AI · Experiments · Kids Drawings

The Wild Things Lab.

My kids’ drawings, imagined as lifelike characters.

Remember the early days of generative AI? Two of my favorite uses were making up bedtime stories and bringing my kids’ drawings to life. For the stories, I’d ask my daughter for a few characters and an outline, then have AI write something short I could read to her.

This is the other experiment: taking their drawings and seeing what those characters might look like in the real world. Will these age well when I look back in ten years? Maybe, maybe not. But she had fun.

A few of our favorites

The drawings and what AI made of them.

The yellow monster

Yellow crayon monster with pointed ears, black markings, and a large curved smile — Original drawing

A fuzzy yellow monster with pointed ears, scattered markings, and an uneven toothy smile — AI version

The penguin

Pencil drawing of a penguin with outstretched flippers and a rectangular body decorated with a bow — Original drawing

A felt-like penguin standing behind a rainbow-colored rectangular body with a bow — AI version

The rainbow unicorn

A child’s drawing of a smiling unicorn standing on a crayon rainbow — Original drawing

A small smiling unicorn standing on a bright rainbow in a grassy landscape — AI version

The adventurer

A pencil figure with curly hair, a large hat, and a long stick with a loop and cloth — Original drawing

A smiling storybook character wearing a straw hat and holding a stick with a tied cloth — AI version

The fish

The original triangular fish drawn in pen on pink paper — Original drawing

A lifelike triangular fish with two uneven eyes, fins, little legs, and a smiling mouth — AI version

Want to try it?

Here’s the prompt. Start with a photo of your child’s drawing.

Take this drawing created by my child and transform it into a photorealistic image or realistic 3D render. I don't know what it's supposed to be it could be a creature, object, or something completely from their imagination. Keep the original shape, proportions, line lengths, and all imperfections exactly as they are in the drawing - including any slanted eyes, uneven lines, or strange markings. Do not correct, smooth out, or change any details of their design.

Make it look like this thing exists in the real world, with realistic textures (skin, fur, metal, etc.) and natural lighting. You can add realistic shadows and an environment or background that fits the feel of the drawing, but don't change anything about the form or details of what they created. No pencil crayon textures or hand-drawn styles this must look like a photo or CGI render, but staying true to their imagination.