Custom of the Month - February - 2026 | Skinz Time

Johnny Skinz
Mar 5
2 min read

Johnny breaks down his favorite design from February, a pair of custom Converse All Stars featuring Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum from Cartoon Network's Adventure Time.

The Concept

Adventure Time has always held a special place in my heart, as it was the show that got me back into creating when it originally aired in 2010. When this commission came in from a long-standing client, I knew right away that Marceline and Bubblegum were the perfect characters to anchor the design. Their dynamic, especially the tension and color contrast, practically designs itself.

The direction for the pair was to bring the two characters together, as well as to show their differences. The idea was to create a background that would fit both characters, as well as showing them together in some of their best moments, especially from the episode 'What was Missing'.

The Breakdown

The biggest design challenge for this pair was balancing two characters who are visually opposites. Princess Bubblegum, the over-controlling dictator, is made up of soft edges and pink hues. Marceline leans into the darkness, draped it deep reds and black. Getting them to co-exist on one pair of sneakers without one overpowering the other was the trickiest part.

To pull this off, I painted solo portraits of the two characters on the inside of each sneaker, with a pink half-tone background design to fill up the white space. On the outer panels, I pulled scenes straight from the television show which heavily featured the two heroines; Marceline floating with her axe, and Bubblegum playing a tune on BMO.

Why This One Sticks With Me

I'll never pass on an opportunity to create anything Adventure Time related. Adventure Time was the show that got me back into creating, spending hours doodling the characters, studying the title card art work, and even including some paintings in my final project in college.

There's also something about painting a pair that fans connect with on a personal level that makes the work feel extra meaningful. Marceline and Bubblegum aren't just fan favorites; for a lot of people, they represent something much bigger than a cartoon. Seeing their joy in the art brings me satisfaction.