Dave Schlafman's Doodles

So Long...

2010-08-12T20:38:00.006-05:00

For the last three and-a-half years, I have been posting my artistic progress and pursuits on this tiny internet landing strip. After some thought, I've decided to hang up the old Blogger account and direct all my efforts to my latest creative project - CloudKid. My trusty sidekick, Matt Moore, and I hope CloudKid becomes a studio that truly values artistic talent and vision, and creates characters that entertain and inspire a new generation of children.

The first year of CloudKid has been an amazing and unpredictable roller coaster ride. I'm holding on, and can't wait for the next twists and turns.

Fizzy's Lunch Lab Nominated for an Emmy!

2010-05-15T19:36:00.006-05:00

On Wednesday morning, we were notified that Fizzy's Lunch Lab was nominated for a 2010 Daytime Emmy Award for the "New Approaches in Children's Media" category. I am still in shock - coolest thing ever. It was a year to the day that PBS green-lit season one, so it was an amazing first birthday for Fizzy and co.

A huge thank you goes out to all the writers, actors, artists, etc who helped us make an awesome web series. Hopefully more good to come as we were recently green-lit for a season 2. Great news all around.

Spring has finally Sprung!

2010-04-05T21:29:00.002-05:00

The New England winters make me a bitter man, but spring definitely helps turn things around.

Ms Gaffeny Returns!

2010-03-30T09:43:00.003-05:00

Last week, I visited LA for a long (but fun) week of meetings. While the week was hectic, I squeezed in some doodle time. I revisited a storyboard project that I made my junior year of college. Based on a real event, I was intrigued to explore what this story could look like seven years later. If I can find the time, perhaps I can continue to dive in.

Monster Squad Review on Nugget Island

2010-02-15T09:52:00.006-05:00

I was interviewed by Children's Marketing/Trend pro, Matt Siden over at his blog Nugget Island. We chatted last week about the process of working on Monster Squad with the author and the publisher. Any children's media fans should check out his site. It's a great guide to what's happening in kid culture.

You can check out the interview here:

Give Your Heart a Valentine

2010-02-08T11:27:00.006-05:00

Just in time for the Valentine's Day festivities, Fizzy's Lunch Lab brings you Freezer Burn's latest music video, Give your Heart a Valentine.

Check it out on the Lunch Lab Site

Check it out on YouTube.

Coming Up for Air

2010-02-06T13:42:00.006-05:00

Deep breath...exhale. Production on the first season of Fizzy's Lunch Lab is finally winding down and it should wrap sometime in the next month or so. I'm finally starting to recharge the old battery, and I have time to doodle and write again. Here's a style test for a potential project that I whipped up not too long ago. Hopefully, I will be able to start weekly postings now that I have a little more time on my hands.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-20T19:39:00.003-05:00

Happy Holidays everyone!!! I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and awesome holiday season and 2010.

Check out Freezer Burn's Holiday music video, "Don't Get Carried Away for the Holidays"

Monster Squad Book 4: D-O-N-E

2009-12-13T15:08:00.006-05:00

Over the last year I have been working with Penguin on the epic chapter book series, Monster Sqaud. Last week, I finally finished the interiors for the final book in the series. This project was a blast to work on b/c Penguin & author Laura Dower gave me a ton of creative freedom, and for that I'm quite grateful. Below are a few of the final illustrations (without text) from Book 4: They Came from Planet Q.

Fizzy's Lunch Lab has Launched

2009-11-18T20:58:00.004-05:00

As many of you know, over the past six months, I’ve been hard at work producing my first animated show for PBS Kids Go! with my creative partner, Evan Sussman. This was a gigantic undertaking as we successfully brought together a team of 50+ that included food writers, physicians, dietitians, script writers, actors, musicians, software engineers, and an army of talented artists. I’m confident that our dream team created a truly innovative children’s program and website designed to halt the childhood obesity epidemic. Professor Fizzy and his gang are finally ready to educate and inspire families to get out of the drive-thru and back into the kitchen. We will be rolling out a new recipe and animated video every week for the next 40 weeks, so be sure to check back.

I am thrilled and proud to share our creation with you - Fizzy’s Lunch Lab!

Fizzy's Lunch Lab

2009-10-10T10:28:00.011-05:00

Two and half years ago, fellow animation director, Evan Sussman and I met at JP Licks in Boston, MA and came up with a show idea over coffee. I was fed up with the lack of kid-friendly cookbooks, and Evan had been trying to create a nutrition-based website or property with his dad (Dr. Craig Sussman). We combined our ideas that day and we set out to create a kids cooking show that focused on the importance of health and nutrition...But it had to be FUN. After thousands of hours of hard work, failed development deals, personal investment, it's nice to see Fizzy's Lunch Lab living on PBS Kids Go!

