Dave DeVries became known within the comics industry for his comic covers, promotional posters, and trading cards for both Marvel and DC Comics, most notably the Marvel Masterpieces '95 set.
In 1998, after working for many genre-specific clients, he created his viral project, The Monster Engine, which asks the question, “What would a child’s drawing look like if painted by a professional illustrator?” The results are startling transformations of flat childlike imagery into fully painted illustrations.
This technique originated from his illustration work, primarily in the entertainment field —specifically, the comic book, advertising, video game, and motion picture markets.
Some of his clients include Dreamworks SKG, Lucasfilm, Universal Studios (The Mummy Returns ride), Marvel, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. Animation, among others.
For this last client, Mr. DeVries created concept art paintings that inspired scenes in the Warner Bros. movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.
In 2011, he was the recipient of 2 National Endowment for the Arts grants and has been featured in galleries and museums across the country. During his career,
Dave has held positions as a professor at Syracuse University, The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, and The University of Hartford.
He has also taught middle school for 3 years and currently teaches digital art at Jefferson Township High School in NJ, as well as college courses at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.
His latest projects include cards for Magic The Gathering, Spider-Man Set, specifically featuring Hobgoblin and Venom.
