Curls Studio

Vote for Curls – Advance to Week Two

2012-02-13T01:13:00.006-05:00

Good news: "Curls" has advanced to round two in The Cartoonist Studio competition. The full contest is ten weeks long and I would greatly appreciate your votes. It was hard to determine the exact results from week one, and I do not know if the site posted any, but from what I could tell, Curls positioned around 21st place out of 133 entries. Thank you to everyone who voted last week and helped Curls advance to this week.

If you haven't voted yet, you will need to create an account on thecartooniststudio.com (it only takes one minute). Then search for "Curls" or "Carolyn Belefski" on the voting page and click to cast your vote: http://www.thecartooniststudio.com/Contestant/244/Carolyn-Belefski

If you have been voting, please continue to support the Curls comic strip: http://www.thecartooniststudio.com/Contestant/244/Carolyn-Belefski

You can vote every six hours -- four times a day. Thank you for your time and consideration. I understand it may be difficult to vote every six hours, but please vote when you can or whenever you're online.

The winner receives a run on gocomics.com and the chance to be surrounded by other great comic strips like Luann, Cul de Sac, Garfield, Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, and more. Thanks for making a dream of mine as a cartoonist become one step closer.

XOXO,
Carolyn

VOTE CURLS in The Cartoonist Studio Contest

2012-02-06T01:27:00.010-05:00

I have entered my comic strip "Curls" into The Cartoonist Studio Contest. The competition is going on right now and I'd really appreciate your vote. You will need to create an account on thecartooniststudio.com - then you can cast one vote for one cartoonist every six hours. There are many, many strips in the contest, so your vote does matter. You can vote four times a day -- every six hours.

Search for "Curls" or "Carolyn Belefski" to cast your vote here: http://www.thecartooniststudio.com/Vote

The way I understand how the contest will be run is: there will be ten rounds of voting, one new cartoon per week will be shown from each contestant. The lowest 10% of the polls at the end of each week will be eliminated, until the final week where the remaining comic will be the winner. Judges will also determine who will be the final winner. The winner of the contest has the opportunity to run their comic on the gocomics.com website, which is good exposure and could lead to greater things. More eyes on Curls is always a positive thing and if you are a fan of my strip, please consider voting and telling your friends. Thank you for your support!

If you follow me on Twitter or are a fan of Curls Studio on Facebook, please bear with me as I promote the contest. It feels like I have to promote it every 6 hours! Thanks for you patience, in advance.

CURLS CHARACTER SHEET

Freedom of Comics: Trip to the Newseum

2012-01-30T15:09:00.007-05:00

Recently I went on a spontaneous trip to the Newseum in Washington, DC. Being that free tickets were available to use only for that day it was a last minute chance to use or lose. Since I had wanted to check out the new Newseum out for awhile, it was a perfect opportunity to take advantage and save on the $21.95 admission fee. I had previously been to the old location in Arlington many years ago.

This museum is highly recommend, not only because it recognizes journalism, but also because of the reminder it placed on me about the Five Freedoms of Americans (Speech, Press, Religion, Petition, Assembly). In addition I am impressed with the value the museum placed on visual art and how that relates to our society and communication.

I didn't realize cartoons and comics would get as much exposure as they did at the Newseum, which is a welcome surprise. They had a section all about comic strips called "The Funny Pages" and another focusing on the editorial cartoons of Doug Marlette. It was refreshing to see cartoons get as much respect as Pulitzer Prize winning photographs or pieces of the Berlin Wall.

Other sights that were of interest to me were Tom Russert's office, the Unabomber's cabin house, 9/11 gallery featuring the top portion of the Trade Center, some John Dillinger stuff, Daniel Pearl's personal materials, a blurb about Matt Drudge, and a small exhibit on the President's First Dogs. We had a great time and judging from spending over six hours in the museum, I'd say the value is worth the time to recognize our freedoms.

I was reminded of the great independence and privilege cartoonists have about getting their message and stories out and will soon be implementing this more with my comic strip, Curls.

Spotted: Black Magic Tales

2012-01-30T09:13:00.007-05:00

Joe Carabeo spotted our Black Magic Tales story in Indie Comics Magazine #4 at Stories Comics on 5067 Forest Hill Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. If you see any Curls Studio books in your local shop, take a photo and email info@curls-studio.com. We'd love to highlight your adventures.

If you'd like to have Curls Studio books in your local comic store, contact info@curls-studio.com. Thanks!

Comic Creators for Freedom Fundraising is JAN 9-20

2012-01-06T21:25:00.008-05:00

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead

Wednesday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To participate, we formed the Comic Creators for Freedom– a group of over 100 comic book creators who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the past, what is happening today is happening in secret. It won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image! The wallpaper features characters from all over the web, including Girls with Slingshots, The Dreamland Chronicles, Kukuburi, Earthsong Saga, Looking for Group, Love and Capes, The Dreamer, and my comic strip- Curls, plus tons more! Starting this Monday, you can donate to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper.

Above you can see a small version of the wallpaper you will receive if you donate. You can get a sneak peak of a full body Curls in CCF 2012 here: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls/?p=1466

The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from Monday January 9th – 20th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love 146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.

To learn more about the CCA visit www.comiccreatorsforfreedom. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

Del Ray Baby Logo

2011-12-30T14:32:00.003-05:00

Before we officially wrap up 2011, I wanted to post a logo identity I worked on back in August. It is for Del Ray Baby, an online community developed to support, inform, and engage the families with young children in the neighborhood of Del Ray in city of Alexandria, Virginia.

Above you can sneak a peek into my sketch process. I always like to draw with pen and paper before working on the computer. I wanted to create something that wasn't a typical baby thing (rattles, alphabet playing blocks, etc.). My inspirations were a sun and moon reference as a fresh take on the Ying and Yang symbolism.

Something that interested me was making sure it can be for boy or girl with a neutral color reference that evokes happiness in the cheerful, bright smile. Another great thing is that it can be viewed as one or two faces working together (if you have more than one child). This logo has global recognition and is an easy read.

The Del Ray Baby logo is now on merchandise such as onesies, shirts, water bottles, tote bags, and more.

It was a fun project and I hope I'll be able to do more freelance work in the future.

Available for Freelance Work
If you are are creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2011

2011-12-27T09:19:00.001-05:00

Being the last week of the year, I thought it would be beneficial to recap the experiences Curls Studio had in 2011. We had 13 tour stops this year, with a total of 20 or so days dedicated "behind the table" - WOW - that's almost a month in table time. In addition to that, we also had a handful of talk shows, podcasts, and other appearances. Below is our 2011 tour schedule with links to event recaps and photos to each event, so you can click to read all about the events.

2011 TOUR

APR 10 • Capicons
MAY 22 • Handmade Mart
JUN 12 • Capicons
JUN 19 • DC Comicon
JUL 30 • DC Zinefest
AUG 14 • Philly Alternative Comic Con
AUG 20-21 • Baltimore Comic-Con
SEP 9 • Bleeding the Narrative Panel at UMD
SEP 10-11 • Small Press Expo
SEP 16-18 • Intervention
OCT 13-16 • New York Comic Con
OCT 29-30 • VA Comicon
NOV 30 • GV Expo

In addition to listing appearances, I'd thought it would also be nice to recap specific projects of 2011.