The last four months have been a whirlwind for Evan and I. It has included finalizing our deal with PBS, creating the season 1 outline in two weeks, writing 46 short scripts (with amazing writers), starting animation production, moving into our office, and launching our preview website...Along with our new studio's website. Fizzy's Lunch Lab has been the hardest thing (by far) I've worked on and it's shaping up to be a winner. We still have a lot of work ahead of ourselves, but it has been rewarding to see the preview site and trailer so well received.

I know the next five months of production are going to be equally as demanding, but I know that Fizzy's Lunch Lab has the ability to truly help kids and families make healthier decisions. Coming from someone who was incredibly overweight as a child, I'm happy to share Fizzy with everyone and hope it can make a difference.

Check out the Lunch Lab Preview Site.

The first sketches of Fizzy

Sneak-peek

2009-09-20T19:30:00.004-05:00

Again...Almost one month later...

Here's a character design sneak-peek for the secret project I've been mentioning for the last couple months. My partner-in-crime, Evan Sussman and I have been neck-deep in production. The good news is that there will be an official announcement in the next week or so. Stay tuned.

One month later...

2009-08-25T20:27:00.004-05:00

I have been purposely holding off on this post until I hit the one month mark from my last entry...well, at least for the last week. It's been a whirl-wind month as I have started production on the biggest project of my life. I haven't had time to do anything but work. It's been a loooong few weeks. One of the highlights this month was the release of the first two Monster Squad books I illustrated for Penguin. I snapped this photo in B&N last week. Quite exciting and surreal. Big thanks to Ms. Laura Dower and Megan Benett at Penguin. You can buy the Monster Squad books here. Back to work...

Bug off...

2009-07-25T04:52:00.002-05:00

...I've been busy. Exciting news is on its way!

Splitting Time

2009-07-06T19:54:00.005-05:00

So...for the last few weeks, I have been quite busy slaving away on a project that I'll announce in the coming weeks. At the same time, I have been juggling the Monster Squad Illustrations for Book 3. The dust has cleared and here's a couple in-progress images to tickle your fancy...Adios.

Monster Squad Book 4 Cover...finalized!

2009-06-23T07:33:00.004-05:00

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

2009-06-15T06:56:00.008-05:00

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

2009-06-10T07:13:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-05-31T09:20:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-21T15:12:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-11T11:19:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-05T07:12:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-24T07:22:00.005-05:00

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

2009-04-19T13:35:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-04-18T09:36:00.005-05:00

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

2009-04-13T05:54:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-04-01T13:06:00.004-05:00

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:

Character Study

2009-03-29T21:48:00.004-05:00

I was asked by Penguin to do a character study for an upcoming book series. Here's is my take on a lovable, class-clown persona.

UNICEF Style Design Test

2009-03-16T16:15:00.004-05:00

For the last couple weeks, I have been directing and producing an animated spot for UNICEF (The trick-or-treat orange box organization). The storyboard has been finalized and now we're moving onto character and background design. Here is a storyboard still and a style test comparison of the same frame. The final animation will be at 16:9, but this will give you an idea of the final look. More to come!

He He Ha Ha

2009-03-09T04:06:00.005-05:00

For the last couple years, I've been drawing two of my favorite characters, He He and Ha Ha. They represent the mischievous and careless parts of our childhood. I had some spare time this weekend, so I figured I'd color in this sketchbook doodle.

BTL Progress

2009-02-27T14:02:00.005-05:00

For the last couple months I have been directing and co-producing two Between the Lions animated episodes. It's been an interesting and fun process to transform the puppet-based show into an animated one. We recently wrapped up the first episode and here are some screenshots from the two segments.

Between the Lions is produced by WGBH and Sirius Thinking.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T23:45:00.002-05:00

Here's to you Mr. Cupid:

Damn cough...Leave me alone!

2009-02-09T11:01:00.003-05:00

For the last week or so I've been battling a cough of epic proportions. I made this little watercolor that somehow sums up how I've been feeling.

Monster Squad Book Dos

2009-02-05T11:42:00.004-05:00

The last couple weeks have been INSANE. I've been trying to find time to work on my own stuff, but I had a slew of deadlines last week that have prevented me from doing so. The good news is that The Monster Squad books I've been working on are coming along nicely. Book 2 is near completion! Here is the final cover as well as some of the final interior spot illustrations that I posted a couple weeks ago as sketches. Back to work...to hit more deadlines. Ugh.

Troll

2009-01-19T07:46:00.004-05:00

Here's a character design I recently made for "the heck of it". Not much more to say than that.

Eustace Tilley Contest

2009-01-09T17:45:00.007-05:00

Over at The New Yorker, they're having the annual Eustace Tilley Cover Contest. I had some free time this afternoon and figured I'd throw my pen into the ring. Below is the original and my version.

