Monster Squad Book 4 Cover...finalized!

I just got this in from the fine folks at Penguin. Here's the final Monster Squad Book 4 cover with the text layout. Bon Appetite!

Terrible Yellow Eyes

There's been some buzz around the web about Terrible Yellow Eyes. It's a blog that features artwork inspired by Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. I had some free time yesterday and decided to sit down and make something. I remember the first time I came across the book, I was generally scared by the characters. I think there is still something creepy about Sendak's Terrible creatures. Anyways...here's my process and the final.


Yes...sometimes my initial sketches are this loose. I try to get down the ideas first.


Rough line-work in Flash.


The final colored entirely in Photoshop.

New Doodle

I haven't had any time to draw in the last few weeks. I've been very busy working behind-the-scenes on a project that's been taking up all of my creative energy and time. Here's a little doodle that I managed to produce at 6 this morning. I hope to hop back to the drawing board in a couple of weeks.

BTL finished!

My team recently wrapped on the Between the Lions animated episodes. Our job was to turn the puppet-based show into an animation one. Here are some stills from the 2nd animated episodes.

Art Direction: Dave Schlafman
Background Design: Jon Renoni
Characters: Steph Laberis

Bot Process

I've been quite busy working on a handful of projects including the third installment of the Monster Squad book series. Recently, I had some time to doodle in my sketchbook. I felt inclined to take the sketch a bit further in the computer. Below is the before (sketchbook)...after (computer). Enjoy!

UNICEF spot is done

For the last two months, I have been working on an animated spot UNICEF, the children's organization. This spot was created to inform donors, governments and/or partners about UNICEF’s Education in Emergencies initiatives. I was lucky to work with a great organization and a team of artists:

Direction: Dave Schlafman
Animation: Dan Flynn
Animation: Mike Annear
Backgrounds: Jen Blicharz and Dave Schlafman
Compositing and Sound Deisgn: Evan Sussman
Music: Daniel Koren
V.O: Gigi Abraham

UNICEF Education in Emergencies Spot from Dave Schlafman on Vimeo.

Critters

I'm currently working on some concept/character designs for a Hasbro board game. Below is the 1st round of sketches...Back to work on my website...almost done!

Monster Squad Book 4

I'm getting ready to send The Monster Squad Book 4 cover off to the publisher for any final notes. I've had a lot of fun with these killer robots from outer-space! Below are the steps I took to get to the final. Until next time...

Website find

As I'm working on my website, I've come across a bunch of funny doodles and rejected concepts. I just came across this character layout sheet that I created a couple years back. There's something so ridiculous about this character (and song titles) that I had to post it.

Back to work...

Website/Portfolio Update...on its way!

For the last two years I have taught the animation portfolio class at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Each week, I talk about the importance building a tight, cohesive portfolio that should be updated regularly. Last week while clicking around my own website, I realized I haven't updated my own work in way too long (almost 2 years!). So I took it upon myself to practice what I preach.

For the last week or so, I've been retooling my website, reel montage, and resume. It's been a fun, but tedious process. I have to admit that it's hard to edit your own work, but teaching the class has made me question my intentions for including particular pieces...which is a good thing. I'm hoping to have everything up by May 1st, so stay tuned.

UNICEF update

For the last few weeks, I've been chugging away on a 45-second spot for UNICEF, the children's organization, and I've been working with a great team of artists to help along the way. A special shout-out to Jen Blicharz who painted the background elements. I then scanned them into photoshop, tweaked the color and lighting, and made the digital collages for the finals. I'm happy to say that animation and design wrapped last weekand now it's time to combine it all in After Effects. This morning, I did some style tests for the compositor. The final animation should look something like this...

I love my caffeine!

Every morning at 10AM(yes, every morning), I leave my studio and venture out to the local Starbucks. I try to write and doodle in my sketchbook for at least two hours a day. It has multiple benefits:

1. I get away from my sitting in front of my computer
2. I'm able to concentrate on my own projects and develop my own voice.
3. Feed my caffeine addiction
4. Good for networking (you'd be surprised)

I recommend this to anyone who's in a rut. Force yourself to sit anywhere outside your home and just produce something...even scribbles. Here's a sample image of this morning's caffeine-fueled doodle sesh: