This story is courtesy of Alexis Stark from School News Network.
Godfrey-Lee — Sarah Casey’s third-graders at Godfrey Elementary were cutting out eyes, flippers and feet to make paper penguins when their art teacher, Rosanne Steffens, told them she had a surprise.
“Are you all ready to see the surprise?” Steffens asked. Several “yes” responses came from across the room (along with one “I finished my penguin” announcement from one student very eager to finish their penguin).
Steffens turned on the projection screen at the front of the classroom and hit “play” on a slideshow of drawings of terrifying monsters. As the slideshow progressed, the third-graders were surprised to see their own drawings transformed into colorful, more complex monsters.
Earlier in the semester, Steffens had given her third-graders five minutes to draw a monster. Then, she instructed her high school Advanced Drawing students to choose a drawing, without knowing who drew it, and reimagine it. Using creative art styles, the high school artists elevated the simple drawings into fully formed, multidimensional creatures.
This project was inspired by illustrator and comic book artist Dave Devries, who takes imaginative children’s drawings of monsters and transforms them into evil monsters.