Update: I woke up this AM and had a fresh eye on this experiment. I didn't love the composition and framing from the last version. Even though I already submitted the piece, I decided to play with the layout. I think I'm digging this one more:

ABP Process

2009-01-05T11:18:00.007-05:00

The other day I was looking through some old sketchbooks and I stumbled across some concept sketches from the Animation Block Party Intro I directed a few years back. It's always interesting to see where my projects start out and 99% of the time, they start in my sketchbook. You notice how much of the original germ can be found in the final piece. Below are the initial sketchbook pages, the block faces I made in Illustrator, and the final which was animated in After Effects. Music by Brian Saia.

Playing around

2008-12-31T14:29:00.007-05:00

Work has been slow due to the whole holiday thing. I've been drawing quite a bit in my sketchbook and experimenting with color/handmade textures in Photoshop. The process is pretty straight forward: I doodle in my sketchbook, scan the linework into the CPU, and add color/textures in Photoshop. Here are a few images I played with this week. I included the original doodle for the first image, so you can see where these started.

Have a happy, healthy, and creative 2009!

Jiggle Bells...Jiggle Bells

2008-12-22T21:43:00.003-05:00

Have a happy and healthy holiday!

Harry House Head

2008-12-21T10:17:00.003-05:00

At the end of each year, I look back through my sketchbooks for any interesting characters I created. This October amid the financial market collapse I created the one-and-only Harry House Head. Enjoy.

The Vault: Jingle Bell Rocks!

2008-12-19T15:45:00.007-05:00

Three years ago, I whipped up this music video for a promotional DVD/reel I sent out. It was my first attempt at compositing Flash with After Effects. Looking at it now, the animation is minimal to say the least, but I'm still pretty surprised I was able to pull it off in a week (with a day job). Music by the very talented, Mr. Eric Schmider. This should spark some Yuletide cheer. Enjoy.

Monster Squad Continues

2008-12-09T15:11:00.006-05:00

I've been puttering away on the Monster Squad Series for Penguin. Over the last week, I cleaned up the 3rd book cover and finished 20 interior concept sketches for the 2nd installment. Below are the fruits of my labor.

The layout for book 3...Design by Meagan Bennett:

The cleaned-up and colored cover image:

Samples of the Book 2 interior sketches:

Animated Lions!!!

2008-12-05T11:54:00.009-05:00

I have been hired by Pileated Pictures to co-produce and direct two Between the Lions animated episodes. For the last month or so, I have been working with a great team of designers to create the look of the animated version of the show. Here is a quick style test:

The characters were designed by the mega-talented Steph Laberis and the background was crafted by Jon Renoni. The episodes have been written, storyboarded, and now we're in the thick of production! Moving along nicely...more updates to come.

Between the Lions is produced by WGBH Boston and Sirius Thinking.

One month later!

2008-11-20T08:05:00.004-05:00

I haven't had much time in the last few weeks to do much of anything. I've been illustrating the Monster Squad books, directing animation for Between the Lions on behalf of Pileated Pictures, and working on a couple personal projects...one that has been sucking up most of my time (Yes, I'm being cryptic). Well, here's the latest cover sketch for The Monster Squad book series. I think it's called The Beast with 100 eyes or something like that.

Stuck in a Rut

2008-10-20T13:27:00.002-05:00

I've been stuck in a creative rut lately and I'm trying to drag myself out of it. This is the best I could muster up during my lunch break today. Got to snap out of it.

Soul Music

2008-10-04T08:39:00.002-05:00

I've been a huge fan of Soul music for years now...and what's better than soul music? Well, Zombies playing soul music in the month of October.

October is Awesome!!!

2008-10-01T09:39:00.004-05:00

Happy October! October is by far my favorite month for a number of reason: falling leaves, cold air, candy corn, halloween...and my birthday! I've been super busy, but that shouldn't stop me from enjoying some fresh apples and playoff baseball.

I haven't had time to do much of anything outside of work lately. I've been juggling three or four projects for a while now and hopefully things should start slowing down. The chapter book illustration gig is moving along nicely, and I'm almost done with the first book! Here's one of the interior illustrations.

Monster Man

2008-09-16T09:51:00.004-05:00

I have been drawing LOTS of monsters lately. Not only am I illustrating a children's book about monsters, but I also have been commissioned by American Greetings to produce a Halloween E-Card. Even though it's a little early for Halloween, here are some characters and a style test I made for the E Card.

Monster Squad

2008-09-08T08:37:00.005-05:00

I have been juggling four or five projects in the last few weeks, so I haven't had too much time to post...or work on my own stuff. Bah! Anyways, I've been hard at work on my first children's publishing project...Monster Squad for Penguin. The first cover (of four) has been approved and is ready for layout.

Here is the what the cover will kind of look like once the text is added. Design by Meagan Bennett of the Penguin Group.

Here's my final illustration that will be added to the layout. Should be fun once it's all done!

Gary Baseman Bitching

2008-08-14T12:36:00.011-05:00

I was a sophomore at Massachusetts College of Art when I first heard about Gary Baseman. He was giving a talk at my school and there were posters EVERYWHERE...in true Baseman style. I attended his talk and I was truly enlightened by the work that he was making. He was an illustrator, TV show creator, and fine artist all wrapped into one! He had it all. I followed his career and loved studying his paintings/illustrations. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't influenced by him...even a little bit. In some ways, Gary Baseman inspired me to make the type of art that I want to make, even if I was working with a professional client.

