Sprite Stitch Board!

I am considering starting to paint shoes.

I would be doing this on canvas shoes from walmart. I've worn those before (unpainted) and the fist time I wear them, they get crazy stained with dirt/mud. Not just dirty, but stained. I wash them like crazy - and with white, bleach them - but they never come clean again. Because of this I've stuck with plain black shoes. No one else I ever see seems to have this problem with their shoes; am I doing something wrong? Or is it just the nature of the cheap walmart shoes that is the difference? Will the sealant that one puts on after painting protect against this?

Also are there any brands of paint, markers, sealant, etc. that you guys would recommend from Walmart, Joanns or Michaels?

Hrm... there are two problems here.
1) you need to treat the shoes before you paint them
2) you need to seal them after afterwards.

I don't have a ton of experience with fabric painting but Liquitex is a great brand and this tutorial recommends them. At least use the acrylic fabric medium to dilute the paints (instead of water).
If this doesn't answer your questions I can try contacting an "expert" - my mother.

edit: ok my mother says if you use acrylic paints you don't need to seal the painted part. But you should seal the unpainted parts with a thin layers of matte or gloss medium (and you can seal the painted parts too). Avoid anything that dries hard as it will crack. You could might even be able to seal it with thin coats modge podge... hrm.

I agree with Kuja.girl about using liquitex - they are a great brand and their products work extremely well.

My boyfriend has painted some shoes before and he also picked up Sharpie fabric markers - he said he likes those for his canvas shoes that he does. But yea - I would seal the whole shoe just to preserve everything. I know some shoe stores have a product that will waterproof the shoe - I'm not sure if that would work as a sealant.

Waterproofing is not the same as sealant (they repeal water but offer little protection from dirt, etc).
I would actually do both. Sealant then waterproofing!

I would definately use some sort of sealant after you have painted/drawn on the shoes. Even if you do not paint the shoes, sealing the plain white shoes will help keep stains at bay, alot like waxing a car. Just keep in mind that some finishes can darken the colors you have used, so don't forget to do a test patch.