I've done this project with the 7th grade for years now. However I've changed one thing each time. The sneakers are still drawn in pencil first then finished off in thin black marker with contour lines.
The background has been changed each year.
This time the students used cut pieces of "cheap" colored tissue paper. I say "cheap" because it the only kind that will make the color of the paper run when you add water. I love the way the contrast of the blurry colors work with the black and white sneaker. These could be ads for a magazine.