones. These customs were found on the Hektik Customsnkr.com blog linked here.
The red/black colorway is a nod to the opening sequence of Thundercats including the Thundercats logo. Hektik Kicks recreates this logo in white on the middle panel to stand out against the red and black colorway. The use of white also draws the eye to the white outsole before viewers come back to Hektik’s awesome work.
The designer shows his high level of skill and Thundercats expertise with a pair of highly detailed drawings on the outside edges. The left shoe shows the mystical villain Mumm-ra complete with loose white bandages and red cape. The protagonist Lion-O is drawn on the right shoe to counteract the evil Mumm-ra for Thundercats fans. I like the inclusion of Lion-O’s sword in the drawing to show where the character draws his strength.
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Hektik Kicks was highlighted recently on MyAirShoes for a pair of Tazmanian Devil customs. The designer’s previous project was a pair of custom Air Force Ones modeled on two of Marvel Comics’ most beloved characters. The Captain America/Incredible Hulk Forces were found on Hektik’s Customsnkr.com blog linked here.
The detail work on these comic-inspired Forces are impressive for a young designer. The right shoe features a fantastic depiction of the Incredible Hulk during one of his rages, screaming out at anyone who looks at these customs. The left shoe shows Captain America holding up his red/white/blue shield in defense of his fellow superheroes.
Hektik thought outside of the box when adding some finishing touches to these Forces. The Air logo on the outsole matches the color of the superhero; the right shoe has a green Air logo while the left shoe logo matches Captain America’s deep blue uniform. These colors are matched further to the interior swoosh to put the cherry on top of these customs. I am a huge fan of Hektik’s work on these shoes because the characters stand out against a simple white background rather than competing with other design elements.
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Matt Francois from Sole Brother Customs was asked by the brain trust behind Digg to customize some Air Force Ones in honor of the website’s recent success. For those who have been in a cave for the last few years, Digg is the Internet’s largest social news website. Sole Brother’s Digg Air Force Ones can be found at the designer’s blog linked here.
Sole Brother created five pair of Digg Air Force Ones for the people behind this innovative website. The design features the blue/green colorway of the Digg main page. The defining element of the Digg Air Force Ones is the series of glow-in-the-dark Digg logos placed on the toe box and middle panels. When the lights go out, Kevin Rose, Jay Adelson and others working for Digg can keep their website in mind.
Matt Francois also created a pair of Digg Air Force Ones for himself with Rose and Adelson providing their signatures. The great minds behind Digg may be focused on keeping the site moving upward on the Internet but there are few better ways to promote the brand in the real world than custom sneakers. While these sneakers are limited editions and unavailable for sale, you can reach Sole Brother Customs at brothersole@solebrothers.com for your own custom needs.
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Flydea was tasked with turning a pair of worn white/black Nike Cortez into an homage to Rage Against the Machine. The designer’s sophomore effort at sneaker art is well-designed and shows greater maturity than Flydea’s experience would indicate. These custom Nikes were found at Flydea’s latest NikeTalk post linked here.
The client asked Flydea to draw images of guitarist Tom Morello and singer Zach De La Rocha on his Nikes. Flydea responded by recreating both musicians in black, red and white on the outsides of the shoes. The left shoe shows Morello resting between songs while the right shoe has Zach with his fist in the air.
Flydea applied his white cursive name to the black heel along with the blood red fist used as Rage Against the Machine’s logo. The designer has surmounted the difficult task of meeting his customer’s needs while letting his unique style shine through. As someone who liked Rage Against the Machine in high school, I can appreciate the mixture of art and political activism in the group’s music. I think Flydea’s Nike Cortez customs capture the essence and the look of Rage Against the Machine. You can reach Flydea for your own customs at flydea@gmail.com.
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Hektik Kicks decided to take a bare bones approach to the Tazmanian Devil on his latest pair of Nike Air Force Ones. These custom Forces start with a simple white/purple colorway that allows the outline of the Tazmanian Devil to stand out. I found the Tazmanian Devil Air Force Ones at Hektik’s Customsnkr.com blog linked here.
The designer captured the essence of the Tazmanian Devil in two outlines drawn with thin black paint. Both images appear on the outside of the shoe and show Taz wagging his tongue while heading into a berserker rage. The inside of both shoes is left empty to make the light silver swoosh stand out.
My biggest problem with the Tazmanian Devil Air Force Ones is that the main character is not filled in with color. While the purple/white colorway would not work with Taz’s brown tones, I am left wanting more as I look at Hektik’s great Taz sketches. Even with this minor criticism, I cannot help but be impressed by Hektik’s flawless work and representation of Taz.
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D@ Prince Customs created a pair of Nike Dunks last year based on the lovable character Tigger. A client recently asked the designer to repeat this feat on a pair of white Air Force Ones. I found the results of this second effort by D@ Prince at his NikeTalk post linked here.
The left shoe shows Tigger landing after a healthy pounce while the right shoe shows Tigger’s smiling face up close. Instead of using black paint on the middle panel like his Dunks, D@ Prince added some black/orange stripes with a white background to keep the focus on Tigger. The designer added the name Zaneta on each heel to customize these shoes for the client.
I think D@ Prince acquitted himself well in his second try at a pair of Tigger-themed sneakers. His replication of the beloved cartoon character was impeccable on both shoes but I think that the black/orange elements frame Tigger better on the Air Force Ones.
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