Keron Nelson: Anime Everyday with Sneaker Art
Written by Polya Pencheva
Published on May 22nd, 2025
Imagine wearing a piece that’s truly one of a kind—a reflection of your personality that no one else owns. For custom artist Keron Nelson, rock_boyyy, making unique pieces like this isn’t just a business; it’s a passion that started as a personal love for art and anime culture.
Picture a crips Nike Air Force 1 transformed into a colorful anime scene. Vivid colors, intricate line work, and beloved anime characters practically reaching out from the shoe. Nelson’s work brings these fictional characters to life every day, making each piece part of your personality and a wearable piece of work.
Nelson is the person behind the Instagram account that customizes sneakers, purses, and creates small canvas paintings with anime characters from shows such as Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Demon Slayer. In fact, he is extremely humble for a successful artist and was happy to tell his story and share more about his personal journey.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Nelson began his career as a Physical Education teacher and has always been active in sports, regularly competing in running races. But his love for art – especially drawing anime characters – was something he couldn’t ignore. “I always liked physical activity and drawing from a young age,” explained Nelson.
“I have always liked anime. I probably started watching since 2007 and later I started painting them. I saw somebody online painting shoes. And I like shoes as well. I instantly knew I would be able to do this,” noted Nelson.
While being an art fan is a passion, for a period it was only just a hobby. But when Covid hit the islands, this is when the business of customized shoes started kicking off. Always interested in characters and anime, Nelson easily started customizing shoes and painting unique characters on them.
“I have always liked anime. I probably started watching since 2007 and later I started painting them. I saw somebody online painting shoes. And I like shoes as well. I instantly knew I would be able to do this,” noted Nelson.
His passion for clothes and fashion made him popular online and allowed him to further develop his creativity.
Nelson’s work is meticulous, with each project taking anywhere from 1 to 4 days to complete, depending on the complexity. “It depends on the details,” he explains. “I did an Attack on Titan pair this year that took a while, and before that I did a piece of Demon Slayer that took longer than usual.” However, with clothes it is a whole different story. “There is a jacket I pained. It took me some time because I had to wait for the pain to dry and then paint over and over for it to look as I want it to.”
“Leather is the ideal material for the paint and AF1 has this. You can also remove the Nike sign and then I have even more surface to work on”
Amongst the chat about Attack on Titan and fashion, the type of sneaker that is most appropriate for this job came up. Usually, Nelson customizes Nike Air Force 1, which is the model and brand that customers prefer. According to the artist, there are several reasons as to why he works with Air Force 1. Customers love the Air Force 1 for its popularity and affordability, while Nelson values it for its leather surface, perfect for painting. “Leather is the ideal material for the paint and AF1 has this. You can also remove the Nike sign and then I have even more surface to work on,” added Nelson. But Nike AF1 are not the only sneakers that could be customized. “It might be more expensive or cheaper,” further explained Nelson. “I am open to do it, but I could be restricted by the shape. For example, it could work out on Vans Old School but then you have less room to work on.”
Besides the merchandise and the customized products, Nelson also creates small canvas paintings to take to various events he attends or organizes. “They are small which also reduces their price and makes them more appealing for people to purchase. This also allows people to afford some of my products,” added Nelson.
Though based in Trinidad and Tobago, Nelson dreams of reaching a broader international audience, with orders already shipping to the U.S., Canada, and Israel. “I want to reach more international customers and currently I am trying to figure out how to do this. This is something I definitely want to pursue in the future.”
“I want to reach more international customers and currently I am trying to figure out how to do this. This is something I definitely want to pursue in the future.”
Noticing his dedication to art, painting, and the anime culture, it was easy to imagine a big anime character on a wall somewhere in Trinidad and Tobago. This idea kept raising my curiosity whether he actually worked on walls or streets and whether he would be interested in doing something like this. “I would need a lot more resources and tools. But it is something I have definitely thought about and something I would like to do sometime in the future. For now, I have an idea to paint my room, and I hope I get that done soon,” answered Nelson.
One particular thing seemed bewildering about the artist, and I couldn’t help myself but ask the question about his name. Besides sports and painting, Nelson is also a big fan of music. “I came up with this name because I also like music a lot. My favorite rapper is Jay-Z, and he has a company called Roc Nation.” He picked up this name because he is a fan and wanted to express himself. After the choice of an Instagram name, his business started growing. And the name stuck. “I don’t think I should change it because this is the name that people know and recognize.”
While business is doing well and Nelson is quite happy with its development, there are more things coming up in the future. He would like to host an in-person workshop. However, he is not yet sure when. “I would like people to have a first-hand experience customizing their own shoes. That’s something I want to do, because a lot of people ask me if I have classes and stuff.” This would allow the artist to combine his two passions, namely art and teaching. After all, Nelson is a teacher, and you can get the teacher out of school, but they would never stop teaching. He is also enthusiastic about taking part in different events where people can have a look at his work and purchase his art.
Polya Pencheva obtained her master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Groningen and the Netherlands and likes to talk about traveling, entertainment, street art, and innovation in her stories. During her free time, she enjoys playing board games and reading. Her favorite superhero is Spider-Man and she believes that with great power comes great responsibility. The way to her heart is black coffee, a good book and some chocolate.
Insta: @polyawrites