In January, I was the first guest of the year on the talk show You, Me, Them, Everybody and it was fun although the bar was very loud. It was also the first time I was on a live show. I participated in Hourly Comic Day for the first time in February. In March and April, I was plugging away on my webcomic, Curls. Around this time also saw the release of Magic Bullet #2, a Washington, DC based comics newspaper which published our Black Magic Tales story, "Good Enough." In May, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes talked about Curls Studio on their podcast, Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs. I was also selected to create a monster for Pleasant Plains Workshop and their exhibit, We Are Monsters. The original handcrafted MASER monster sold and was later featured in Curls comic strips. Click here to begin the MASER storyline in Curls. In June, Joe was interviewed live on the You, Me, Them, Everybody talk show. I contributed art to Team Cul De Sac in honor of Richard Thompson's great comic. The book will be available on June 15, 2012 and I am very excited for it. One of my favorite events of the year was meeting international political cartoonists at The National Press Club. I loved it because it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I appreciated their courage and cultures. It was something I had never experienced before and I think that is why it was enjoyable. In July, August, and September, we were hard at work preparing for the fall conventions. Baltimore Comic-Con, SPX, Intervention, NYCC, and VA Comicon felt like they wear all back-to-back weekends. I'm not gonna lie - the entire fall felt like I was on a spin cycle. We were also guests on the MOKA Podcast and JellyVision. I was asked to speak with on a panel called "Bleeding the Narrative: Comics in Art and Culture" with Jim Rugg, Robert Ullman, Monica Gallagher, and Alexis E. Fajardo at the University of Maryland. At SPX, our comics we selected to be included in the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress and we gave away a Curls Canvas Print from Easy Canvas Prints. I was interview by Michael O’Connell about Curls and webcomics for an article in The Connection newspapers. In October, a bunch of Curls comic strips were published in Indie Comics Magazine #3. The main highlight of the month was exhibiting at New York Comic Con and tabling next to Bob Camp, co-creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, in Artist Alley. At NYCC, we also had the opportunity of hosting our panel, "The Other Side of The Table: Lessons from Creators." The panelists included Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), David Gallaher (High Moon, BOX 13) Reilly Brown (Amazing Spider-Man, Power Play) and myself - Carolyn Belefski (Curls, The Legettes). The panel was moderated by Joe Carabeo. Astray Productions filmed the panel and hopefully it will be released online soon. If you can't wait for the footage, take a listen to the audio here, from our podcast The Carolyn & Joe Show. Speaking of the podcast, it has been released every Tuesday and we are currently on episode 154. That's pretty monumental! That same month, we exhibited at VA Comicon for the first time and got to meet the creator of The Crow, James O’Barr! In November, I made a Harvey Head for Harvey Pekar's Kickstarter campaign and was a guest blogger for a second edition of selections for Jimmy Palmiotti's Sexy Monday feature on his blog. Joe and I also spoke on the topic of "having fun" at the GV Expo, the East Coast’s largest pro video and broadcast expo. December started out nicely with the honor of having one of my Curls comic strips selected to be published in the Philadelphia City Paper‘s special Comics Issue, celebrity judged by Art Baxter. Curls Studio closed the year by giving away issues of Indie Comics Magazine #4, which feature our Black Magic Tales story, "How Roxy and Dean Stole Christmas."

Whew. That was a mind-blowing year. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted just recapping that! Exhausted - in a good way! We hope you enjoyed all the activities Curls Studio has done this year. Thank you to our fans who read comics, listen to our radio show, and attend our convention appearances. We really appreciate your enthusiasm about what we do and hope to be creating more for you in the future. There's already material we've completed that will be released in 2012 - but we can talk about it just yet. Stay 'tooned.

Curls Studio loves having fun. Happy 2012 to everyone. Make it fun.

Curls Studio Holiday Giveaway Contest

2011-12-12T21:45:00.013-05:00

Ho! Ho! Ho! In honor of the holiday season and to celebrate our story, Black Magic Tales: How Roxy and Dean Stole Christmas, Curls Studio is giving away one copy of Indie Comics Magazine #4 to two lucky winners. Two people will win!

HOW TO ENTER (Do All Three Steps to Enter, Please)
1.) Like Curls Studio on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-Studio/50763422380)
2.) Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/carolynbelefski)
3.) Tweet the following message: "Win a Indie Comics Magazine Christmas comic book featuring Black Magic Tales from Curls Studio http://www.curls-studio.com/curls #christmascrime"

Contest starts now (Monday, December 12, 2011 at 10PM EST) and ends Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 10 AM EST. Winners will be announced on Saturday, December 17, 2011.

Ask your local comic shop to order Indie Comics Magazine #4. Good Luck and Happy Holidays from Curls Studio!

Curls in Comic Creators for Freedom 2012

2011-12-12T20:39:00.002-05:00

In January, I'll be taking part in a fundraiser event called Comic Creators for Freedom: Fighting Together to End Human Trafficking. (You may remember this organization for the past two years as Comic Creators Alliance, but they have since changed names as to not be confused with AOL's Comics Alliance.)

We’re a group of Comic Book Creators, who have come together, volunteering our artistic talents to raise money for the purpose of ending human trafficking in the world. Each comic creator who participates contributes an original drawing of one of their female characters. We compile all of these images into one single wallpaper, available for download when people donate to the cause! The hope is that readers will be excited to participate in our donations drive, and that the wallpaper will be used to generate interest in the project. All of your favorite characters on one screen!

This year's theme is Epic Snowball Fight, as you can see in the image above, my character, Curls, is prepared to fight! We hope you are able to donate January 9-20, 2012 to receive the complete downloadable wallpaper. Want to participate? Find out what you need to do to get involved here!

The Problem:
There are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide -- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.

Here is the art for 2011 and 2010: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/search/label/Comic%20Creator%27s%20Alliance

Stay tuned for more information during our January 9-20, 2012 donation drive. I'm excited to see the complete wallpaper!

All-New Secret Identity #36 Podcast

2011-12-12T10:47:00.004-05:00

We met Brian LeTendre at New York Comic Con 2011. He interviewed us for his weekly podcast and the interview is part of the episode posted today for the Creator Spotlight for this week. Listen to the episode here: http://secretidentity.podomatic.com/entry/2011-12-12T03_35_28-08_00

Thanks to Brian for the interview and we hope everyone checks out more episodes of his podcast.

All-New Secret Identity #36 Podcast

Reviews
Flash Fordon: Zeitgeist #1
Valen the Outcast #1
New Avengers #18
Star Wars: Agent of the Empire #1
Justice League Dark #3

Creator Spotlight: Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo
Brian spoke to the creative duo behind Curls Studio and the comics Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes at NYCC 2011. For more info, head over to www.curls-studio.com, where you can also read the Curls webcomic that Carolyn does twice weekly.

Philadelphia City Paper's Comics Issue

2011-12-03T02:18:00.005-05:00

My comic strip Curls was selected to be published in the Philadelphia City Paper's special Comics Issue, celebrity judged by Art Baxter (who also did the cover above). The physical newspaper is available on newsstands this week in Philly! Take a look online here: http://www.citypaper.net/cover_story/2011-12-01-city-paper-comics-issue.html

Thanks to Philadelphia City Paper for having a comics issue and spotlighting comics in print.

Recap: GV Expo 2011

2011-12-02T19:25:00.000-05:00

Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo spoke on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 as part of the annual DC Metro Final Cut Users Group special event taking place at the Government Video Expo, the East Coast’s largest pro video and broadcast expo.

It was interesting because most of the other speakers there were discussing very high tech stuff, such as the Arri Alexa camera and Autodesk Smoke. Curls Studio and Astray Productions presented some of our latest work along with glimpses of our how our process works while focusing on the topic of fun and how you can interject elements of yourself into projects to make it fun. I hope the attendees really appreciated our presentation and believe it was refreshing to see some practical effects and low tech innovation. We also made a film around one minute long that encompasses all 365 of my Sketch Before Sleep illustrations. I think it turned out to be really amazing.

We gave away a mystery box in the raffle at the end of the day. It's confidential.

Thanks to Rodney Mitchell (who is pictured with Joe and I in the photo above) for inviting us to speak.

Speaking at GV Expo on Nov. 30

2011-11-22T12:35:00.007-05:00

On Wednesday, November 30, 2011 as part of the annual DC Metro Final Cut Users Group special event taking place at the Government Video Expo, Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo will be bringing their own brand of fun by speaking live at this amazing event. This will definitively be a happening not to be missed, especially if you’ve heard their weekly podcast, The Carolyn & Joe Show!

Register now to attend the East Coast’s largest pro video and broadcast expo. It's free to attend.

Agenda
• Smoke on Mac Demo with Autodesk's Ken La Rue! Demo on a MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt!
• Carolyn and Joe - Meet the creators of Curls Studio and Astray Productions and their hostile world domination of COMICS, DESIGN, FILM, PHOTOGRAPHY and more!
• Dennis Boni showcases the amazing ARRI ALEXA camera
• Keynote - Gary Adcock
• Robbie Carman - Colorist
• Toolfarm Plug-in Demo (Dan Warvi/Michele Yamazaki)
• Jeff Greenberg
• Winner's Circle Raffle

Guest Blogger for Jimmy Palmiotti's SEXY MONDAY

2011-11-21T09:40:00.003-05:00

Today I did a guest blog for Jimmy Palmiotti's Sexy Monday - which you should certainly subscribe to. Normally he selects images of sexy ladies, but this week I mixed things up and added some men.

Jimmy is the writer of Painkiller Jane, The Pro, Jonah Hex, Power Girl, the upcoming Queen Crab, and more!

Check out today's SEXY MONDAY #96: http://jimmypalmiotti.blogspot.com/2011/11/sexy-monday-96-special-guest.html

Also be sure to check out last year's Sexy Monday if you missed it.

Thanks again to Jimmy for the opportunity. Let us know which image is most sexy to you in the comments on Jimmy's blog.

