by Virginia Allain

Created on: September 02, 2009

Parents struggle with stacks of artwork brought home from school by their child. Before long, the refrigerator door is hidden by ragged-edged pieces of art. There's no room to keep and display all of this art. It's painful to throw away what your child created, but what can be done with it?

Don't toss out all that artistic effort. Save examples of their creative development in a self-published

book. 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.

Scan the chosen pieces of art into the computer. If they make a sculpture or other art project that can't be scanned, take a digital photo of the item. Name each scanned picture. If you have several children, keep separate folders to put their art into on the computer. I suggest naming the folders with the child's name and the month.

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. Look for print-on-demand sites that only require the purchase of one book. Avoid publishers that require you to buy a large number of copies.

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. Placing the artwork chronologically in the book shows off the child's progress over the year.

Take a photo of the child being creative. Get out paper and paints or drawing materials for them to use. Take photos from different angles. Choose one to use for the cover of the book. 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. Get extra copies of the book to give as gifts to grandparents.

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