I struggled with the shape of shoes when I first started designing them. It was a huge learning curve to learn how to manipulate the shape of the shoes, utilize details/shapes to add extra flair to the shoes, and shading.
For this tutorial, I am going to show you the easiest way to nail the shape of a shoe.
It may seem obvious, but it wasn’t to me when I first started. To truly get the best and most realistic shoe shape, it is vital to make the upper and lower segments of the shoe partially or fully transparent. This allows you to see the model’s foot and mold the shape to the curvatures of the foot.
I turned all parts of the shoe to about 10% texture and color opacity. I then manipulated all the lines to fit the curvature of the foot. This is especially helpful if you are creating a drastically different shape than the silhouette you are starting with that PS give as a starting option. It takes a bit of time if you are wanting to create more of a platform shoe or a higher heel.
Once I finished the shape of the shoe, I turn the texture and color opacity all the way back to 100% (unless you are going for a transparent look in the shoe), and this is what I have now after I finished shading as well:
