"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art." -Leonardo da Vinci Long before he was famous for the Mona Lisa or The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, a man of intimidating genius, was an unusually gifted boy. He was smart, talented, and popular and had a wonderful imagination. He was also ambitious. When Leonardo was asked to paint a shield, he decided to paint a monster. He wanted it to be the most horrifying monster anyone had ever seen. But since there are no such things as monsters, he had to imagine one instead. The creative process Leonardo da Vinci used as a boy to paint a monster is similar to the one he would practice later in life to craft his world-famous masterpieces.

The combination of observation, research, and visualization made Leonardo one of the greatest artists of all time. Unfortunately, no copy of Leonardo's terrifying monster has survived. Jane Sutcliffe is the author of nineteen children's biographies. Her articles have been published in Highlights for Children, Boys' Life, and Appleseeds. She lives with her family and their dog in Tolland, Connecticut. Herb Leonhard has worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer specializing in the illustration of children's books for more than twenty years. He has won numerous awards for his versatile freelance and professional work in both traditional and digital media. Leonhard resides in Prosser, Washington, with his wife and son.