The turning point came for me in 2004. Gary Baseman was speaking at the ICA in Boston, so again, I decided to trek out in the cold and hear what he had to say. The talk started as the curator was working out some technical kinks with the projector. Gary Baseman stood at the front of the small theatre with his sketchbook in hand. He was doodling as we all watched...somewhat awkwardly. He looked up, held out his sketchbook, and said, "Oh sorry, I have a deadline for Time Magazine in two days." There was something about that comment that left a sour taste in my mouth. In some ways I haven't looked at Gary Baseman's work the same.

Why? Well, I don't think he's pushing the envelope anymore. Yes, his work is everywhere. It's in galleries, on designer toys, and he's still illustrating for major publications. Yet the content of his paintings are getting old. They all look very similar. Same characters, similar color palettes, and similar themes. I noticed it more than ever today when I was flipping through his new book. I was a little bored. I dare say that he is trapped within the box that every artist is sacred to be locked in. Maybe this is unfair for me to say, but it looks as if he's on auto pilot just creating these for the next big gallery show. I could be wrong. See similarities below:

I'm sure he has made more money than 99% of commercial artists. But at what price? Here's a little poem that I love. This may be bold attributing this to Gary Baseman, but hey, this is America.

He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits:
This formula for drawing comic rabbits paid,
So in the end he could not change the tragic habits
This formula for drawing comic rabbits made.

Even with all my ranting and raving, I still admire Baseman's body of work and self-promotional skills...I just wish he'd mix it up a little.

Children's Book Gig

2008-08-01T16:44:00.004-05:00

Before my trip to Nicaragua, I was asked by Penguin Publishing to submit sketches for an upcoming kids chapter book series about monsters...yes monsters! The day I got back, I was notified that I was chosen as the illustrator for the series. I'll most likely be chronicling the process as I work on each book. Here are the samples that I submitted.

Nicaragua

2008-07-25T10:58:00.006-05:00

For the last nine days, I have been back-packing and traveling throughout Nicaragua. I'm technically on a vacation, but traveling from city to city has been down-right exhausting. However, I have to admit it's been nice to step away from the world of animation and cartoons and refocus. I've seen so much that has opened my eyes and inspired me for future work. Nicaragua gets a bad rap for the civil war conflict in the 1980s, but it's a very peaceful place with VERY hospitible citizens. It's been one of the most educational trips I've been on in years.

I'll be returning to the US of A on Monday and I can't wait to eat fresh veggies..and drawing again! Hasta Luego...

Alien vs. Alien Process

2008-07-01T14:04:00.017-05:00

For years, I have been obsessed with the Pixar Art books that chronicle the preproduction and story process. They inspire me to design and I love nothing more than developing the look of my animated films. Like pixar (and most studios), every part of the story and design process starts on paper and jumps to the CPU. Here's a step by step process of how I created the Alien vs. Alien animation.

CHARACTERS: I always start designing the characters first. My initial drawings are pretty rough because this stage is basically a brain-dump to create some fun personalities.

FINAL CHARACTERS I created these designs directly in flash based off my earlier drawings. The bottom characters are sample designs for the alien crowd. There were 40 creates in all.

BACKGROUNDS: Again, everything starts on paper. I did dozens of quick doodles and then handed them off to my background artist. Once he finished, I made tweaks to the color and added little details throughout.

STORYBOARD AND ANIMATION: I started my initial thumbnails on paper, but I drew a tight storyboard/animatic in flash. Once I finished, I handed the animatic off to my animator who animated ONLY the characters. The backgrounds were added later in After Effects.

POST PRODUCTION:Once the animation is done, effects artist Evan Sussman takes the backgrounds and animation and composites them together while adding effects, lighting, and camera moves.

LOGO:Lastly, I drew the logo in my sketchbook and then created the final logo in Illustrator and Photoshop.

Alien vs. Alien

2008-06-30T13:59:00.012-05:00

This winter, I dedicated time to work on my own projects. During that time, I started drawing aliens...lots of them. I didn’t have a story-line for the characters, so I started to brainstorm where these aliens could live. I thought back to my childhood when I loved the WWF (back when Hulk Hogan and The Macho Man ruled the ring). I asked myself, what would an alien wrestling match look like? Intrigued, I decided to make an animated alien wrestling match...or at least the introduction. I wrote, directed, and designed the piece, yet I worked with a great group of artists who helped me make it possible. A big thanks to:

Evan Sussman - Compositing and FX
Dan Flynn - Animation
Josh Gold - Sound Design
Jon Renoni - BG Design
Fletcher Beasley - Music

Well, Alien vs. Alien has been sitting on my computer for the last couple months and it’s time to share it with the world. If you like it, feel free to pass it on to others. ENJOY!

Heartwood USA

2008-06-26T07:32:00.005-05:00

Since March, I have been working on the Heartwood USA animated pilot for a Boston-based father, entrepreneur and political enthusiast. Shane Keats, the creator and writer, came up with the idea to create a green show for kids that takes more of a political angle. Shane says, "A lot of why I made Heartwood USA is to get back at villains, real villains, the kind you, me and our kids will encounter over the course of our political lives. To win in the long run, you've got to dust off and start again...if we can influence kids to take climate change seriously and help them laugh a bit in the face of the bad guys, then we've done a good deed".

My task was to develop the style and create a demo that looks on par with other animated kid shows. I worked with a team of very creative, talented artists to help me produce the pilot, Cow A Dunga. See below.

Broccoli...uhhh.

2008-06-26T07:24:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated my blog in almost a month and I feel like a big, soggy piece of broccoli. I have been insanely busy with a project I have been co-developing with Evan Sussman. Hopefully, I'll be posting more doodles and drawing in the weeks to come.

Taxi Design Process

2008-05-31T06:01:00.006-05:00

I've been working on a sub-atomic Taxi design for an animated short I've been working on. My design process is pretty straight forward. I always start the process by drawing in my sketchbook. Then, I usually do a quick digital pass when I'm working on storyboards. Finally, the finished version is created in Flash. Voila...a taxi!

Ice Cream People!

2008-05-15T15:04:00.006-05:00

On Monday night, I attended the Massachusetts College of Art Senior Portfolio show featuring the work of the illustration, design, and animation departments. I came across a great, young illustrator named Brian Butler. His work is fantastic. He's currently working on a postcard art project called Ice Cream People. Take a look. I decided to give it a whirl and send him my doodles. Low and behold...here they are!

Wrapping Up

2008-05-13T11:01:00.004-05:00

For the last couple months I have been directing/producing an animated demo for a Boston entrepreneur that's set to launch sometime this month. Here are a few quick illustrations I whipped up for the website. More to follow in the coming weeks...

Jabberwocky and Lewis Carroll

2008-04-27T20:38:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been doing a series of illustrations for an upcoming biography on Lewis Carroll by Sadi Ranson-Polizzotti. I have been commissioned to create a series of characters from Carroll's texts. Here's my interpretation of the Jabberwocky.

Me at TED?

2008-04-15T20:59:00.003-05:00

For the last year or so I have been obsessed with TED . I go there for inspiration, enlightenment, and pure entertainment. I recently got an email from a friend who told me I made it to TED. It turns out Al Gore regularly uses my PSA as a part of his global warming talk and showed it this year at TED. It's funny because two days earlier I thought to myself, "if I can make it to TED before I'm 80, then I'll be happy." In a way, I made it there sooner. Check out Al Gore's talk at TED.

Workin' for a Livin'

2008-04-10T07:09:00.003-05:00

So I have been directing/producing an animated short for a Boston entrepreneur. We're well into production, so here's an animation still. More to come!

Philippe and Pierre Interview

2008-03-28T08:41:00.002-05:00

Frederator Studios Blog recently interviewed Philippe and Pierre behind my back. You can check out their interview here.

PnP NEW TOON!

2008-03-24T06:51:00.005-05:00

That's right folks, a new episode of Philippe and Pierre is upon us. As winter keeps chugging along...at least here in New England...this animated short is sure to warm up your soul.

Check it out at www.IDIOTICADVENTURES.com

Pass it on from YouTube

XOXOXOXO
Dave, Philippe, and Pierre

The Hatter

2008-03-17T10:40:00.003-05:00

I've been working on some illustrations for a Lewis Carroll biography and this weekend, I managed to work on some more tests. Here are a couple different styles directions for The Mad Hatter...I liked the manic qualities of these.

Journal Entry from July 15th, 1997

2008-03-14T07:48:00.008-05:00

I was reading through some of my old journals from the last ten years. Up until the last year, I wrote consistently since I was in high school. It's amazing to think of your life as over 500 pages of words. Weird. I came across one entry that stood out to me. It took place the summer before I entered my senior year of high school...not having too much direction. I didn't change anything about this entry except for some spelling mistakes (before I owned my first MAC).

TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1997
Today I saw the Disney movie, Hercules. It was such a fun movie! My jaw was nearly hanging during the entire film...and the animation was completely over-the-top. It was just amazing. This movie helped me understand the value of artwork, but specifically animation. I'm now thinking about art school. I think I have the talent and the ideas, but now I have to put them to use. My brother put it a good way. He said, "Working for Disney or Nick is like going pro in sports". He's so right and that's the route I want to take. My dream is now to work for an top-notch entertainment company making cartoons.

It's funny reading that now. It's especially funny because the following year I went to the University of Massachusetts to study political science. It took me another two years to realize what I was meant to do. I'm glad I came to that decision, even if took me a little longer.

Thanks Frederator!

