Transform childhood artwork into a photo book šŸŽØ

Childhood artwork often cycles from fridge frames to closet clutter faster than relatives can say, ā€œLook how tall you’ve grown!ā€ Instead of banishing my cherished drawings and paintings to the attic to collect dust, I compiled my proudest masterpieces into a beautiful book that doubles as a delightful coffee table tome and nostalgic keepsake.

Transform childhood artwork into a photo book

Transform childhood artwork into a photo book

With the help of my awesome mum (she kept every one of our charcoal drawings and handmade bookmarks), we scanned art pieces that my sister and I created over the years: favourite mermaid masterpiece, Hawaiian sunset painting, watercolour of cats sailing a boat (you know, as cats do), and more. I opted to create an 8Ɨ8″ Photo Book. This gave a slick portfolio feel to my art collection. Who says kid art can’t be gallery quality?

Here are some tips to create your own childhood art book:

Transform childhood artwork into a photo book

  1. Scan + edit artwork: Scan your favourite art pieces into a computer. You can always pare down the collection later. If some don’t make the book cut, you’ll still have a digital copy of them. If art is too large to scan (like this Raggedy Ann crayon masterpiece), take a photo from a bird’s eye perspective. Upload into a photo editing tool and crop to desired size. Play with contrast and brightness to achieve the same vivid colour in your art piece, like I did in the below sunset painting.
childhood artwork

  1. Select layout and caption: Display one painting or drawing per page to achieve a crisp portfolio aesthetic. Choose your favourite 1-photo layout, or just drag-and-drop your photo onto the page. Caption each photo, including age andĀ theĀ year the artwork was completed. Use the same font throughout for uniformity (I opted for a kid-like scrawl).
Transform childhood artwork into a photo book

  1. Create cover + spine: Create a collage of your favourite paintings for the cover (see above), and include a photo of the artist, too! Add the year(s) to the spine to label each album.

Give this page-turning walk down memory lane a go! We’d love to see your childhood artwork,Ā so make sure to share your creations with us on Facebook or Twitter.Ā 

Originally published by Elysa HillĀ on Snapfish US

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