Urbancowfolks (Los Desperados TV) Blog

Cheeto

2012-03-15T09:50:00.002-07:00

LD Poster

2012-02-20T11:54:00.001-08:00

Lumberjack Slam

2012-02-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

My friend Corey Capetillo is working on a website detailing his drunken adventures with friends, while dressing up as Lumberjacks. He commissioned me to come character that could be representation of his Lumberjack Slams. This was one of those commissions that was right up my alley and was SUPER fun too do. Corey gave me creative freedom to do what I want, but also gave me some references to help guide me along to what his vision was, but made it known that he did not want "lock me down". The process was that I did a bunch of sketches, before I arrived at one in which I was happy with. I then scanned the sketch, tweaked it a little in Photoshop (lengthened the leg length, etc), then in Illustrator I did the illustration. Happy to say that Corey loved it.

Walker

2012-01-27T16:09:00.001-08:00

Illustration of Walker Redmond.

Sydney Redmond

2012-01-26T11:36:00.000-08:00

Working on a commission for the John Redmond family. This is eldest daughter Sydney. I'll be illustrating their son Walker and other daughter Lily as well, then put them together and add background...

Andrea

2012-01-24T11:40:00.001-08:00

Loyalty

2012-01-23T10:04:00.001-08:00

This commissioned illustration will be put on an empty bottle of Knob Creek...

Rob & Fred WIP

2012-01-21T22:23:00.001-08:00

A work in progress of Rob & Fred. Going to add in cactus' and possibly text under the characters. The final will be put on a bottle of Knob Creek that Rob sent me.

Said Captain.... Say Wot...

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Cast of Characters

2012-01-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Been working on giving life to cast of character I've had living in my brain. Hooked up with an old friend, Dan Lundin, who has the writing skills to create a universe for these Desperados. Really excited about this project.... stay tuned.

Southern Comfort

2012-01-06T15:14:00.001-08:00

Superman

2012-01-05T16:02:00.000-08:00

Momentum

2011-12-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Batman for Matt

2011-12-31T14:27:00.001-08:00

Another Batman commission done!

Process of Creation: Holmes Clock

2011-12-27T13:13:00.001-08:00

The Buchner's

2011-12-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

Catwoman Finished!

2011-12-23T09:10:00.001-08:00

Catwoman

2011-12-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

Just about finished with this Catwoman piece. I've added in some wood grains on the window sill and bookshelf since this vid.....

Holmes WIP... A little Further Along...

2011-12-19T13:53:00.001-08:00

A little further along. Next add in the trailer home and cactus....

Holmes WIP

2011-12-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Whitson Sisters

2011-12-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

Erin

2011-12-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

Emily

2011-12-15T12:03:00.001-08:00

Lacey

2011-12-15T11:50:00.001-08:00

Batman

2011-12-12T14:53:00.000-08:00

Just finished this painting for Michael Duffy. Now on to a Catwoman piece that will be the companion to this.

Eight

2011-12-12T10:37:00.001-08:00

The Making of Eight

2011-12-10T19:46:00.001-08:00

Video of the process of making a commissioned illustration.

Inking Batman

2011-12-08T11:20:00.000-08:00

Short clip of me inking a Batman painting...

Smokin' Batman WIP

2011-12-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

This is a work in progress of a painting I'm commissioned to do. This one will be a pair, along with a painting of Catwoman.

Los Desperados TV Prints Available thru Calavera Company

2011-12-01T12:10:00.001-08:00

Desert Skies Print

2011-11-30T18:08:00.001-08:00

I will be offering affordable prints through Calavera Art Company. This is the first of many to come. Here is where you can purchase one:
http://www.calaveracompany.com/products/desert-skies

Thanks for the support,

T

Emo

2011-11-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

Lacy WIP

2011-11-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Work in progress of a commissioned piece. Sketched, "inked", and now will work on colors and background. Not sure yet on the color scheme, but more than likely the inked line will be more tonal to the overall color way, instead of black lines.... but who knows.