2008-03-05T11:54:00.007-05:00

A big thanks to Jeaux Janovsky, Eric Homan, and the crew at Frederator. The first episode of Philippe and Pierre was featured this week on Channel Frederator. In addition, I was interviewed by The Frederator Studio Blog about the conception and production of Philippe and Pierre. You can check out the interview here.

Once again a big thanks to Frederator Studios!

Lewis Carroll and Serendipity

2008-03-04T16:26:00.006-05:00

So a couple weeks ago, I was doodling away at Starbucks. A lady saw that I was drawing and asked if she could take a peek. I agreed and she began to tell me that she was also an artist (a writer). Sadi went on to mention that she was close to finishing a biography of Lewis Carroll, which will be published in NYC and London this summer. Make a long story short, she contacted me last week and wants me to do some quirky illustrations for the book. I whipped up this test sketch of the Caterpillar in my sketchbook yesterday, and I did the coloring this afternoon. I don't think I'm going to with this style, but I thought it was a fun experiment. I'll upload more tests in the coming weeks.

Big Loser

2008-03-03T15:18:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks because...well...I don't have a good reason. I've been working on an animated demo for a local studio and other than that, I've been developing new content for my own future projects. All is well in Schlafmanland. In the meantime, here's a little test I whipped up last night...

Let the Idiotic Adventures BEGIN!

2008-02-20T16:27:00.014-05:00

It's been many months since my first post about Philippe and Pierre. The team has put down their Wacom pens and the result is finally up for everyone to enjoy. Pileated Pictures and myself present to you The Idiotic Adventures of Philippe and Pierre.

Stay tuned every other Monday as we will release a new toon on the Philippe and Pierre website. Check out all the action at
www.IDIOTICADVENTURES.com

I want to give a HUGE thanks to the folks who made this happen:
1. Mike Levine at Pileated Pictures.
2. Dan Flynn (Animation)
3. Evan Sussman (compositing and effects)
4. Joe Pleiman (Sound design)
5. Fletcher Beasley (Theme Music)
6. Matt Moore (Website)

Although the project was my vision, it couldn't have happened without these folks. I'm truly lucky to have worked with all of them and it shows. Sign up for the newsletter as more toons and goodies are on the way!

Uh-Ohs...It's a Wrap!

2008-02-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

For the last three months, I have been working on a series of fun educational safety shorts with SNAP Studios for the National Fire Prevention Association. Scott Nash and his team came up with the look while I co-wrote/directed the shorts. It was the first
time I directed animation using someone else's style, and I had a ton of fun working on them. The talented crew was made up of folks from sea to shining sea. Here's a few stills from the Bike Safety PSA. The video will be up on YouTube in a day or two.

Jungle

2008-01-31T08:57:00.000-05:00

Back in frigid Boston from a great trip out to LA. I met some really great folks and saw some really amazing artwork. Well, I'm back in reality, working on another Ecard for American Greetings. Here's a background design from the project. It makes me want to leave Boston...again.

Phlippe and Pierre...Almost there!

2008-01-25T11:17:00.000-05:00

The first installment of Philippe and Pierre is wrapping up! Eight of the nine shorts are done. The website is in the works and should be unveiled Monday February 4th. In the meantime, here's a couple stills from the finished shorts.

Hello Los Angeles

2008-01-22T13:54:00.000-05:00

I arrived in LA yesterday for a week of meetings at some animation studios and networks. I've been working on a slew of projects for the last three months and now it's time to show some folks out here what I've been up to.

Here's a still from one of the pitch books I created. I provided the layout, characters, and art direction, while the mega-talented Lindsay worked her amazing artistic magic with the background. I should have some time to post more in the coming days...

Al Gore Shout Out

2008-01-12T07:08:00.000-05:00

Evan Sussman, my good friend and collaborator grew up in Tennessee. Al Gore was just named TN Man on the Year. Evan's parents read this article about Gore and sent it to him.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS01/712300378

Here's cool part:

Flipping open his laptop to an "Ecospot" on Current TV's Web site brought sparkle to his often serious demeanor.

The just-over-2-year-old cable and satellite nonfiction network is rooted in viewer-created content and citizen journalism.

It boasts 51 million paying subscribers and is "aimed at giving a voice to the average person who has not had a way to break into the conversation of democracy on television," said Gore, who is the network's chairman.

He began searching on the computer for the grand winner out of about 3,000 entries in a competition for television ads to educate people on the climate issue.

An animated feature popped up showing a city with smoke pouring from stacks and heavy traffic. Car horns beeped and then an elephant dropped from the sky, squashing a vehicle.

"In 2005, the U.S. released 6.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air," the clip reads, referring to metric tons.

More elephants fall. "That's 1.2 billion elephants," it says. A man looks at the mayhem and then shrugs. An elephant falls on him.

"It's time to stop ignoring the 1.2 billion elephants in the room," the clip ends.

Gore, smiling broadly, chuckles.

