My husband, two kids, a dog and I all live in 1400 sq. ft. It’s a tight fit. And while I love our house, I don’t like tripping over clutter. For that reason, I cringe every time my daughter brings home stacks of art.
Don’t get me wrong I love to see what she creates. But I also treasure a clean house. When I have a clean house, I’m happy. And when I’m happy, I’m a good Mom. (Or so I tell myself.)
So here’s my solution. I’m putting all of her art in a Picaboo photo book. That way, I will always remember the amazing stuff she made. (And I won’t trip over it anymore.) I’m still in the process of making a photo book for my mother for a holiday gift. If you’re interested in making one, here are a couple of tips to creating the perfect Picaboo Art Book.
Simple Tips for Creating A Fantastic Art Book:
Tip 1: Gather + Digitize Your Masterpieces
Make a pile of artwork you’d like to include in your book. You have two options for turning your art into a digital format. You can scan or photograph your art.
If you decide to scan your images, any desktop scanner will do. Just make sure your scanner is set at a minimum of 300 dpi. You can also have a local office supply store scan your art for you. FedEx or Mailboxes, Etc are great places to start.
If you choose to photograph it, use a tripod or set your camera on a steady surface. Make sure the room is well-lit. Natural light is always best. Choose a simple background. You don’t want anything taking away from the art. I’m going with hardwoods. But concrete, asphalt and simple tiles work, too.You can photograph your art or you can scan it.
Take a picture of your child's art against a simple background.
Take a picture of your child holding up their masterpiece.
Tip 2: Add Narration To Your Photo Book
After you’ve imported your images, use our caption tool to describe the art. You could include the date it was created, the teacher your child had, the school they went to and a fun anecdote about the project. You could even ask your child to write something about each piece. I like to ask my daughter what she was thinking about when she was drawing. Simple probing questions like: “What were you thinking about when you drew me as witch?” Or: “Why is Daddy wearing a car?” make for great answers.
Tip 3: Catch Them In The Act
Capture your child creating the art. The process is just as much fun as the end result. One of our Picaboo Pros, Cheryl Parker Miller, created this fantastic layout of fun art projects.
Add your images to a Picaboo layout.
Tip 4: Pick Vibrant Backgrounds
There are many fun art-themed backgrounds that can add to your book. You can also use our eyedropper Tool to create a custom background color that matches your child’s piece.
Cheryl also had some advice for picking backgrounds. “Go simple or use an art supply theme. There’s a set of good backgrounds from Elizabeth on the background site, like this one. Or search Flickr for photos with a Creative Commons License (this allows you to use the photograph). There are some fantastic photos of crayons that would make for great backgrounds.” Cheryl, as you may recall, created this amazing ABC book with her seven-year-old daughter. Here are a couple of spreads we love from her book.
Tip 5: Make A Custom Cover
The cover is just as important as the contents. Here are some funs to create a custom cover. Add your favorite masterpiece to the cover. Or have your little artist draw a self-portrait! You might even want to show a thumbnail from your favorite pieces. This can easily be done in our Photo Tools tab in Picaboo X. Just crop the image by zooming in!
I know my mom is gonna love her art book. Since she lives far from us, this is a great way to include her in our daily life. And maybe even tempt her to move just a little bit closer.
Want to see more books made for kids? Check out Joshua Makes The Team, Little Brown Bear, Sweet Adelina, How To Be A Self Publishing Genius or Anabelle’s ABCs.
This is a terrific idea. I drive my husband crazy by keeping everything that the girls do, so this would be a great compromise.
Clutter drives me crazy. Creating a photo book for me is a way to pare down my “stuff” and yet, not lose anything. Thanks for your comment, Jen.
I LOVE this idea! My kids produce so much art though I don’t know where to begin!!!
Thanks Kelly! You’ve just given me a great idea for a follow-up post. Thanks!
Ooooooo….that sure would make a GREAT gift for Grandmom!!! ;c)
Great idea, Jeannie!
I love this idea. And that layout looks fantastic.
This is a great idea. I have a mountain of artwork sitting in my office and I had no idea what to do with it….
WOW, why didn’t I think of that before?!? Thank you for the idea, with 5 kids putting a art book together will be fun! And can be shared much easier
Thanks for your comments, Nanette, Jessica and Adriana. If you do make an art book, feel free to share it with us! We’d love to see it. And of course, I’m sure it would inspire many others! Feel free to send your photo book to FBFan@picaboo.com.
We’re *just* starting to get into artwork. I’m tempted to save every single piece but you’ve given some great tips. I don’t have a scanner but that would be such a good idea. Incidentally, I use the hardwood floor as a background when I take a picture of a picture!
This is a fantastic idea! I have a ton of artwork stored that no one ever sees. This will be a great project for me to work on in the coming months and a great one for Grandparents who live far away.
Frada and Lisa, Thanks for the nice comments, ladies. Isn’t it nice to know you don’t need a scanner anymore. All you need is a camera or a SmartPhone!
This is awesome! I agree with everyone!
With Twins, you can imagine the bins I have of art work and pictures, etc. I this this is brilliant. And Lisa, is right for our Grandparents who live away as well! Go Picaboo!
Love this idea, thank you I’m going to do this for Christmas!! Another cool idea for those works of art, is to use old windows and making a window for your wall featuring the little artist! My kids loved picking out the pictures to use and the window at a local flea market.
Although all my kids are grown now…I do remember doing this exact thing….thanks for resurrecting the idea for all those now “Moms”
This is a great idea! While it’s a great way to organize things, it’s an even better way to immortalize your child’s art (which I’m sure is what they truly want, rather than to help clean up).