Sketchbook 11/14/11

2011-11-14T17:39:00.001-08:00

A page from my sketchbook.....

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone. I really enjoy this time of the year. The vibe is amazing, creepy, yet full of sharing. Here is a little image I made in the spirit of this fun day.

If you like this image, I'm going to offer this as a 13"X19" print on Fine Art Photo Rag paper. Each print will be hand signed. $40 including shipping to anywhere in the US. International shipments add $10.

Hit me up at tom.vadakan@mac.com if interested in this print.

Happy Haunting!

T

Work Space

2011-10-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Working on Animation #2

2011-10-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm working on my 2nd short animation, this time I'll be putting it together in Flash. This is my 1st attempt using Flash, and I'm learning as I'm doing it. Here is a screen cap of a frame.....

Sketches for Animation #2

2011-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Working on building the characters for the next animation. Still not sure if I'm going to do this next one in Flash or continue to do it "ghetto" style....

Desert Love (Higher Res)

2011-10-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a higher quality version of my Desert Love animation, for those who are viewing via a computer...

Desert Love

2011-10-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at making an animation. Always wanted to have my characters move, but really didn't know how to do it. Bought some animation programs and a few books, but I'm a bit impatient..... Also couldn't get the animation programs to get the look and feel I want.... so I sort of did this the "DIY" way.... the animation is raw and the transitions are rough, but I hope that adds to the charm. This is the first of what I hope to be many more.... I'm sure they will get better as I figure things out....

Los Desperados Animation?

2011-10-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to make a short animation. I have never done one and really can't get into reading tutorials on how to make one, so I'm just going to figure things out my own way. It's going to be crude, but that is part of the charm, I hope. Here is the main character with background elements..... there will be a female character as well.... Stay tuned...

Process of Creating "Bandit Girl" Icon

2011-09-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

I recently was hired to come up with an album cover text logo for Yonder Music artist Stephanie Fagan. Knowing that they will also want to make merch I decided to also create an "icon", something simple but strong.... The "Emily the Strange" character image came to mind, because it's so identifiable, so I wanted to create something that was simple and had that same kind of "power". Stephanie's album is called "Heart Thief" so an image of a "bandit" came to mind.

Above is a sequence of how the Bandit Girl icon was created. First I looked at photo's of Stephanie on her FB page. I then took out a pad of paper and quickly sketched with simplicity in mind, but that it's no doubt an image of Ms. Fagan. For the geeks, I love sketching with Color-Tex non-photo blue pencils. I just like how they feel. Once I got the image I liked, I then light-boxed it and hand inked it, using Windsor & Newton series 7 brushes. From there I then scanned it and re-traced it in Illustrator, making it a vector file, which now can be sized at any size and retain it's sharpness.

This was a super fun project for me, one in which the execution matched the expectations of my initial vision. That doesn't always happen. The bonus is that the client loved it!

Seasick Steve

2011-02-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

"Heavy"

2010-11-30T23:52:00.001-08:00

"Heavy" (Wata from the band Boris)
11" X 14"
Mixed Media on Canvas

"Lovesick Blues"

2010-11-30T23:51:00.001-08:00

Bowie Collective Limited Edition Print

2010-11-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

This limited edition print is now available at Pomp Vulture. Hand signed and numbered. Get yours today!

"Bowie Collective Print"

GHETTO JUICE_BOWIE COLLECTIVE PRINT

2010-11-01T17:01:00.001-07:00

This is a print design I just finished for the upcoming Ghetto Juice "Bowie Collective" show. I'll have these for sale at the show and then through Pomp Vulture.

Bowie Collective Print... WIP2

2010-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

GJ...Bowie Collective...WIP

2010-10-28T17:43:00.001-07:00

Ghetto Juice is having their 3rd issue release party in a few weeks. Here is a little something I'm working on for the show...... the unofficial show poster.... will be available at the show at Mesa in Costa Mesa on November 9th.... and also via www.pompvulture.com

Vultures...

