This is a very interesting and down-right cool concept. Artist/Illustrator Dave Devries takes the doodles and sketches of very young kids and realizes them into fully fleshed 3-dimensional illustrations using color, texture, and shading. It makes me want to dig out my old drawings that I did when I was 5 and see how they would look. He's published a book, does Gallery shows, lectures, and more. Check out some samples below.

The Monster Engine

The Monster Engine is a book, a demonstration, lecture and a gallery exhibition. The premise for all three came from one single question: What would a child’s drawing look like if it were painted realistically?

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.

The book is a 48-page collection of drawings, paintings, photos and interviews. The book’s preface explains, in depth, the history, intentions and results of this seven-year project

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via ionoi