"Madison Avenue wouldn't have come up with that," he said.

Alien Advertising

2008-01-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

So...As I mentioned a couple posts earlier, I'm working on an animated short with an outer space flair. The short is being sponsored by none other than COSMO COLA. I've been asked to help with their marketing campaign.

Greetings 2008

2008-01-03T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was slammed by the flu last week and now I'm recovering to a pile of work. I've been commissioned by the card company, American Greetings to create an animated Ecard. Here are some character designs that I made for the project.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-25T07:24:00.000-05:00

I was too busy this year to send out holiday cards...kind of. I whipped this one in time, but my wife didn't think it was appropriate. It was supposed to be an accordion card with four panels, so when you get to the last panel...it's a surprise! Oh well, maybe next year. Happy Holidays to everyone.

Space...the final frontier

2007-12-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

This is a concept sketch for one of the backgrounds for a new animated short I'm working on. The final image was done by background master, Jon Renoni.

Too busy

2007-12-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

It's been way too long since my last post. I have been directing three animation projects and I haven't had two seconds to do much of anything...besides work. My typical day starts at about 5:30 AM and goes to about 6PM...I usually tie up loose ends right before bed. I can't complain though because I'm having so much fun doing it.

Here's a sketch from one of the projects I'm working on.

Philippe and Pierre...Animated

2007-11-26T10:17:00.001-05:00

Since I left Soup 2 Nuts, I have been directing a series of short animations (30 sec-1 minue) that are going to debut on the web. It's a collaboration with Mike Levine and Pileated Pictures. The goal is to turn these into something bigger...maybe interstitials...maybe a series of shorts for TV. We're about two months into production and we just finished animating the fourth episode. Here is a test loop that the team whipped up. Stay tuned as we move closer to completing the shorts.

60 Seconds to Save the Earth

2007-11-20T18:14:00.001-05:00

Surreal. Completely surreal that I'm on the homepage with Bill O'Reilly. The project came a long way since my first post back in April!

There were a bunch of folks who helped me spread the word about my video. A special thanks goes out to:

Swampscott High School
North Andover High School
Amador Valley High School, CA
The Boston Globe
The Animation Block Party
Cold Hard Flash
Bostonist
Boston Magazine Blog
Tak @ The Weekly Dig
Massachusetts College of Art
The Swampscott Reporter
Current TV

...and last but not least, Albert Arnold Gore, Jr.

Global Warming 101

2007-11-07T19:19:00.000-05:00

So I have been trying to promote the heck out of my PSA, The Sky is Falling. In doing so, I talked to the entire Swampscott High School...at once! I gave a talk about my art, the PSA, and global warming. I put together a little slide show to help illustrate my points. Here's the beginning of the talk:

Well, who am I to talk about global warming if...

But...

The reason why I'm here is because everyone can play a roll in educating others...even cartoonists! When I was doing my research for my PSA, I realized that many people don't know what global warming is, so here's a little Global Warming 101!

Here's an example all of you can understand. This is Jimmy. He's a typical Swampscott High School student. It's a 90 degree day and he's chilling out in a tank top and shorts. He's looking good.

Now...It's still 90 degrees and he adds two layers of clothes. He begins to sweat and feel dizzy.

Now he puts on an Eskimo snow suit! His body begins to rebel. He's nauseous, sweating profusely, and his bodily systems begin to shut down...he's about to pass out! The extra layering (like the thickening C02) is trapping in all the heat and disturbing the natural bodily processes...just like what's happening to the Earth.

There were about ten more slides that discussed topics such as CO2 emissions, electricity usage, and simple solutions that even someone like "Jimmy" could do to help make a difference. I put the whole presentation together over the weekend, and gave the chat on Monday AM. It was a great experience to talk to so many young folks. If anyone is interested in seeing the rest, drop me an email, and I'll happily share it.

Philippe and Pierre Logo

2007-10-27T12:43:00.000-05:00

I have been working with my good friend Matt Moore on the Philippe and Pierre branding/website. Things are slowly progressing, but nonetheless things are moving along with production. Eight shorts (plus two trailers) are fully storyboarded and animation begins this week. More updates to follow!

VOTE FOR ELEPHANTS!

2007-10-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

The Sky is Falling Public Service Announcement I directed is a finalist in a major global warming PSA contest. Celebrity judges, including (Cameron Diaz, George Clooney!), narrowed it down to 20 and now the public determines the winner. If you could pass/post/email this on to friends and family, that'd be awesome.

Please let people know they need to create a free account. It takes 30 seconds to set up...it's a tad annoying, but well worth it. The link to the site is here:

Go to the current TV Ecospot contest here!

My video is the one entitled, 'THE SKY IS FALLING" by dmartist9. Please get folks to vote for it! Every single vote counts, so spread the word!

Elephants Win!

2007-10-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

I woke up this AM at 5:40 and stumbled over to my computer to check my mail and read the news. I received an email notifying me that the PSA I directed, The Sky is Falling, won an award at this years Best in the SW motion graphics festival.

