Whether you want to keep your child's art forever, print it, or bring it to life as an animated character, it all starts with a good photo. You don't need a scanner. A phone and these six tips are enough.
1. Use daylight
Put the drawing near a window during the day. Daylight shows the real colors of crayons and markers. Indoor lamps make everything yellow, and the flash creates a shiny spot in the middle.
2. Shoot from straight above
Hold the phone parallel to the paper, directly above it. If you shoot at an angle, the drawing turns into a trapezoid and shapes get stretched.
3. Avoid your own shadow
Standing between the window and the drawing casts a shadow over it. Stand to the side, or move the paper.
4. Fill the frame
Get close enough that the paper fills most of the photo, with a little margin around it. Crop the rest later if you like.
5. Flatten the paper
Curled corners and folds cast shadows. Weigh the corners down with books, or put the drawing under a clear plastic sleeve (watch out for reflections).
6. Check the photo before you move on
Zoom in: are the lines sharp? Are the colors true? It takes two seconds to take another photo now, and the drawing may be gone (or "improved" by a sibling) tomorrow.
Bonus: keep an archive
Make an album on your phone for your child's art and add the date. In a few years you'll have a visual diary of how their drawing grew up.