​More than 500 people put their best foot forward to create a giant 20-metre piece of public art.

Artist Sol Golden Sato’s Happy Feet public art project – supported by leading DIY and decorating specialist Leyland SDM – arrived at Portobello Market on Saturday (October 22).

People were invited to take their shoes and socks off and to get creative with paint on a canvas.

The Portobello canvas, along with canvasses created at previous Happy Feet events, will be used to make a 20-metre sculpture of a sock.

Leyland SDM, London’s leading decorating and DIY specialist, has supported the Happy Feet project from the start by helping organisers with the resources they needed to be successful.

Sol said: “The Happy Feet event at Portobello Market was a great success. There was a tremendous buzz around the canvas and everyone had great fun getting creative with their feet.

“Happy Feet aims to bring people together literally on the same canvas. It’s an opportunity for children to do something different together and, ultimately, to produce community created paintings.

“It empowers individuals through collaborative acts of self-expression.”

The sock sculpture will be a homage to Antoni Tapies, the Spanish artist who created a real storm in Catalan when he suggested installing a 60-foot sock into the Barcelona Art Museum in the 1990s.

The Portobello area has a large Spanish community, so Sol felt it fitting to create an artwork with a nod to Spain.

Jonathan Jennings, CEO at Leyland SDM, said: “We were pleased to support another successful Happy Feet event. It’s a fantastic way to bring communities together across London.

“Our colleagues are always keen to get involved with the local community, as we have done with various fundraisers and activities throughout the year.”

Leyland SDM has become one of the most recognisable and trusted decorating and DIY retail brands in central London with 32 stores in some of the capital’s most prominent locations, including Battersea, Camden, Clapham, Hackney and London Bridge.

Its stores stock a comprehensive range of thousands of products across all departments, including paint and decorating essentials, building materials, electrical fittings, tools, plumbing equipment, ironmongery and much more, all under one roof.

Some of the biggest and best-known DIY brands are available at Leyland SDM, including Dulux Trade, Farrow & Ball, Johnstone's Paint, Makita, DEWALT, Stanley and Purdy.