Harvey Pekar Kickstarter

2011-11-20T20:30:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone,

There are two weeks more to go with the "Harvey Pekar Library Statue: Comics as Art & Literature Desk" Kickstarter fundraiser and during this time, I ask you please consider donating. If you donate $10 or more, contact me at info[at]curls-studio.com and I will mail you a 5"x5" signed print of my Harvey Head illustration, which is shown above.

I met Harvey in 2005 when I was a volunteer at Small Press Expo. Joe and I have fond memories of only being around him for brief moments.

So if you have some extra change, consider donating to the Kickstarter. Joyce also suggested having an American Splendor viewing party and passing a laptop (or hat) around to raise money. Either way, if Harvey impacted you life in comics, as a artist or writer, or life observations in general... please consider this project.

Thanks,
Carolyn

Nominate Curls for Comic Riffs Webcomics of 2011

2011-11-17T11:49:00.003-05:00

If you're a fan of my comic strip, Curls -- please consider nominating it for The Washington Post's Comic Riffs ‘BEST’ WEBCOMICS OF 2011.

You can nominate by e-mailing "comicriffs@washpost.com" or posting in the comments on this Comic Riffs blog: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/best-webcomics-of-2011-an-open-call-for-nominations/2011/11/17/gIQAuQiVUN_blog.html

Thanks so much for your support.

XOXO,
Carolyn

Toast of the Town takes New York!

2011-11-07T13:56:00.005-05:00

On Monday, October 17, 2011 Toast of the Town (character from the Curls comic strip) visited the city of New York after his appearance at New York Comic Con.

The first place he went to was Central Park. After his romantic time there, he headed to Occupy Wall Street for their one month anniversary.

Toast also showed his respects at the World Trade Center Memorial. He hopes to make another trip to New York next year.

Where would you like to see Toast? Email "info[at]curls-studio.com" and let us know.

Recap: VA Comicon OCT. 29-30

2011-10-31T11:16:00.011-04:00

This past weekend, October 29-30, 2011, was the VA Comicon at Crowne Plaza West, our first comic show in Richmond, Virginia. It also marked the show's 25th anniversary and the retirement of show promoter Brett Carreras. Curls Studio was part of the "Small Press Pavilion of Terror."

The main thrill for Joe and I was meeting James O'Barr, creator of The Crow.

I picked up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles exclusive from IDW Publishing, which features a special Christmas cover with a Richmond monument. I also got my portfolio reviewed by the master painter and VCU alum, Mark Wheatley. He offered some great tips and is a very wonderful asset to the comics community.

On Saturday there was a charity art auction held across the street at AMF Bowling. A lot of really amazing art and really great deals. The Small Press Pavilion of Terror Giant Sketchcard jam piece auctioned for $100 and featured art from everyone in the small press room.

On Sunday, Joe and I were invited to be on the "Small Press Chit-Chat" panel with Dan Nokes, plus Ben Taylor and Chris Otto of the comic strip, A Dog's Life. The audio from this panel will be available tomorrow as this week's Carolyn & Joe Show.

There was also a fun costume contest on Sunday and being the day before Halloween there were a lot of amazing costumes parading around. Thanks to all who have attended VA Comicon - we hope to see you again sometime soon!

Check out more photos in the Curls Studio “VA Comicon - October 29-30, 2011” Photo Album on Facebook and "like" us.

Al Butler interviews Curls Studio at NYCC 2011

2011-10-25T11:18:00.010-04:00

Al Butler dropped by the Curls Studio table in Artist Alley to interview Curls Studio (Joe Carabeo and Carolyn Belefski) at New York Comic Con 2011. We discuss the comics we are into, as well as our comics (Curls, Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales, The Legettes).

Here is the link to the interview, take it for a read: http://iknowwhypeoplehateme.blogspot.com/2011/10/carolyn-belefski-and-joe-carabeo.html

And here is Al's full NYCC 2011 recap: http://iknowwhypeoplehateme.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-york-comic-con.html

Photos by Al Butler.

VA Comicon is OCT. 29-30

2011-10-24T09:44:00.008-04:00

Curls Studio will be exhibiting in the Small Press Pavilion of Terror this coming weekend at VA Comicon. This is the show's 25th anniversary and our first time exhibiting at VA Comicon. The main reason why we wanted to be at this show is because James O'Barr, creator of The Crow, will be there.

The VA Comicon is at the Crowne Plaza West (6531 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230) on Saturday and Sunday October 29-30 from 10AM to 4PM! There will be a Costume Contest Sunday afternoon with $500 in cash prizes! Admission is only $10 for the whole weekend and children under 12 are free with a paying adult.

I will have large 12" x 12" prints of some of my more haunting Sketch Before Sleep illustrations on matte linen paper available for purchase: Beetlejuice, Elvira, Shrunken Head Guy from Beetlejuice, Frankenstein, Uncle Fester...

In addition Joe and I will be speaking at "Small Press Chit-Chat" with Dan Nokes on Sunday from 11:30 to 11:55AM. View the programming schedule in the image above to find out more.

Small Press Pavilion of Terror: James O’Barr, Blue Milk Special, Mark Bode, Dan Fogel, Chris Otto, Curls Studio, Iconograph Studios, Jason Crawley, Bill Meiggs, Bill McKay, Daniel Govar, Dan Nokes/21st Century Sandshark Studios, Jesse Cowan, Matt Slay

Come in costume - let's make it fun! We hope to see you there in all your spookiness.

Recap: New York Comic Con 2011

2011-10-21T10:35:00.017-04:00

Once again, New York Comic Con was a blast! This year was less hectic due to stable pre-planning and we had absolutely no problems with NYCC staff and volunteers - they were excellent! I will break down this blog entry into each of the four days below, as I did last year because it could be easier to digest it as a timeline.

Thursday, October 13, 2011
We started the day at 4:30AM to leave and drive in directly to the Javits Center and unload our table materials. Joe and I brought Brian along with us for a second year so he could film our panel on Friday evening. The show was open early only to professionals and press. A lot of the big displays were still being set-up, so it was interesting to view the calm before the storm. Things didn't get too busy until the end of the day, but we were interviewed by a podcast and got to see most of the show floor when it was less hectic.

Something new we premiered at NYCC 2011, were 1" buttons and magnets. I recently purchased a machine to make these myself. I used imagery from my comic strip Curls, Sketch Before Sleep, Black Magic Tales, The Legettes, random illustrations I had done, and more. A lot of people really like the buttons and we had them available at a low price point, so they are affordable and fashionable.

We were lucky to be assigned seated next to Bob Camp, co-creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show. Needless to say, I watched this show and am a fan, so it was a great experience to sit next to the brains behind such a legendary animation influence.

On Thursday night we attended the Kick-Off Concert to see Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and since he is one of Joe's main influences musically, it was great to see him enjoy the concert. Joe even posted some video of the concert on his YouTube account.

Friday, October 14, 2011
We walked around early before the convention kicked into high gear and I took photos with Oscar the Grouch, Wonka Nerds, Bumblebee from Transformers, Tom Morello, and more. Most of the time on Friday was spent at our table in Artist Alley, but I did get out to check out the autograph and celebrity area to catch a glimpse of professional wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page.

The main highlight of the day was our panel, "The Other Side of The Table: Lessons from Creators" which started at 6:30PM. The panelists included Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), David Gallaher (High Moon, BOX 13) Reilly Brown (Amazing Spider-Man, Power Play) and myself - Carolyn Belefski (Curls, The Legettes). The panel was moderated by Joe Carabeo. We had amazing turnout - a standing room only crowd! If you missed it, you can take a listen to The Carolyn & Joe Show, as we've posted the audio from the panel as our podcast this week. We also plan on making the film available soon since Astray Productions was gracious enough to document the panel - so look for that link soon! If you are looking for some tips revealed at our panel, JustPressPlay has posted some of our "words of wisdom."

At the panel we also gave away Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing by Dave Sim, which was sketched and signed by him direct from Canada. Raina also donated a copy of Smile, David gave a copy of BOX 13, and Curls Studio gave out a ticket to Get Old, the Carnival Anthology comic, Magic Bullet, and an issue of Indie Comics Magazine #3. After people asked a question, the panel answered it and then we drew a raffle to see what they won. Audience participation is a must for me at these types of events and I really feel like the audience plays an important part in the success of a panel. Asking relevant and thoughtful questions and having a dialogue that includes everyone rather evenly is key. Larry Marder (Beanworld) was at the panel and offered some great advice. Thanks to everyone who participated and attended the panel. It really means a lot to me to hear feedback from you after the event as well. Many of you have emailed me or came up to the Curls Studio table on Saturday and Sunday to let me know you enjoyed the panel. Thanks so much! I really enjoy having the opportunity to host a panel at NYCC - tell them you enjoyed it so we can do it again!