2010-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here is one I did today, just for the sake of doing it....

Scarlet

2010-09-29T00:37:00.000-07:00

"Scarlet" is a new bi-monthly comic series by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Here is my take on her.....

"Willie"

2010-09-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to see Willie Nelson tonight at the Greek.

On The Road Again

2010-09-23T15:42:00.001-07:00

Here is my little sketch of the day. A tribute of sort to Willie Nelson, whom I am going to see tomorrow evening.

WONDER

2010-09-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sketch done in Photoshop.....

"Transition" Show at HURLEY...Huge Success!

2010-07-15T00:57:00.000-07:00

Los Desperados Art Banditos / Bat Skates show, "TRANSITION", at Hurly on July 10th was a huge success. Great turnout, great art, great music..... it was just about perfect. Still coming down from the high.....

Cat Skates.....

2010-06-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

A piece I'm currently working on for the Los Desperados / Bat Skates "Transition" show...

WIP - Hand Painted Skate deck for the "Transition" show..

2010-06-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Working on a hand painted skateboard deck for the Bat Skates/Los Desperados Art Banditos "Transition" show. Sketch the image straight to the board using an oil wash (oil/turpentine) and then blocked in some green using interior flat house paint. Will see where this takes me next....

"Transition"

2010-06-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this great event. A collaboration between Los Desperados Art Banditos & Bat Skates. HURLEY will be hosting the show at their Head Quarters in Costa Mesa.

A Small Section of a Large Painting....

2010-06-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

A small section of a large 6'X4' painting I'm working on for the "Transition" show.....

1974

2010-06-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a small section of a large 6'X4' painting I'm working on for the upcoming Los Desperados / Bat Skates collaboration show "Transition", which will be at HURLEY on July 10th.

Twang

2010-03-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

Video of me painting "Twang" for the upcoming Los Desperados show at Shelter. Music by Steve Soto & the Twisted Hearts.

Dixie Fried.....

2010-02-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Dano's Juke Joint Freak Show Promo

2010-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

Dano will be performing his one man band, opening for Ray Barbee at Los Desperados show at Shelter on March 6th.

Don't miss it.

Los Desperados Art Banditos!!!!!

2010-02-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

I have not updated my blog in a while, but I'm pleased to announce a new art collective I started. Los Desperados Art Banditos are here to take over the world, one art show at a time. Our first show is coming up on March 6th at Shelter in Long Beach.

Los Desperados are:
Tom Vadakan
Big Toe
Candy
Miles Thompson
David Lozeau
g.L&
Will Barton
Ray Barbee
Alex Krastev
Michael DeNicola
Dano Forte's Juke Joint Freak Show

Show:
Saturday March 6th @ 7PM
Shelter Surf Shop
2148 E. 4th St.
Long Beach, CA

DJ's Geaux Geaux and Franki Alvaro will be spinning surf, garage, 60's soul/R&B between sets by Dano's Juke Joint Freak Show & Ray Barbee.

Refreshments sponsored by PRIMO BEER

For more info, please visit www.losdesperadosartbanditos.com

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-12T18:43:00.001-08:00

"Swept Away"

2009-12-03T12:54:00.001-08:00

"Swept Away"
24" X 24"
Acrylic on Wood

K.C. Karl

2009-11-21T16:01:00.001-08:00

Rebel on the Rocks

2009-10-28T09:51:00.001-07:00

Hick: WIP, a little further along....

2009-10-26T00:43:00.001-07:00

A little further along, as I call it a night. Will resume sometime later.

Hick: Work in Progress

2009-10-25T23:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a little work in progress. First is the initial sketch, then the "inking" and "coloring" process done in Illustrator CS3. I'll post the finish illustration when I'm done.

Rock N Roll All Night....

2009-10-08T01:46:00.000-07:00

This is a flyer I did for my friend Chris' birthday bash.

