Tom LaBaff Studio

04/14/2022

New episode!

03/01/2022

Sneak peek at today's artists. Starts in 25 minutes. Also a reference to open mic nights. Come have a look! Link in comments.

01/28/2021

I'm giving most of it away! 20 years of original artwork 🔥🔥🔥

After a couple decades working in animation, I’m switching gears to fine art and I need to make room for new pieces.

It’s time to purge!

My mission is to turn people into art collectors, so every Friday, I mail 5 random pieces to 5 people on my mailing list.

The kind of art varies wildly. It could any of the following:

✔️original OOP production drawings from Disney’s Mulan (the animated version)
✔️full color illustrations from published children’s books. (i.e., Scholastic)
✔️spot illustrations from magazines (i.e., Wall Street Journal)
✔️storyboard drawing/sketches from various animated films
✔️funny personal drawings
✔️illustrations for Pl***oy
✔️character design sketches
✔️editorial cartoons
✔️comic strips galore
✔️the list goes on!

I’ve got tons! If your name gets selected when I pick 5 each Friday, I’ll notify you, you’ll send me a S.A.S.E (legal or letter-sized), and boom! That’s it.

Not a bad deal, right?

And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Tom

12/13/2020

Pink Ink

My long time friend Tom Bancroft is the new owner of this original piece.

This was an idea for a children's book about an entrepreneurial young girl named Pink. She decided, against her parent's wishes, to open her own tattoo shop in the backyard shed.

In the story, she became an overnight success, which inspired the other neighborhood kids to open their own underground tattoo parlors. This triggered an all-out inking brawl of misfit, unlicensed kids who inked horrible designs on people all over their town.

As you can imagine, the idea didn't fly with publishers. I was told it'd never pass the parent test. Since parents are the ones who actually buy kids books. I mean, come on, parents, what could possibly go wrong? Was it the part where Pink used her little sister's arm for practice?

Bancroft, I hope you enjoy this memory. I'd better see this one framed! Original art is forever.

I'm giving away 5 pieces every Friday until my stash is gone.

Get on my mailing list for a chance to win! Link in comments.

Tom

I've found 20+ years of original artwork I've created over the years and I'm giving it away! Art is meant to be seen, not locked up in a dark attic. Every Friday, I mail 5 random pieces to 5 random people on my mailing list.

11/29/2020

Congrats to Kristy P., the new owner of this original artwork.

Back in October, I began giving away art I did in my younger days. It’s incredible how much I remember what was happening around the time when I did these.

I remember doing this airbrushed piece just after I left my Disney internship. At the time, some good friends of mine (Amy and John S.) knew I was about to become a starving artist, so, feeling sorry for me, they let me live in a little house they owned in Clearwater, Florida.

The best thing: the house was rent-free, and it was all mine! Very different than sharing an apartment in Orlando with 5 dudes (one that shed like a dog. Love you, Brian B). The worst thing: it was in a crack neighborhood. But I didn’t care. I was on my own, living the life of an independent artist.

My first night in Clearwater, I remember lying on the waterbed staring at the exterior walls. The wood rot was so bad, I could see THROUGH the walls. The street lights would shine through. Rats, mosquitoes, squirrels, snakes would come and go as they pleased.

I did this self-promo piece to prove to ad agencies I could do product illustration. And probably because I was hungry. It ended up getting me my first freelance advertising gig, which paid $500. That money stretched for months! You know how much ramen noodles you can buy with $500? LOL

Kristy, thanks for bringing me down memory lane, and I’m glad this piece found a home with you.

If you’re an art collector and want in on this free giveaway, get on my list! 5 original pieces of art every Friday. Original art is forever! Link in comments.

~Tommy

09/09/2017

My dad just told me about a website that FPL uses for predictions. It's called Ventusky.com
You can select 'wind gusts' or 'sustained winds' to give you an idea what to expect. In this example I made, it's for 3AM on Monday when we're all not going to be getting much sleep. Look around not just your yard, but your neighbor's yard and secure anything that won't be able to handle 90mph gusts.

Share this with your network please!

The name itself, Ventusky, is a combination of two words. The first is the Latin word, Ventus, means wind, and the second is the English word, Sky.

07/22/2017

So this week was pretty amazing. Me and my long time pal and golf buddy Skip Bowers got the opportunity to direct and shoot a couple of commercials with some seriously talented young lady golfers. We couldn’t have wished for a nicer course to shoot at, and we lucked out with great weather! All the footage is now in the very capable hands of our editor. Go Skip go! This video below was just some testing I did with my Go Pro. The real camera work was handled by the award winning Mike Kushner in the role of DP. Stay tuned for more!

05/26/2017

'Undercover Sarah' in a few disguises as she hustled her way to the top and claimed the title - Sole Survivor!

03/21/2017

03/17/2017

Epic Live Sketch Brawl coming up: The Art of Aaron Blaise and Jon Lam duke it out on the digital canvas drawing a Sea Monkey! Like my page to get notified!

03/15/2017

Tomorrow on Sketch Brawl, there will be blood. Literally. James Cook vs. Bob Lizarraga compete to draw and paint a ‘Vampire Steak.” James uses cow’s blood and Bob pulls a trick out of his hat as well. You won’t want to miss this one. 3 pm EST. Be there! Bob Lizarraga James L. Cook