When we first got assigned this panel time I was excited because we had a panel at NYCC and who could beat that, but then I realized we actually had already purchased tickets to see Jay & Silent Bob Get Old (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith's podcast) which would overlap our panel time. Of course I didn't want to chance our panel opportunity at NYCC, so we'd have our panel and attend the podcast late. It worked out great for us, because apparently Kevin Smith's plane arrived late. When I first found this out, I thought, oh no - not another too fat to fly incident! We saw him back in March at the Red State premiere in Washington, DC and he was looking good and lost a lot of weight, so it must have been something else. So by the time our panel ended, we quickly got to Get Jobs and fell in line. The event started really late, but we were lucky to not miss it! It was our first time seeing Jason Mewes and he really carried the show that day. Everything worked out! As a side note, you can listen to Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes talk about Curls Studio on their podcast here.

Saturday, October 15, 2011
I did not leave the table at all on Saturday. Our main event at the Curls Studio table was having cosplay model Amber Love at our table. I created a limited edition print for her appearance at NYCC and drew her as a Legette spy, which she dressed as. This was the first time we'd ever done this type of promotion and I really have grown to enjoy a lot of the costumes at conventions. Amber does a great job of making these characters come to life and I really appreciate her dedication to what she does. It was fun to have her at the table.

Late on Saturday night, we got to see Cosplay Masquerade. I had never seen this before, but I'm glad I got to catch a performance of Bumblebee on the IGN Theater stage. It was amazing. I really admire that outfit and perhaps it was my favorite of the whole convention.

Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday was the last of the four days at NYCC and you could tell because it felt many people were tired at this point. In addition, many exhibitors and attendees stayed up late the night before. I spent most of the day at the table meeting people, but did get out to see the celebrities again. I got to shake Mark Hamill's (Luke Skywalker and the voice of The Joker) hand as well as James Marsters's (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). I also got to catch glimpses of Jerry Lawler, Raven, Eliza Dushku, Felicia Day, Bruce Timm, and Brian O'Halloran when I went to the celebrity area either on Friday or Sunday.

Thank you!
Overall, we believe NYCC 2011 was the best one yet for us. Again, I can't complain about how the show was organized. The staff prevented a lot of hazards in advance. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun representing themselves and the panel I organized was amazing! One person we discovered at the convention was Dave Bullock, who worked as a storyboard artist on Kim Possible. It was very cool to meet him and Bob Camp - I can definitely say I have a lot of animation influences and enjoy their styles. It was also good to chat with Jimmy Palmiotti, Bryan J.L. Glass, Dawn Griffin, Ken Drab, Antoine Gagnon, Brad Guigar, and others. Thank you to everyone who purchased Curls Studio items - the Sketch Before Sleep prints were in-demand - and thank you to everyone we meet at NYCC.

If you are interested in viewing more photos we took at NYCC 2011, be sure to check out more photos in the Curls Studio “New York Comic Con 2011” Photo Album on Facebook and "like" us.

Look for film from the panel, "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" as well as other content. We hope to be back for NYCC next year!

XOXO,
Carolyn

Comic Book Interviews - Carolyn Belefski

2011-10-20T19:29:00.005-04:00

John Michael Helmer from Comic Book Interviews has interviewed me and you can read the full interview here: http://comicbookinterviews.com/2011/10/interview-carolyn-belefski/

"Creator and artist Carolyn Belefski self produces the web comic Curls about an adventurous girl going about her everyday life with a group of animal friends. Carolyn’s web comic is filled with humor and wit that can plant a smile on your face. She spoke with CBI publisher John Michael Helmer about her career in comics and her web comic curls..."

Enjoy!

Bid on Women of Wonder Day 2011

2011-10-19T18:35:00.009-04:00

CAROLYN BELEFSKI!
SH25 Wonder Woman Wrestler!
8.5x11 ink
Curls, The Legettes!
Minimum Opening Bid $20

Here is my sketch for Wonder Woman Day 2011. As you may know I participated for the first time last year, and since it went so well (they used the image for shirts too) I decided to contribute again. This is your chance to own this original art!

If you are unable to join Curls Studio at VA Comicon, join Comic Fusion for SuperHero Weekend featuring Women of Wonder Day on October 29-30, 2011! They will be having a charity auction and other fun activities to benefit SAFE in Hunterdon. The special hours for this event will be Noon to 5PM.

Comic Fusion
42 Main Street
Flemington, NJ 08822
908-788-0599

If you can't make the event in-person, bidding is now OPEN at http://store.comicfusion.net/wonder-woman-day.html! Read the bidding rules page for instructions on how to bid.

Several artists are donating sketches to be auctioned off, including: Amy Pronovost, Bat Hilliard, Bill Ellis, Caio, Charles Wilson, Chris Sinderson, Dave Ryan, Dave Wachter, Ethan Van Sciver, Brendon and Brian Fraim, Carolyn Beleski, Chris Dibari, Chris Flick, Dave Pirello, Doug Olsen, Emmanuel Cappuccia, Erica Hesse, Franco Aureliani, Frank A Kadar, Gerry Acerno, Harold Jennett, Herb Trimpe, Jake Warrenfeltz, James Fiorentino, James Nguyen, Jay Fife, JK Woodward, Jim Calafiore, Joe Staton, John Chihak, Josh Lyman, Katie Cook, Ken Branch, Ken Haeser, Khoi Pham, Kimberly Fuller Dunaway, Lynne Yoshii, Mark Stegbauer, Michael Dolce, Michael Golden, Michael Horwitz, Mike Lilly, Neil Vokes, Nick Abadzis, Nick Mockoviak, Primo Cardinalli, Rich Bonk, Scot Eaton, Scott Derby, Simon Fraser, Steve Gordon, Terry Moore, Tim Hamilton, Todd W. Moniz, Tom Schloendorn, Tyler Kirkman, and MORE to come!

Amber Love at B16 NYCC Saturday

2011-10-07T12:40:00.013-04:00

Curls Studio is pleased to announce that Cosplay, Pin-Up Model Amber Love will be joining us at Artist Alley, Table B16 on Saturday, October 15, 2011 from Noon to 1 or 2PMish! She will be signing the above print, which was specifically created for this year's New York Comic Con. It's an EXCLUSIVE.

You can also find her all over the convention. Here is her full schedule: http://www.amberunmasked.com/find-me-at-nycc/

She writes:

"People have been asking me what costumes I’ll be wearing and it’s going to be a low key costuming year for me. I’ll be one of the LEGETTE super spies for the CURLS STUDIO booth (B16) on Saturday from noon until at least 1:00 or 2:00 with Carolyn Belefski. I love Carolyn’s art so much and the fact that she created burlesque super spies is pretty darn fantastic! Find me there. Carolyn’s art was featured on our t-shirts for the 2010 Wonder Woman Day at Comic Fusion."

Don't forget Curls Studio will be at "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" on Friday from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm at 1B03. Here is more info about our NYCC plans: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-york-comic-con-2011-panel-and-table.html

This exclusive print is listed under "Show Special" on the NYCC website here: http://nycc11.mapyourshow.com/5_0/exhibitor_details.cfm?exhid=338259

See you in one week!

XOXO,
Carolyn

New York Comic Con 2011 - Panel and Table B16

2011-09-30T23:22:00.011-04:00

Curls Studio will be at New York Comic Con 2011 with a panel on the evening of Friday, October 14 and four full days at Artist Alley, Table B16!

We are BACK with a second year of the panel, "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators." This year I got creators that expand the spectrum of comics into the digital world. I am very excited to have Raina Telgemeier - she recently won an Eisner Award for Smile, David Gallaher - of the Eisner nominated High Moon, Reilly Brown - who recently worked on Amazing Spider-Man and now has a creator-owned comic called Power Play, and myself as panelists with Joe Carabeo as moderator.

Some of the panelists have gracefully offered to do giveaways of their books. We will be offering a copy of Smile, Box 13, Carnival Anthology, and possibly more to active audience participants.

In addition, Dave Sim sent me a copy of his book, Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing, which will be given away to one lucky audience member. Thank you to Dave Sim who even illustrated a custom title page for our panel.

Without further ado, here is more information about the panel. Please mark it on you calendars and join us!

