How to Turn Kids’ Art into a Wearable Keepsake

One afternoon my son handed me a drawing: a little golfer mid-swing — orange shirt, purple shorts, a green club, a big yellow sun, and the word “Swing” written across the top in his own wobbly handwriting and asked me to make t shirts.

So I made it. And when he put it on and spun in front of the mirror, grinning at his own artwork on his chest — that was the whole reward. 🏌️

Here’s exactly how I did it, in a way anyone can follow (no drawing skills required). The magic isn’t fancy software — it’s one simple idea you’ll see in a second.

My son’s “Swing” golf drawing (left)

became a real t-shirt (right)

The secret: don’t “fix” it

Your first instinct will be to clean the drawing up and make it neat. Resist that. Those slightly crooked lines and his hand-lettered “Swing” are exactly what make this shirt one-of-a-kind. The goal is to tidy it just enough to print well — while keeping your child’s style fully intact. As a former designer, that’s the part I cared about most.

Step 1 — Scan the drawing (or photograph it well)

• • Use a scanner, or shoot it flat near a window with no shadows.
  • Keep the crayon texture and pencil lines visible — don’t go too dark.
  • Tip: the bolder the color areas (that yellow sun, the purple shorts), the cleaner the result.

Step 2 — Tidy it in Illustrator (keep the character!)

Adobe Illustrator’s Image Trace turns a hand drawing into crisp vector art (vector = art that stays sharp at any size — perfect for printing).

• Place image → Image Trace → pick a color-keeping preset (e.g. “Sketched Art” or a color option)
• Hit Expand to lock the vector → clean up only the paper smudges (leave your child’s lines untouched)
• Set the background to transparent so it sits naturally on any shirt color
• Keep the “Swing” handwriting exactly as is — that’s the signature

Another way,  Use Adobe Illustrator’s Pen tool  and live bucket tool to make simple & clean drawing style.

• Left tool box → Select Pen tool→ pick a stroke size to adjust your line thickness-draw all out lines.
• Select all line drawings you finish and go to top menu, Object-Live paint -make to live your drawing → choose foreground color you want to paint- select live paint bucket tool– click area  that you want to fill in color )
• if coloring is done. expand the object.
• Add “Text ” with any profer fonts you like.

Step 3 — Prepare the print file

• Export as a PNG with a transparent background, high resolution (300 DPI recommended).
• For a chest print, aim for about 10–12 inches tall.

Step 4 — Order through print-on-demand (Printfy) or Rush order Tee.

I used print-on-demand (POD) so I could make just one — no minimums. The service prints and ships only when an order comes in, so there’s no inventory to deal with.

• Choose a t-shirt product → upload your PNG → position and size it → check the preview
• Always order one first to check the color and print quality
• Love it? Make more for the family — or open it for sale

How to Make Your Own T-Shirt with AI: My Honest Experience from Design to Print

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Q. Do I need any design or drawing skill?
  A. No. Your child does the drawing; you just scan, tidy, and upload. Image Trace handles the hard part.

  Q. Can I keep handwriting like “Swing”?
  A. Absolutely — that’s the best part. It vectorizes and prints exactly as your child wrote it.

  Q. Can I really make just one?
  A. Yes. Print-on-demand prints a single shirt — zero inventory.

  Q. Can I make a batch (like team shirts)?
  A. Definitely. Order the same design in multiples and it’s perfect for a golf team or family set.

  Q. Can I sell them?
  A. It’s your child’s art, so you hold the rights. You can list it as a product on a POD service.

Final thoughts

Kids’ drawings only come in that style for a little while. Pick one and start today — the look on your child’s face when they wear their own art is something you won’t forget. 💛
Made one? Tell me what drawing you used in the comments. Next time I’ll share this process as a short video too.

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