It began at the Jersey Shore in 1998, where my niece Jessica often filled my sketchbook with doodles. While I stared at them, I wondered if color, texture and shading could be applied for a 3D effect. As a painter, I made cartoons look three dimensional every day for the likes of Marvel and DC comics, so why couldn’t I apply those same techniques to a kid’s drawing? That was it… no research, no years of toil, just the curiosity of seeing Jessica’s drawings come to life.
Illustrator Dave DeVries created 'The Monster Engine' a 48 page outcome from projecting the child's drawing with an opaque projector, faithfully tracing each line and applying a combination of logic and instinct to recreate the paintings below. His work has been met with criticism from teachers and parents due to the dark nature in which he translates the seemingly innocent pictures into.
Personally I find his work interesting - it opens the doorway to a unique world of imagination. While some people claim children are unable to express their ideas due to lack of artistic skill it reminds me of Picasso.
'Every Child is born an artist. The problem is to remain one as we grow up.’
This 'inexperience' allows children to ignore the normal guidelines and create fascinating creations.
On a slightly less scary scale an artist - whose name I can't seem to find! - is doing something similar where she takes children's drawings and turns them into plushies instead.
I find the idea of referring to children's art really useful - if you have find yourself drained from inspiration watching a child draw can really help motivate oneself.
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