The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators
Date: Friday, October 14
Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: 1B03
Creating your product is only half the work it takes to succeed in the comics industry. What about the other half that we don't see as clearly after the product is released to the world? This panel will explore what it is like to be on the other side of the table, as a creator. We will discuss what it takes to exhibit at conventions, promote yourself, and gain a loyal audience - from the POV of professionals already behind the table. Join creators Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), David Gallaher (High Moon, Box 13) Reilly Brown (Amazing Spider-Man, Power Play) and Carolyn Belefski (Curls, The Legettes) in this conversation, moderated by Joe Carabeo.

Join up at "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" Facebook page to get the conversation rolling: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Other-Side-of-the-Table/158861870794106

In addition to the panel, you can find Curls Studio ALL FOUR DAYS of the convention at Artist Alley, Table B16. See the map image above to locate us or us NYCC's Map Your Show to plan your weekend.

Professional Only Hours:
Thursday, October 13, 2011 -- Noon - 7:00 PM

Open to the Public:
Friday, October 14, 2011 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 15, 2011 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 16, 2011 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention, located at the Jacob K. Javits Center at 655 West 34th Street. We hope you can join us there!

Tickets for the New York Comic Con are available right here.

XOXO,
Carolyn

Black Magic Tales in Indie Comics Magazine #4

2011-09-30T22:11:00.008-04:00

Curls Studio is in a jolly mood to announce we will be in Indie Comics Magazine #4 with our story, Black Magic Tales: How Roxy and Dean Stole Christmas. The image above is a tease of the first page of our new Black Magic Tales story. For our previous BMT stories, please check the write-ups and previews here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cartooncarolyn?section_id=5309960

Be sure to ask your comic store to order this special Christmas Issue! Here is some more info on Indie Comics Magazine #4:

Knights, college freshmen, comic book geeks, an undying engine of destruction, the world's most famous criminals, jazz singers, killer clowns and more will shock, uplift and entertain in Indie Comics Magazine #4, a special holiday issue, scheduled for preorder in Diamond Comic Distributors' October 2011 Previews catalog and available ONLY through Previews, announced Publisher Gary Scott Beatty.

Starring in this issue are some indie comic heavyweights. Ignatz Award winner Rich Koslowski produced a holiday story with his fan-famous characters, The 3 Geeks. Nationally syndicated Adventures of Aaron cartoonist Aaron Warner introduces A College Girl Named Joe in her freshman year. Mad magazine's Douglas Paszkiewicz makes merry with a quirky Arsenic Lullaby.

64 pages of done-in-one stories is wrapped in a beautiful, painted cover by award winning artist Douglas Klauba. "This indie yuletide issue will make great gifts for the mature readers on your list," said Beatty, "naughty or nice."

The Curls Studio team of writer Joe Carabeo and illustrator Carolyn Belefski present How Roxy and Dean Stole Christmas. Kevin LaPorte and Amanda Rachels' macabre Clown Town characters shuffle in to share the holidays. Anthony Cacioppo explores a tense meeting between Indestructible Man and Saint Nick. Gary Scott Beatty's jazz pianist tells is nephew a Christmas story. Students of the Unusual's Terry Cronin returns with a story of knights and magic.

"We continue to be lucky landing creators with a diverse range of storytelling styles," said Beatty. "This is a real cross section of indy comic book genius! With our done-in-one stories, we help readers cut through the reviews and hype to experience these creators' raw talent."

Short biographies and contact information are included with the stories so readers can easily seek out more of the creators' work, said Beatty.

Beatty explained he always loved the holiday editions of books from the early days of comics, from horror to superhero to funny animal stories. "This time of year is so busy for everyone it's a good idea to kick back and immerse yourself in some holiday magic."

Indie Comics Magazine is 64 pages of the best story and art from today's independent comic book creators. No huge overprint, no digital version, no back issue sales, October's Previews under Aazurn Publishing is the ONLY way comic readers can get Indie Comics Magazine #4, the Christmas issue! Visit Indie Comics Magazine online at Indie Comics Magazine.com.

Film: SPX 2011 Interview

2011-09-27T20:16:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, September 11, 2011 Joe Carabeo and I were interviewed by Joe and Rusty of Full Sanction as press at SPX. They had a set next to the registration desk in the hallway outside the vendor area. We discussed comics, wrestling, podcasting, and so much more. A very fun interview! I hope you enjoy.

Check out all the videos by "SmallPressExpo" YouTube. There are a bunch to view. Also read our SPX recap blog to see how the whole weekend was for Curls Studio.

Recap: Intervention 2011

2011-09-20T16:04:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, September 16-18, 2011, Curls Studio exhibited at Intervention: The Internet Culture Convention in Rockville, Maryland.

You can check out more photos in the Curls Studio “Intervention 2011” Photo Album on Facebook.

Recap and Film: JellyVision Talk Show 9/15/11

2011-09-20T13:51:00.015-04:00

For those of you who missed it LIVE on the air, here’s Joe Carabeo and I as guests on the talk show, JellyVision. Jennifer and Tim are cool hosts and we really dig the show that they put together. The other guest they had on the episode was Scooter from DC Geeks. We had a blast shooting with them and hopefully this won’t be the last you see of us on JellyVision. So please check out the episode on their USTREAM site here. We come in around 29:30.

If you’d like Curls Studio to be guests on your talk show or podcast, let us know and we'll make it happen.

Also don’t forget to check out our very own podcast, The Carolyn & Joe Show (now celebrating episode 140)!

Video streaming by Ustream
You can check out photos from the set on the Curls Studio "Guests on JellyVision Talk Show" Photo Album on Facebook.

Recap: SPX 2011 and Library of Congress

2011-09-19T10:47:00.014-04:00

Small Press Expo was September 10-11, 2011 in North Bethesda, Maryland. We premiered the Curls: MASER book, which is the current ongoing storyline on www.curls-studio.com/curls right now. Those who purchased the book, got to read the story before anyone else.

Some of the highlights from SPX included the giveaway of the Curls Canvas (from Easy Canvas Prints). Here is a photo of Joe and I with baby Simon. Simon's mom, Casey, won the canvas and was able to pick it up in-person at SPX.

Saturday was a very busy day and SPX had record breaking attendance records. The crowd was so big that it was announced by Warren Bernard that the show will expand next year and the aisles will be wider. The Ignatz Awards on Saturday night was also bursting at the seams. I've never seen so many people gathered for the awards show before.

I got to draw a few fun commissions including a variant cover for The Dollar Bin's Buried Treasure Friends Assembled anthology. I believe they will be hosting a giveaway for the illustration I did.

Joe and I were interviewed by Rusty and Joe of Full Sanction, who were hosting their show and conducting interviews in the lobby with a full SPX backdrop. We will post a link to the interview once it is available online.

Another awesome thing that happened at this year's SPX besides the magical chocolate fountain is the Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress. Curls Studio books were selected to be included in the collection and we are very happy to be included.

Here is some info about the collection (from http://www.spxpo.com/loc):

The Small Press Expo Collection at the Library of Congress was established to preserve the history both the artistic output of the creators who come to SPX, as well as the art that SPX itself generates as part of its yearly festival. The Collections scope was developed in partnership with the Prints and Photograph, and Serial Divisions of the Library of Congress, with the yearly gifts of donated works expanding the Library’s collection of comic books and comic art into the world of independent comics.

This collection at the Library of Congress firmly establishes independent comics as being both culturally revelevant and historically important enough for ongoing collecting and preservation.

Only those guests and exhibitors who have attended Small Press Expo are eligible for inclusion in the collection, with the scope focusing on the following areas:
- Mini-comics, comics, tabloid comic sections and graphic novels that are not sent for copyright deposits to the Library of Congress.
- All posters, flyers, banners ads and other collateral created to promote SPX, including the original art, where possible .
- All Ignatz Award nominees in the print categories.
- Original art by Small Press Expo exhibitors and special guests

In addition, both the winner of the Ignatz Best Online Comic as well as the Small Press Expo web site will become part of the Library of Congress Web Archiving Collection.

Small Press Expo has also created an SPX-Library of Congress Advisory Committee to work with Library of Congress collections and curatorial staff to identify works to be included in the collection. This is to ensure that a wide range of tastes is considered when assessing items for inclusion to the Small Press Expo Collection.

You can check out more photos on the Curls Studio "SPX 2011" Photo Album on Facebook.

Thanks to everyone who attended SPX. We look forward to next year - mark your calendars for September 15-16, 2012!

Recap: Bleeding the Narrative at UMD

2011-09-19T01:27:00.015-04:00

"Bleeding the Narrative: Comics in Art and Culture" was on September 9, 2011. The University of Maryland gathered five creators who were in town the day before Small Press Expo: Jim Rugg, Robert Ullman, Monica Gallagher, Alexis E. Fajardo, and Carolyn Belefski.

