Dave DeVries Brings The Monster Engine to SRMS

On Friday, Author/Illustrator Dave DeVries visited the St. Regis Mohawk School. Dave has worked for companies like DC Comics and Marvel. He has worked in many different mediums including comic books, films, toy packages, video games and even a theme ride. Dave has drawn characters like Spiderman, Storm, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dare Devil, the Green Goblin, the Iron Giant and the Human Torch. Dave started The Monster Engine, which is also a book he authored, a few years ago and has been travelling the country doing presentations at Elementary schools and Universities.

Here's how The Monster Engine goes. A few days before Dave travelled to SRMS, students created a pencil drawing of a monster, which were then sent to Dave. At his New Jersey home, he picked a drawing via a lottery. He takes the student's drawing and transfers it twice, first to a 30" x 40" white board and then to a 30" x 40" black matte board. Then he packs it all up and travels to the school.

The assembly at SRMS started with a slide show of The Monster Engine project so the students understood the project. Then the painting began. Dave used two easels, one held the black matte board that was painted on, and the other held the original monster from a SRMS student. Kaidance Sunday and Isaac Brill were the two students randomly chosen to have Dave bring their monsters to life.

As he painted, Dave showed the kids many techniques including using tape to make a city and a toothbrush to make stars. He showed them how sometimes a photograph can help when you are drawing or painting to show where the shadows should go. He called several kids up to help paint the picture. At the end of the assembly students see how a simple pencil drawing can come to life with paint and creativity.

"The most important thing is creativity," said Dave. "It's more about the creativity than the painting because if the students apply creativity to anything they do, like the career they go into, they will advance the field." Dave talked about the importance of the elementary art class saying, "The elementary art class is the only place where they can tell the teacher they are wrong. It is boot camp for the outside the box thinker. Students learn to trust themselves and their instincts. Everywhere else you have to get the answer right, but in the art class they are the authority, the drawing or whatever they create is what they want it to be."

About his assemblies Dave said, "It's really important that the kids participate. I want to inspire them and it's super rewarding to see them feel empowered. The cool thing is I've talked to teachers after, and they say the kids like to draw and are more creative."