Monster Mash

2007-10-16T00:45:00.000-05:00

A client asked me to draw a picture of a monster for his five-year old son. I couldn't resist and doodled this right away.

Color Studies

2007-10-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to nail down the Philippe and Pierre background designs. This afternoon I worked on a couple quick color studies. These took me about 20 minutes each because I'm more interested in the capturing the color and light, than getting anal over the little details. More to come...

Philippe and Pierre...Type!

2007-10-10T19:41:00.000-05:00

So, the production of The Idiotic Adventures of Philippe and Pierre is in full swing. I'm working with a small team of monstrously talented folks to produce eight one-minute episodes. I'm trying to nail down the little odds and ends such as type treatments and website crapola. These are some sketches that I whipped up this afternoon. Hopefully, I'll be posting something of real substance soon...but in the meantime, this is all you're getting.

Memories...in the corner of my mind.

2007-10-02T20:31:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago, I was a senior in high school and didn't take art all that seriously. I was more interested in being President of my class and other nerdy things. However, it's amazing I still drew as much as I did. I recently came across a pile of old drawings from that time. These images were created between the fall of '97 and spring of '98...talk about different styles!

Boing!

2007-09-26T19:53:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I don't even know where I come up with this stuff.

50th POST!

2007-09-19T13:18:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm concentrating on personal projects, I've been plugging away on the Philippe and Pierre animations. I'm finalizing the thumbnails and working on the overall design.

Here are a couple of the background styles I'm playing with.

Overload

2007-09-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

With so much going on right now...this image sums it all up:

So long Wordgirl, it's been fun!

2007-09-11T12:06:00.000-05:00

For the last year-and-a-half, I've been working at the fine animation studio, Soup 2 Nuts. During the last six-plus months, I've been working as a thumbnail artist on the great new show, The Colossal Adventures of Wordgirl. During this time, I've learned a ton about production, story, animation, and design.

However, I've decided to hang up the old saddle/wacom pen and head off into the sunset. I am taking a sabbatical hoping to work on my writing and artwork. I want to push my work into children's animation and publishing, and I found that after an 8-10 hour day, I was too pooped to focus on my own art. I think every artist faces this at one time or another. It's a bit of a risk, but I'm excited for the creative days that lie ahead. I am now a fulltime freelancer so I hoping to balance my own work with side projects.

I'll try to keep the work coming...although some of it's top secret...sorry.

Ye shipwreck!!!

2007-09-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

So...I've been busy working on the short animations I mentioned a few posts ago. In between making headway on them and doodling in my sketchbook, I've been drawing on newspaper photos. It's officially a new hobby of mine! I liked this one because I grew up on the ocean. As a kid, I always imagined there lived a sea monster in the Swampscott Bay.

Cupcakes...Not Johnny Cupcakes!

2007-08-29T19:09:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was asked by Hasbro Toys to design a T-Shirt for an upcoming employee event where they'd be making cupcakes. The only catch was that I could only use one color...here's some sketches and the final shirt, which I got in the mail yesterday!

Damn Newspapers!

2007-08-28T20:34:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning to find another strange picture on the front of the Boston Globe...somehow I think they are making fun of President Bush in this image.

A similar thing happened a couple months back.

Philippe Animation Test

2007-08-18T19:32:00.000-05:00

So...in my last post, I mentioned that I have been working on some new animated shorts. I whipped up this little test today. As the title of this post suggests, the character's name is Philippe. I will be working with a very talented character animator on this project. I'll upload more artwork as the production gets underway.

Click the link for test!

Animation Thoughts

2007-08-16T20:18:00.000-05:00

So...I've been working on a series of animated shorts lately. I want to work on timing and acting in my animated films so I've been looking at the greatest director in animation history...Mr. Chuck Jones. I've been studying old Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, and Warner Brother's cartoons. They're simply amazing. It's no wonder why this time period is referred to as the "Golden Age of Animation". After working in an animation studio for the last year-and-a-half, I've come to learn that studios look to cut as many corners as possible. Budgets are streamlined, schedules are trimmed, and the workload is excessive. All of these things lead to animation that lacks real movement and character. Directors are forced to take shortcuts and the product gets watered-down. The more I work in a studio, the more frustrated I become. In the end, it's more about the bottom line than it is about ground-breaking animation and storytelling.

Enough of my rants! Here's something to take away from my rambling. This short features Bugs Bunny and Elmer. Compare this piece of art to any flash show on TV. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. Enjoy!

Where I've been

2007-08-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Most people take vacations to recharge their battery and unwind...not me. I took a vacation to become more tired, but there's a good reason why. After living in Providence for almost two years, I finally moved back to the Boston area. It's been a hellish process, but I'm finally moved, unpacked, and settled. The best part about my new place is that I have a huge studio all to myself. There will be lots of creating in the upcoming weeks now that I have a place to call my own...Stay tuned.