When your child brings home a cute little picture of the family dog it often gets put on the fridge then taken down and relegated to a drawer or even the bin. It may see the light of day again, it may not.

But Junior’s depiction of Fido can become a piece of modern art thanks to an innovative Dutch company called ArtKids. Tamara, the resident artist and partner in the company, will turn a simple little sketch or drawing into an oil painting anyone would be proud to hang on their wall. And the child concerned feels that their contribution has been given a value and status which increases their self esteem and confidence no end. If that child has also had issues in the past, then having a piece of art made from their picture is a priceless gift. As the site says: “Usually we see the children stand a few inches taller, when they see their painting.”

The people behind the idea are Hans Anneveld and his partner Tamara Voorn. Hans worked in social services in Amsterdam for 16 years but, feeling a lack of satisfaction in his career, left to become a copywriter. However, that too left him feeling that there must be something else. Something that really touched his heart.

Meanwhile his girlfriend, artist Tamara had been told that her daughter Soraya was unhappy although she covered it up well and  was always busy at school. Tamara found some of her daughter’s paintings showing smiley-faced puppets. She did some paintings based on Soraya’s work and was astounded at the effect it had on her daughter. Soraya was delighted with the recognition and the attention. Hans and Tamara realised they may be on to something. They tried out more paintings on family and friends and realised the positive results on both parents and children were always the same. The parents were pleasantly surprised they had such talent in the family, the child felt like royalty. And so Artkids was born. Hans says: “We built a good concept. We can make the world happier and ourselves too.”

Artkids works on a variety of levels. Parents can simply commission paintings of their child’s sketch. Schools and business can get involved, perhaps having competitions or by local companies buying artwork to put up on their premises. It is a win-win situation as the child gets paid ten percent if someone buys their picture. Local organisations get to work with and help the community and schools can build self esteem and nurture budding artists.

So when your toddler crayons a picture of your terrier on the wall then save it and send it to ArtKids. It could be worth a fortune one day!

Fiona Tankard