framing kids’ art

I know you have stacks and stacks of artwork that your kids have drawn, painted, stamped, cut and pasted. I have them too. The good news is that when framed, these priceless pieces can proudly hang in any room of your home.

How to display children’s art:

1. Find a frame:

My favorite frames are floating frames. A floating frame can be purchased at custom frame stores.   In the Dallas area, I find that Aaron Brothers has the best selection.   I have found them at Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, but usually in the smaller sizes. The prices range from under $10 for two pieces of plastic clenched by metal strips to $30+ for glass surrounded by wood. They are extremely easy to use. Many people may shy away from the initial contemporary look, but they work in most decors because your wall color will end up to be the artwork “mat” which helps it blend into any style.

2. Emphasize the art’s irregular shape:

Part of the brilliance of the floating frame is that kid’s art is usually irregular in size and shape. Children don’t seem to crank out 8x10s, 11x13s or 14x16s. Their medium usually starts with a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper and then gets bigger with tape and glue or smaller with scissors. A floating frame will frame the irregular size and shape to visual advantage.

3. Don’t be afraid to alter the art:

*gasp* I know this is a little controversial. Most people want to keep the artistic integrity of a work, but often that renders it useless as “framable”. I have found by trimming out an undesirable area or by cutting several pieces of art into smaller pieces and framing them together it works better. Another option is to scan the artwork into a program like Photoshop. This allows backgrounds to be cleaned up and modified without touching the original.

4. Group similar art:

Pictured above is a grouping of my son Reid’s “Blue Period”. Grouping similar works together gives each item more impact. Children are often quite prolific. So plan ahead and save some room for new masterpieces. There is space under this grouping pictured above to add 3-6 more paintings since Reid’s blue period was quite lengthy.

6. It doesn’t have to be art to be art:

I like to watch for things to frame that aren’t traditional children’s art. Pictured above is a paper that Ryan wrote numbers and pretend multiplication tables. Not all his math is perfect, but when matted and framed it takes on a funky artistic vibe.

7. Don’t be afraid to hang the art where you will see it:

When children’s art is framed, grouped and hung properly it can go almost anywhere in the house. Don’t hide it in the kids’ rooms or playroom. The grouping pictured above is hung in the kitchen. The zebra pictured above sits on a shelf in my master bedroom.

Your child’s art is important!

My current to-do list includes picking up another floating frame because this recently came home from school: Actually, I buy floating frames in bulk… Hey! Check out how to make placemats from kids art!