100% Digital

2009-10-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a little process of a "sketch" I did, which was done 100% digitally. Everything from the "blue" line sketch to the "inking" was done on the computer. Just playing around, trying to learn....it's super fun.

Sketch 10/4

2009-10-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't drawn much lately, so it was nice to take out a pad of paper and just sketch, without a reference. I usually like to have a reference to draw from, even if I don't intend to make the character look like the reference. It usually helps. This sketch I just went for it, let the hands move and do it's thing.

"Love of the Loveless"

2009-09-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

This one was done by inking a sketch, the old fashion way with a Winsor Newton Series 7 brush and sumi ink. Scanned into Photoshop and also used Illustrator a bit.

"Love of the Loveless" WIP

2009-09-05T02:02:00.000-07:00

Inked the second figure. Will then refine the inking a little more, then clean up and send to Photoshop to stitch the images together, add some texture, text, color, etc.....I think.

Back in the Saddle Again?

2009-09-04T00:18:00.000-07:00

I have not been updating this blog very much lately. Summer has been too good. Hanging out with the family, going on a few little vacations, lots of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training, and working on album covers. Today after spending the day with my daughter, who is such a prolific little artist (she has notebooks full of great stuff), I was inspired to do start something, for nothing. Meaning, this is not for a show, not for work ($), just something to do. Here is the very beginning stages of the inking process, using a Winsor Newton Series 7 brush, Sumi Ink, & a glass of Southern Comfort to keep me company. So hopefully I'm back in the saddle again.

"Between the Bars"

2009-07-10T14:24:00.001-07:00

"Between the Bars"
Acrylic on Wood

Finishing Up Before the Show

2009-06-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Finishing up the last few paintings for the "Blossoming of the White Lotus II" show.

Son House Letter Stencil

2009-06-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early

2009-06-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

"Elmo & Hezekiah"
16" X 20"
Mixed Media on Wood Panel

Urbancowfolks Studio

2009-05-31T22:23:00.000-07:00

Urbancowfolks Studio workspace May 31, 2009. A little corner in a small house in Long Beach, CA.

Elmo & Hezekiah

2009-05-31T00:45:00.000-07:00

Starting on another painting. Trying to get some done before the "Blossoming of the White Lotus" show which will be on June 12th. This new one is of Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early. Pictured is the stage where I take pieces of vellum and lay on top of the rough sketch. I then trace the sketch on the vellum, which I will later transfer the image onto a wood panel, to then be painted.

Hound Dog Taylor - The Genuine Houserocker

2009-05-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

"Hound Dog Taylor - The Genuine Houserocker"
16" X 20"
Acrylic / Spray paint on Wood Panel

Limited Edition Blues Cats Series 1" Button Badges

2009-05-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

Limited Edition Blues Cats 1" Button Badges from Urbancowfolks Studio. Art/Design by Tom Vadakan. Get yours now....................or don't.

Transfered and Inking

2009-05-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

Image has been transfered to the wood panel and now the "inking" process begins.

Process

2009-05-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

The process in which I've been tackling my current project on blues musicians is as follow. I will make a "rough" sketch to size. I'll take a piece of vellum and "trace" the rough sketch. I'll then place the vellum over the wood panel and then transfer the image on the board. From there I'll "ink" over the transfered image, paint, etc. The final stage is sealing the image with cheapo "Americana" Acrylic Sealer. I typically get the gloss finish one.

This image shows the stage where the vellum is laid on wood panel and I'll proceed to transfer the image. The image is of Hound Dog Taylor, which will be my next painting in the series, that will be shown at Dano's "White Lotus" show on June 12th at the Hurley HQ in Costa Mesa.

Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins

2009-05-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

"Lightnin' Hopkins"
11" X 14"
Mixed media on wood

New painting for Dano's "White Lotus II" show.

Lightnin' Hopkins Sketch

2009-05-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a sketch for my next painting. It's of one of the coolest blues cat that ever was, Mr. Sam "Lightnin' Hopkins.