The event started with each of us presenting about ten minutes worth of material. I talked about my influences, inspirations, design work, illustration, freelance work, and comics.

After our presentations, we took questions from the audience for about an hour more.

Guests were able to come up to us one-on-one to ask questions after the roundtable. They also served soda and cookies at the reception. I got enquiries about graphic design and was happy to give advice to the students. About half of the audience planned on going to SPX that weekend - an added plus was that SPX provided free passes to all roundtable attendees!

I was very impressed with my fellow panelists and their quality work. I left the event feeling inspired to create after our discussion.

You can listen to audio of the roundtable here:
http://curls-studio.com/media/bleeding/umbc1.mp3
http://curls-studio.com/media/bleeding/umbc2.mp3

Here is my presentation, so you can follow along with the visuals: http://curls-studio.com/media/bleeding/umbc_presentation_carolynbelefski.pdf
(All personal work, comics, and freelance design projects © Carolyn Belefski and Curls Studio)

Thanks to all who attended the event or who are listening to it now. Drop me a line at info[at]curls-studio.com, if you have any follow-up questions.

Starburst Magazine: All Comics Are Created Equal

2011-09-14T10:38:00.012-04:00

My comic strip Curls was mentioned today in the column "Adventures On Alternate Earths" by P.M. Buchan in Starburst Magazine, the UK's longest running Sci-Fi magazine, first published 1978.

The article is titled "All Comics Are Created Equal" and features Lizz Lizz, Adam Cadwell, Andi Ewington, Marc Ellerby, Rachel Pandich, and many more creators to discover!

Please read the full article here: http://www.starburstmagazine.com/columns/adventures-on-alternative-earths/753-all-comics-are-created-equal

I respect that even though it's not the author's cup-of-tea, he is able to see the appeal:

"On a completely different note, I’ve been talking to artist Carolyn Belefski about her webcomic Curls recently and she could seriously teach you a thing or two about self-promotion! Given my fondness for Maakies and Hubert Selby Jr novels it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I found Curls too innocent and lighthearted for my taste, but damn that lady can draw! With an art style reminiscent of Frank Cho’s Liberty Meadows Carolyn has an accomplished pen that was made to draw nationally syndicated newspaper strips. Working on the assumption that not all of my readers can be black-hearted cynics like me then some of you are going to LOVE Curls because it’s an adorable strip featuring a character shaped like a piece of toast and if there’s any justice in the world Carolyn will get the chance to keep on making comics like this for the rest of her life and have them collated into massive telephone-directory sized books."

What a great quote. Thank you so much to Starburst Magazine and P.M. Buchan.

Intervention is September 16-18, 2011

2011-09-13T14:18:00.014-04:00

How much of your day do you spend on the internet -- looking at comics, watching videos, reading blogs, connecting with friends, tweeting, or just surfing?

At Intervention - The Internet Culture Convention - you can meet, talk with, learn from, and party with the people you see online everyday.

Curls Studio will be hanging out in Artist Alley this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday -- and would love to meet you at Table 40 (see map above).

This is our first time at Intervention and the con is in it's second year. Check out the programming schedule... there's so much to attend -- Cosplay Burlesque, Dating Advice For Nerds, Creative Marketing 101, and Balancing Your Commitments are just a handful of topics Intervention has in addition to comics, gaming, podcasting, and anything else cool on the internet and in real life.

I'm looking forward to this convention and to learn more about LARP.

Intervention
September 16-18, 2011
Hilton Washington DC/Rockville
1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852

From Friday at Noon to Sunday at 4PM

Here are the hours Curls Studio will be at Intervention in Artist Alley, Table 40:
Friday: 2PM to 8PM
Saturday: 10AM to 7PM
Sunday: 10AM to 3PM

Speaking at University of Maryland 9/9/11

2011-09-07T10:24:00.012-04:00

I was invited to speak at the University of Maryland this Friday, September 9, 2011 from 1-3PM.

Bleeding the Narrative: Comics in Art and Culture

Panelists: Jim Rugg, Robert Ullman, Monica Gallagher, Alexis E. Fajardo, Carolyn Belefski

The University of Maryland is in College Park, MD, 20742. The roundtable will be in the Michelle Smith Collaboratory for Visual Culture, which is on the 4th floor of the Art-Sociology Building.

I will be discussing my work, visual style, technique, inspiration, storytelling, career background, art direction, graphic design, illustration, freelance, and comics.

Open to the public. Hope to see you there and at SPX this weekend! Fear the turtle.

Article about Curls in The Connection newspapers

2011-09-06T19:28:00.008-04:00

Michael O'Connell interviewed me for The Connection newspapers. The article is called "Drawn to the Web: Comic strip artist Carolyn Belefski finds a home and an audience on the Internet" and discusses digital comics, with focus on the Curls comic strip, and promotes the upcoming SPX show this weekend.

Click to read the full article here: http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=354019&paper=61&cat=104

Guest on JellyVision 9/15/11

2011-09-06T09:45:00.006-04:00

On Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 7PM, I will be a guest on JellyVision, an experi-Mental Talk Show. You can join the live studio audience and meet the guests at The Soundry or watch at the same time on USTREAM.

The Soundry
316 Dominion Road
Vienna, VA 22180

See you there!

Appearing at SPX 2011

2011-09-01T02:19:00.007-04:00

Small Press Expo
Visit Curls Studio at Table F3B
Saturday, September 10 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 11 -- Noon - 6:00 PM
Marriott Bethesda North Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Road
North Bethesda, Maryland 20852

Admission (collected at the door the day of the show):
1-day Pass: $10 per person
2-day Pass: $15 per person

I hope to see you as we celebrate the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comic books and the discovery of new creative talent at SPX. Please click the map above to locate us at Table F3B. We will be tabling with Jim Coon.

RSVP to SPX 2011 and share with your friends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194903257244021

Curls on Canvas (from Easy Canvas Prints)

2011-09-01T01:11:00.011-04:00

I am excited to present to you this amazing canvas of my Curls illustration I received recently from Easy Canvas Prints. The canvas is 20" x 16" with a 1.5″ wrap around the side.

The canvas material Easy Canvas Prints uses is archival quality. If using a photo of your own, Easy Canvas Prints also offers a variety of enhancements including Black and White or Sepia Conversion, Retouching, and Photo Collages. Take a look – these could make fantastic personal and affordable gifts, especially for a special occasion!

Curls Studio is tag teaming with Easy Canvas Prints to give away one free 20" x 16" canvas. If you win, you can decide between receiving the Curls canvas above or the ability to upload your own image or photograph.

HOW TO ENTER
1.) Like Easy Canvas Prints on Facebook (www.facebook.com/easycanvasprints)
2.) Follow Easy Canvas Prints on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/easycanvas)
3.) Like Curls Studio on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-Studio/50763422380)
4.) Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/carolynbelefski)
5.) Tweet the following message: "Read CURLS Comic Strip at http://www.curls-studio.com/curls and enter to win free @easycanvas. Pls RT. #CURLScomic"

The winner must be located in the contiguous US. Winner will be announced this Saturday, September 3 at 10AM EST. Tell your friends!

Guests on MOKA Podcast #29

2011-08-31T09:14:00.007-04:00

Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Gene Green, and That Urban Punk invited Joe Carabeo and I to be guests on their podcast, The Menagerie of Kick-Assery.

For their 29th episode the theme was Hater's Ball and we each discussed four things we dislike. Take a listen at http://wearemoka.blogspot.com/2011/08/mokasst-029.html.

Fun times! Bonus points for learning what a Jiggaboo is.

And if you enjoyed this podcast, please check out Joe and I's podcast, The Carolyn & Joe Show.

Wonder Woman in Technicolor

2011-08-29T23:10:00.005-04:00

You may remember this image from Wonder Woman Day 2010. This time around I've taken the time to color it, thus enhancing the retro.

The inspirations behind my re-design of Wonder Woman are Mad Men, vintage stylings, secretary style, Bruce Timm, and making sure Wonder Woman was not wearing pants - because I prefer skirts. The only pants I prefer are jeggings!

I will try to have prints of this illustration at Curls Studio's upcoming convention appearances: SPX, Intervention, and New York Comic Con.

Panel Patter Reviews The Legettes, Carnival, Magic Bullet

2011-08-29T19:57:00.006-04:00

Rob from Panel Patter has reviewed a handful of work from Curls Studio, most recently The Legettes. He is currently doing a series of reviews of work from creators or publishers who will be attending SPX in 2011. Here are links to his reviews:

Monday, August 29, 2011 - SPX Spotlight: Magic Bullet #3 to Debut at SPX!

