Children create some incredible artwork.
Admittedly, you don’t always know what it’s supposed to be.
That enormous purple creature might be a dragon.
It might be Grandma.
Best not to ask.
But every now and then, your child creates a drawing that’s simply too good, funny or memorable to disappear into the pile.
So here’s an idea:
Turn it into a temporary tattoo.
Yes, you can take an ordinary drawing your child made on paper and transform it into a temporary tattoo they can actually wear.
And you don’t need any specialist tattoo-printing equipment to do it.
Here’s how.
Can You Really Make a Temporary Tattoo From a Drawing?
Yes.
The trick is getting the drawing onto your computer or phone first.
Once you’ve digitised the artwork, it becomes an image file just like any photograph or illustration.
That means you can resize it, tidy it up and print it using temporary tattoo paper.
The basic process is:
Draw → Photograph or scan → Edit → Print → Apply
And suddenly that picture that was stuck to the fridge is stuck to your arm instead.
Step 1: Choose the Drawing
Almost any clear drawing can work, but simple artwork is usually easiest.
Look for drawings with:
- Bold lines
- Strong colours
- Clear shapes
- Plenty of contrast
Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.
In fact, that’s rather the point.
A child’s wobbly handwriting and slightly questionable proportions are exactly what make the finished tattoo fun.
Step 2: Photograph or Scan It
If you have a scanner, scanning the artwork is probably the easiest way to create a clean digital copy.
But you don’t need one.
A smartphone camera works perfectly well.
Place the drawing somewhere with plenty of natural light and photograph it directly from above.
Try to avoid:
- Shadows
- Reflections
- Taking the photograph at an angle
You want the paper to look as flat and white as possible.
Step 3: Clean Up the Image
You don’t necessarily need professional editing software.
Basic photo-editing tools can usually handle everything you need.
You might want to:
- Crop away the edges of the paper
- Increase brightness
- Increase contrast
- Remove unwanted marks
- Straighten the image
The aim isn’t to redesign your child’s artwork.
Quite the opposite.
You’re simply removing the distracting bits around it.
Keep the wonky dinosaur wonky.
Step 4: Decide How Big the Tattoo Should Be
Something that looks small on an A4 piece of paper can look enormous on a child’s arm.
Before using your tattoo paper, print the design onto ordinary paper.
Cut it out.
Then hold it against the area where the tattoo will be applied.
Too big?
Resize it.
Too small?
Increase it.
This simple test can save wasting a sheet of specialist material.
Step 5: Check Whether the Image Needs Mirroring
This is important.
Depending on the temporary tattoo paper you’re using and how it’s applied, your design may need to be mirrored before printing.
For a picture of a monster, you might never notice.
For handwriting, you definitely will.
Otherwise:
LOVE MUM
could end up looking rather different once applied.
Always follow the printing instructions supplied with your particular temporary tattoo paper before hitting Print.
Step 6: Print Your Temporary Tattoo
Once you’re happy with the artwork, it’s time for the fun part.
Arrange your designs on the page and print them onto the appropriate tattoo sheet according to the product instructions.
If you’re making several tattoos, don’t waste the rest of the page.
Fill the available space with:
- Other drawings
- Names
- Tiny doodles
- Family jokes
- Symbols
- Handwriting
One sheet can potentially become an entire collection of miniature artwork.
Step 7: Turn the Drawing Into a Tattoo
Once printed and prepared according to the instructions for your tattoo paper, cut around the design and apply it to clean, dry skin.
And that’s the moment children tend to love.
The picture they drew earlier is suddenly on their arm.
Their artwork has become wearable.
This Could Be Brilliant for Birthday Parties
Here’s where the idea gets even better.
Before a birthday party, ask the birthday child to draw:
- A mascot
- Their name
- A monster
- A favourite animal
- A funny character
Turn the artwork into temporary tattoos and let guests wear them at the party.
Instead of buying generic party tattoos, you’ve created something completely unique to that child.
You could even ask several children to submit drawings and create a whole sheet.
Turn Children’s Handwriting Into Tattoos Too
It doesn’t have to be a picture.
Children’s handwriting can be even more memorable.
Imagine temporarily tattooing:
I LOVE DAD
in exactly the handwriting your five-year-old used.
Or preserving:
- Their first written name
- A funny phrase
- Their signature
- A misspelled word you never want to forget
It might only be a temporary tattoo.
But the digital image can be kept forever.
What About School or Club Events?
The same idea could work brilliantly for:
- School fairs
- Sports days
- Children’s clubs
- Fundraisers
- Family events
Run a drawing competition and turn the winning design into a temporary tattoo.
Instead of simply displaying the winner on a noticeboard, suddenly dozens of people can wear it.
That’s considerably more exciting than receiving a certificate.
You Could Even Turn Family Artwork Into a Tattoo Sheet
Why stop at one child?
Get everyone in the family to draw something.
Mum draws a flower.
Dad attempts a dog.
The children draw whatever strange creatures currently occupy their imaginations.
Then combine everything onto one sheet.
You’ve essentially created your own family temporary tattoo collection.
It would make a particularly fun activity for:
- Holidays
- Family reunions
- Weddings
- Birthdays
- Christmas
And unlike buying a packet of tattoos from a shop, nobody else will have the same designs.
Don’t Make It Too Perfect
This is probably the most important tip in the whole article.
It’s tempting to clean up the artwork until it looks professionally illustrated.
Don’t.
The crooked lines are part of it.
So are the strange proportions.
So is the backwards letter.
The reason you’re turning your child’s artwork into a tattoo isn’t because it’s technically perfect.
It’s because they made it.
That’s what makes it worth wearing.
From the Fridge to Your Arm
Most children’s drawings have a fairly predictable life cycle.
They’re created.
They’re proudly displayed.
They move to the fridge.
Eventually they disappear into a drawer.
Turning one into a temporary tattoo gives that little piece of artwork another life.
Using Gecko Paper temporary tattoo products, you can take a drawing from an ordinary sheet of paper and transform it into something your child can actually wear.
And when someone asks:
“Where did you get that tattoo?”
They get to give perhaps the best answer possible:
“I drew it.”
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