How do I digitise my child's artwork?
If artwork feels like it's piling up faster than you can tidy it up, you're not alone. Digitizing artwork is a convenient way to preserve those precious creations without needing to keep every single piece of paper. Here's how to get started and what to keep in mind as you capture those memories.
Start simple
You don't need to tackle every piece of art in a single weekend. Start by choosing a few of your favourites with your child - this can be a great way to revisit the memories together and decide what to keep. You can always digitize more later as you find time or as new artwork comes in.
How to digitise your children's artwork: step by step
A phone is usually enough. You don't need to use a special scanner unless you want to create super high-quality digital versions.
The most important thing is to find a simple process that works for you, so you can stick to it without it becoming a chore. This is where LilMuseum can help - you can upload the photos right from your phone, and use our built-in tool to crop and adjust the images as you upload them, so you don't have to worry about doing it all perfectly in one step.
- Place the paper flat on a clean, well-lit surface. Try to avoid harsh shadows - natural light from a window can work well.
- Hold your phone's camera straight above the artwork, making sure to capture the entire piece in the frame. Try to keep it as square as possible.
- Snap the photo, then use your phone's editing tools to crop out any background or unwanted objects in the frame.
- Save the files somewhere organised, using your phone's albums or a cloud storage folder.
Make the digital version easy to find and enjoy
Don't just store the photos in your camera roll - they'll become mixed up with your other photos and hard to find later.
This is where LilMuseum can help - you can create a gallery for each child and upload the photos directly to their gallery that grows over time. It feels less like digital storage and more like preserving their artwork in a way that feels special.
A good rule of thumb is to keep a small number of original papers in a memory box and let the rest live digitally. That gives you the sentimental pieces in real life and the full story in one calm, searchable place.
Ready to start your child's gallery?
It's free to get started with up to 10 artworks, so you can try it with the pieces you love most first.
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