"Messin' With The Kid"

2009-05-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

"Messin' With The Kid"
9" X 12"
Acrylic/Spray Paint on Wood

This is one in a series of new paintings of blues musicians. I will have these at the Dano Surfboard show which will be on June 12th at the Hurley HQ in Costa Mesa.

More info later.

T

Jr. Wells - WIP

2009-05-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a sketch and painting that is a work in progress of blues harmonica great, Mr. Jr. Wells. I'm painting a small series of blues musicians for the upcoming Dano Surfboards show, that will take place at the Hurley HQ in Costa Mesa on June 12th. I'm pretty much lagging on getting paintings done, so hopefully I'll kick some butt the next few weeks.

Dorham_1524

2009-03-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

When I think of a "classic" Blue Note Record cover, this is the look I think of. I love those covers and am very blessed to be fortunate enough to work on recreating them.

Press Check

2009-03-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's pretty gratifying to see something that you worked on go to print. These are for the inside gatefold of 3 different Blue Note record reissues, put out by the best in the biz, Music Matters, Ltd.

It's a Livin'.....

2009-03-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

I'm very fortunate thus far to be able to "make a living" being independent and working from home. I'm not getting rich any time soon, and my wife has been more than supportive. I'm also super blessed that I get to work on projects that are pretty cool. Some of the work can be long and tedious, while others is a challenge both technically and creatively. Here is a screen capture of one of the more tedious side of things, but it's super rewarding when it's done, and you know the product is going to be that much better, because you took the time and didn't take "short cuts". This images captures part of the process of recreating a classic Blue Note record label, for the classic Eric Dolphy "Out to Lunch" LP.

The Present - Premier in Encinitas, CA

2009-03-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

My good friend Thomas Campbell has made another superb surf movie. We were invited to attend the premier in Encinitas and the event was awesome. Ray Barbee & the Mattson II opened up the event and were amazing. The movie "premier" is touring around right now, catch it if you can.

Digital Sketch 3/5

2009-03-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the day working on a t shirt design for a pretty well known band. The work was drawn and inked by hand, then I sent to Illustrator, using the "live trace" feature. Ha. It's probably more work cleaning that stuff up than if I just "inked" the lines myself in Illustrator. I spent hours "cleaning up lines and curves (and there are still some that I haven't cleaned up yet). After hours of that tedious and frustrating work, I had to do something just do something that I can let loose and be free. Here is my digital sketch for the day. This was all done on my iMac with a Wacom Intuos III tablet and Sketchbook Pro.

An Exercise in Digital sketching....

2009-03-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

Just an exercise in trying to work on sketching digitally. This is 100% done on the computer. Still trying to find my way, messing around. Result is not where it needs to be, but it's a learning process.

Dreamers-Ink WIP 5

2009-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

Added in a third character. I suppose more characters to follow.

Dreamers - Ink of Character 3

2009-03-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

Go Green...Sketch Digitally?

2009-03-03T00:23:00.000-08:00

We are bombarded with "go green" everywhere we go. Companies are selling us "green" product and there are literally tens of thousands "green" merch. "Green" sells. That all said, the idea behind it all, is something each of us should be more conscious of, if we are to have a sustainable planet. I'm guilty to the core of waste. How much paper do I go through each year?

I'm going to work on "sketching" digitally more. I love pencil and paper, the feel... there will always be a place for that (can't take your computer everywhere you go). But I think I'm going to "practice" doing the initial ideas and sketches for my illustrations digitally. Here is a "pencil" sketch I did 100% digitally. As sketches go (not talking a finished pencil drawing), I think it's hard to tell that the difference. There are great programs to use that are pretty intuitive and it's getting closer and closer to using "traditional" tools. I just need to find a program that I feel can "ink" properly.

Dreamers-Ink WIP 4

2009-02-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

Two characters inked. More characters to follow, then coloring, etc.