How to Save a Child's Art in a Book

Member

By Virginia Allain
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(7 Ratings)

Save a Child's Art in a Book

Parents struggle with stacks of artwork brought home from school by their child. Don't throw out all that artistic effort. Save examples of their creative development in a self-published book.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

child's art
a scanner

Step 1

Collect the artwork brought home from school into a folder so it won't get torn or stained. At the end of each month, select favorite pieces or ones that best represent the child's artistic efforts. These are the ones that will go into the book.
Step 2

Scan the chosen pieces of art into the computer. Name each scanned picture. If you have several children, then keep separate folders to put their art into on the computer. I suggest naming the folders with the child's name and the month.
Step 3

Choose a print-on-demand publisher online such as blurb.com or a photo site that makes books such as Webshots or Photoworks. Compare the costs, and ease of use of the site's software. I'm partial to Blurb for the versatility of their software, but you need to look at what will serve you best.
Step 4

For the photo sites, you need to upload your scanned pictures. For Blurb, you download their software, then bring your pictures into that program. Arrange the pictures in the book size that you've chosen.
I think a full-page view showcases the artwork best. If you have many pieces to include, perhaps group two or three on a page. If you have some artwork that's related in format or theme, then group it together.
Step 5

Once the arrangement of the art and the page layouts meet your approval, then have the book printed by the photo site or the print-on-demand site.