I turned my child’s artwork into a collage

Fridge doors, tv unit, table mats, wardrobe, doors. Anywhere and everywhere there’s a flat surface there’s art in my house. And while mine is confined to our walls, my five year old son's is everywhere.

And whilst I adore the splashes of colour and memories of his first forays into scribbling and drawing flags and endless cars, there’s an impracticality to having your child’s drawings all over the place. They get torn by doors being opened, bodies brushing past, they fade in the sun, crinkle and warp. But the thought of them all stuffed in a cupboard in the dark - no, that’s not where creativity belongs.

So as I opened the Pandora’s box that is currently three massive A3 folders worth (and I’ll be honest, I only kept the “best”) I decided it was time to put at least some of these masterpieces on display in a better way.

So I started going through them, pulling out some interesting marks, a rainbow, shapes and scribbles, and of course every shape and design of car imaginable. I didn’t have a plan, but I knew I could turn at least some of these treasures into a new piece of art, onto one of my own collage paintings. It would be a painting by two artists.

do you keep all your children’s artwork?

• 0%yes
• 0%no

Messy layers at first!

At first, I had the idea of a garden - a recurring theme of mine, plus my son loves nature and collecting flowers for me wherever we go - and incorporating these little drawings into the collage layers. They would be discreet, mostly covered up. Secrets in the painting only I would see.

Adding Alfie’s flowers

Can you spot a house, a rainbow, flowers, numbers, a car and a cell?

Then I stopped and decided that I wanted both stories to show through. Two artist’s stories beautifully and boldly woven together. Imperfect, vibrant, just like a child’s artwork is meant to be.

Alfie's Garden, 2025

I have a few more additions I want to make, but I'm very happy with the result. Do you think my son will like it?

If you’re interested in turning your child’s art into a custom collage to keep these memories safe, reach out on cjwaterfield@gmail.com. Don’t keep your child’s art in a drawer but let me help turn it into something even more beautiful and unique. Chloe