Childhood artwork often cycles from fridge frames to closet clutter faster than relatives can say, “Look how tall you’ve grown!” 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.

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 8×8″ 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:

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.

2. 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 and the year the artwork was completed. Use the same font throughout for uniformity (I opted for a kid-like scrawl).

3. 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, so make sure to share your creations with us on Facebook or Twitter. 

Originally published by Elysa Hill on Snapfish US