Sunday, August 28, 2011 - SPX Spotlight: The Legettes from Belefski and Carabeo

Saturday, April 9, 2011 - Magic Bullet 1 and 2

Thursday, January 13, 2011 - Curls Studio Presents Carnival Anthology

HurriQuake 2011 Merchandise

2011-08-28T13:03:00.005-04:00

Within one week, the East Coast of the United States was hit with an Earthquake and Hurricane Irene. Celebrate your survival with t-shirts, mugs and other merchandise designed by Curls Studio's Carolyn Belefski!

Items can be purchased at the Curls Sudio CafePress Store: http://www.cafepress.com/CurlsStudio

CerebusTV and CBLDF eBay Auctions

2011-08-24T20:39:00.011-04:00

CerebusTV asked me to do some art featuring Cerebus, an independent comic book, created by Dave Sim. The two pieces I created, which are up for auction now (ending 8PM EST on August 29, 2011), showcase Cerebus along with my own independent creations Curls and The Legettes. Curls is my comic strip which can be found online at http://www.curls-studio.com/curls about a gal named Curls who goes about her daily life getting into adventurous situations with her animal friends and a large slice of Toast. The Legettes is a comic book I co-created with writer Joe Carabeo about a group of burlesque dancers chosen to save the universe - think Cabaret meets Blade Runner.

The proceeds go to Cerebus TV and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which exists to fight censorship and defend the first amendment rights of comic book professionals throughout the United States.

One of the sketches is The Legettes with Cerebus - BID HERE: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carolyn-Belefski-Curls-Dave-Sim-Cerebus-Original-Art-/270805025718?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0d3cc3b6#ht_500wt_1246

The other is Curls with Cerebus - BID HERE: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Carolyn-Belefski-Curls-Dave-Sim-Cerebus-Original-Art-/220839143765?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336b09e955#ht_500wt_1246

For more info on The Legettes: http://www.etsy.com/shop/cartooncarolyn?section_id=5946863

For more info on Curls: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls

Here is a video of all the other original art pieces included in this auction:

In addition, Joe and I were interviewed by CerebusTV at Baltimore Comic-Con, so stay 'tooned for that. Now is your chance to own some original art by me. Happy bidding!

Recap: Baltimore Comic-Con 2011

2011-08-24T11:47:00.019-04:00

This past weekend, August 20-21, 2001, was Baltimore Comic-Con and it was the most successful Curls Studio has experienced. The convention center was bouncing with a load of people, many who participated in the costume contest and cosplay. I suspect a large amount were also there to experience the presence of the legendary Stan Lee. There were crowds, but not to the hectic levels we've experienced at NYCC or what I'd imagine SDCC to be. People were able to walk freely and not feel like a herd of cows. Saturday as usual was the most energetic day, but this Saturday at Baltimore was bouncing in ways that it hasn't done in the past. All types of people came together for comics. Not movie stars or video games or pop culture trinkets. People came for comics, and that is what makes Baltimore so special compared to other conventions.

After we set-up the table, I saw that Jeff Smith was close by, so I figured if I wanted to get a chance to talk with him now was my opportunity. I took about two minutes of his time, gave him some of our comics, and asked to take a photo with him. He said it was great that we were "giving it a go" by taking our comics to conventions after I said I was inspired to do what he does after first meeting him at SPX in 2004. That was the moment the bug bit for me.

Once the floor opened on Saturday morning, I was instantly getting a sketch commission list started. I set a record for Curls Studio by getting the most commission requests this past weekend. I hope to continue doing more and more at future conventions. I'm interested in people's personal sketchbooks and seeing what they are interested in and got to do a lot of fun illustrations like Krypto, Guy Gardner, WWE wrestler The Miz, a Caveman, the Joker, and more. I even got to do a few of Curls Studio's own creation, Elle LeGette from The Legettes.

A downside from taking on all those commissions is the lack of being 100% capable to interacting with people who come to the table. Luckily my partner in crime, Joe Carabeo, was able to talk with people and tell them about our books. Overall, I was not able to get out from behind the table much. From a fan perspective, I wasn't able to walk around and discover things, but I did enjoy people coming to the table and keeping us up to date on convention happenings. From exhibiting for the past few years, we've got to build up relationships with a lot of people we may only see for ten or fifteen minutes or so every year, but the cool thing is they keep coming back. One couple in particular are the Leyva's and this year they surprised us by becoming a bigger family with a four-month-old son, named Simon. Simon even has a blog and you can read about his first Comic-Con experience here.

So as a fan, I mentioned earlier I got to briefly meet Jeff Smith and at that time I also purchased a limited edition Bone pin for $12. The only other thing I got was Cleopatra in Spaaace! #2 by Mike Maihack. It was cool to meet him and also interact with Dawn Griffin who does a webcomic called Zorphbert and Fred. I also meet the organizer of Team Cul de Sac, Chris Sparks. For those of you who don't know, a lot of majorly awesome cartoonists contributed art for raise awareness for Parkinson's disease which effects Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac. You can read more about the project and see my contribution here.

Joe and I got to do an interview with CerebusTV, so be on the lookout for that! I also donated two original illustrations, one of Curls with Cerebus, and other of The Legettes with Cerebus. They are both up now on eBay auctions to raise money for CerebusTV and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Get bidding!

Another cool thing we did this year was follow the tradition we started last year of taking people's photos with my character, Toast of the Town, from my Curls comic strip. As you can see in the montage above, people really enjoyed posing with Toast and hopefully this will help spread the word about the comic. Please tell your friends!

I had a lot of fun moments doing sketches for people and it was great to hear them say, "this made my day!" The blonde woman in the photo above loved the pin-up inspired illustration I drew for her! If even for a split second I put a smile on someone's face, then it was worth it. After the show ended we said hi to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, a delight as always.

Thank you to everyone who came out to Baltimore this year. We hope to see you again next year! For an audio perspective of our Baltimore Comic-Con 2011 recap, listen to this week's Carolyn & Joe Show podcast. More photos are up on the Curls Studio Facebook page. "Like" us, won't cha?

And if you missed us at Baltimore, we'll be back in Maryland for Small Press Expo and Intervention in a few weeks and in New York for NYCC in October. I will update the blog with more information on these shows as they become available. See you soon!

Another Curls Avatar

2011-08-19T15:22:00.007-04:00

Here's a second avatar of my character, Curls. If you missed the first one you can find it here.

Feel free to use my Curls icon as your social media avatar to spread the love of the Curls comic strip.

"Like" Curls Studio on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Curls-Studio/50763422380

"Follow" me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CarolynBelefski

"Follow" me on Tumblr: http://carolynbelefski.tumblr.com

And meet us this weekend at Baltimore Comic-Con (Artist Alley Table #A211) - or our other confirmed upcoming appearances - SPX, Intervention, and NYCC.

Recap: Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con 2011

2011-08-16T10:39:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday, August 14, was Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con. The evening before kicked off PACC festivities with the inaugural Grawlix Awards at Cha-Cha'Razzi hosted by Philly Comix Jam and Secret Prison alum, Bob Pistilli.

The Grawlix Awards included drinks and mingling with presentation of the awards, which were old Peanuts collections by Charles Schulz. Rafer Roberts won in the category of "Best Graphic Novel" for his book, Plastic Farm.

The actual PACC event on Sunday was similar to last year, however I believe the organizers made better space decisions and it felt like more exhibitors were set up with the use of the stage and other clever methods to fit as many tables as possible into the space provided. The weather was raining off and on throughout the day, but crowds were always walking thru the aisle. If anything during the heaviest rains more people were inside for coverage. Although I do wonder if the weather was better if more people would have showed up. Last years show was incredibly hot without air conditioning, so it certain aspects you are always fighting against mother nature.

PACC was fun because I got to meet a few people I had only talked to before on Twitter. I also got to work on a couple great sketchbook commissions. One was a alphabet book, where the letter I landed on was "L" and did an illustration for The Legettes. It was also fun to hang out with Rafer, Kevin Czapiewski, and Brady Russell.

I drew a cheerleader for Philly Comix Jam at the very end of the show.

30 photos from PACC 2011 can be found on the Curls Studio Facebook page.

Baltimore Comic-Con is August 20-21, 2011

2011-08-11T21:41:00.019-04:00

Baltimore Comic-Con 2011
Visit Curls Studio at Table A211 in Artist Alley
Saturday, August 20 -- 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, August 21 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Baltimore Convention Center
One West Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(SHARP STREET ENTRANCE)

Stop by to see Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con. We will be located at the front endcap in Artist Alley at Table A211 -- That's easy to remember: 211 in 2011 -- That's right! Click on the map image above (with Curls) to see a large map of where to find us and click here to buy your tickets in advance. I will be doing sketch commissions and we'll have some new prints and other surprises up our sleeves!

Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!

2008 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyPIiWnZFA

2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUL8zNv5FQ

Just by browsing the Guest List I saw there will be other amazing people to meet there like Jeff Smith, Stan Lee, Carla Speed McNeil, Jimmy Palmiotti, Cliff Chiang, Frank Camuso, Bryan JL Glass, Jimmy Gownley, Amanda Conner, Mike Maihack, Thom Zahler, Dean Haspiel, Frank Cho, J. Scott Campbell, John Gallagher, Scott Kurtz, Sterling Hundley, Steve Conley, and Mark Wheatley -- just to name a few! Artist Alley has some pretty amazing people to discover too. I hope to meet you there.

Raina Telgemeier & Dave Roman

2011-08-10T22:46:00.016-04:00

I just got back from "meeting" authors Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman at their appearance at One More Page Books & More in Arlington, Virginia on August 10, 2011. Their presentation was geared towards children and the advocacy of graphic novels as an art and story medium.

I attended the one hour program with my friend Elizabeth, whom I urged a couple months ago to read Raina's book, Smile, which was recently awarded the "Best Publication for Teens" Eisner Award at San Diego Comic-Con just two weeks ago. Elizabeth enjoyed Smile, so when I found out that Raina and Dave would be coming to Virginia, I invited her to go with me. When we arrived Raina and Dave were taking suggestions from the kids for emotions and they demonstrated how to draw the expressions and gestures on an large piece of paper on an easel.

Then Raina and Dave took questions from the audience. The children were very into it and smart. Raina and Dave gave great advice about creating your own books. Almost half of the kids raised their hands when asked if they were interested in writing or drawing graphic novels. One point that was brought up a lot was how long it takes to create a comic. It took Raina five years to finish Smile and it took the same amount of time for Dave to complete Astronaut Academy. Dave said that it takes five years to make the book and five hours to read the book and then everyone wants to know when the next book comes out. This was a strong statement made during the Q&A as well as their explanation of Bristol board and the thumbnail process.

I enjoyed watching the kids who attended. Raina had a handful of girls who related to her experience with braces. One girl even had Raina sign the winter shirt, which I don't think is for sale anymore since it's not on her website. It was very much a rock star moment. It reminded me of when I was in elementary school and got to meet Valerie Tripp, author of the American Girl books. There are many moments when I read Raina's comics and feel nostalgic about my own childhood and experience growing up.

The bookstore raffled off the expressions Raina and Dave drew in the demo. Raina and Dave then signed books. I got my copy of Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery signed. Raina told Dave not to forget to sign his name when he was intensely drawing a sketch in the book for me -- then when I left the store I opened the book to find out that Raina did a sketch but didn't sign her name! I seriously think that's hilarious! I will treasure that moment. It's okay because I have many other signed and sketched Raina books (all four Baby-Sitters Club books and some mini comics). I think it's perfect that it ended up unsigned tonight.

My first knowledge of Raina was at Small Press Expo in 2004. My art friend recommend I attend the show. I didn't know much about SPX or anyone there at the time and went by myself as a volunteer so I could get in for free in exchange for a few hours of working the registration table. There was a panel about Women in Comics and I was really "drawn" to Raina's comics. This was when she was doing the Take-Out mini comics. I thought to myself: I want to take my comics to the next level. I want to do this. This was also the same SPX where Jeff Smith was a special guest. That weekend changed my life because after meeting Jeff Smith and Raina Telgemeier I was never the same. Year after year, I made an effort at each SPX to say hi to Raina and last year she was on the New York Comic Con panel I assembled called The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators.

I can legitimately say that Raina Telgemeier is a big creator influence to me and I really appreciate what she does. I had so much fun tonight. Thank you Raina and Dave! Everyone please check out their books.

Women in Comics Spotlight: Carolyn Belefski

2011-08-09T13:18:00.004-04:00

Girls Read Comics Too has been blogging about female comic creators in their "Women in Comics Spotlight" feature.

Recently they contacted me for a Q&A session and the blog entry went up yesterday. Some of the questions included "Did you ever get advice about the field that you’d like to pass on?" and "In an ideal world, in what direction would you like to see your project evolve?"

Please click on this link to see the interview: http://girlsreadcomics.com/2011/08/08/women-in-comics-spotlight-carolyn-belefski

If you are interested in conducting an interview with me for your blog, publication, podcast, or other media outlet, please email info@curls-studio.com. Thank you!

Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con 2011

2011-08-02T16:48:00.005-04:00

Curls Studio (Joe Carabeo and Carolyn Belefski) will be exhibiting at Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con on August 14, 2011. We attended PACC last year and you can read the blog recap here. I hope we are able to meet you this year.

The Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con is the premier convention in Philadelphia showcasing all things alternative/fringe/indy/art comics and zines.

WHAT: Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con
WHEN: Sunday, August 14, 2011 from Noon to 7:00 PM
WHERE: The Rotunda at 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

You can RSVP to the event on Facebook and while you're at it - become of fan of Curls Studio.

Help us spread the word about this show by inviting your friends. Thanks and see you there!

2011 EXHIBITORS: Adhouse Books, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Alisa Harris, Amanda Greenberg, Benjamin Marra, Beth Heinly, Box Brown, Carey Pietsch, Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo, Claire Folkman, Cody Pickrodt, Coin Op, Corinne Mucha, Cyn Why, David Jablow, Dina Kelberman, Doug Slack, Dre Grigoropol, Eamon Dougherty, Ed Choy Moorman, Edwin Vazquez, Fleisher Art Memorial, Full Sanction, Heather Benjamin, Holly Holly Hobby Hobby, Ian Harker, Jen Tong, Joanne Sherrow, Josh Bayer, Josh Burggraf, Kat Fajardo, Kelly Phillips, Kevin Czapiewski, KJ Martinet, L. Nichols, Lance Hansen, Lincoln Bostian, Liz Baillie, M. Jacob Alvarez, Mandy and Ian Sampson, Matt Wiegle, Meathaus, Mike Sgier, Mike Turzanski, Morgan Pielli, Parcell Press, Pat Aulisio, Peter Lazarski, Rafer Roberts, Rob Corradetti, Robyn Ng, Sally Bloodbath, Sam Thurman, Sara Lindo, Secret Acres, Space 1026, Steve Peters, Steve Seck, Thomas Toye, Ze Jian Shen

The above PACC art is by Josh Burggraf.

Recap: DC Zinefest 2011

2011-08-01T18:59:00.005-04:00

DC Zinefest was this past Saturday, July 30, 2011. Word on the street was that it was Washington, DC's first Zinefest in at least a decade. I am glad the show's organizers were able to put on such a well-coordinated show with a minimum budget. Thanks to everyone who came out.

The show had a steady pace of attendees throughout the day. The photo above shows how big the crowd got at one point.

More photos can be found on the Curls Studio Facebook page.

DC Zinefest is July 30, 2011

2011-07-25T09:23:00.006-04:00

Please join Curls Studio at DC Zinefest this upcoming Saturday, July 30. We will be tabling with all our creations. The Zinefest is also hosting workshops such as Splotch Monsters 101, DIY Screenprinter's Demonstration, Bike Repair, Paper Dolls, DC Conspiracy, and more!

The DC Zinefest hopes to create a space for zine makers, writers, and self-published artists to share their work with each other and with the city of Washington, DC. By providing an opportunity to expo, workshop, and interact with zines, we strive to build and support a thriving DIY community.

WHAT: DC Zinefest
WHEN: July 30, 2011 from 11 AM to 5 PM
WHERE: St. Stephen’s Church, located at 1525 Newton Street, NW Washington, DC (near the Columbia Heights Metro station on the green line). Directions can be found here.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Shel Dorf Awards

2011-07-19T14:37:00.007-04:00

Just wanted to take this moment to let everyone know about the Shel Dorf Awards.

Founded in 2010, along with the inaugural Detroit Fanfare, the Shel Dorf awards are dedicated to recognizing the comic industries best and brightest talents. Like Shel, another Detroit native, the awards are most concerned with the fan perspective, giving the fans unprecedented say in the nomination and voting process. The Shel Dorf awards proudly celebrate the best of our industry's present while honoring the unique place that Detroit has in comic fandom's past.

Detroit Fanfare will take place September 24-25, 2011 and they are now accepting submissions for the Shel Dorf Awards. I would greatly appreciate it if you took a moment to vote for me (Carolyn Belefski) and my webcomic Curls at www.sheldorfawards.com/submissions. Thank you.

Curls to be Published in Indie Comics Magazine #3

2011-07-05T15:26:00.012-04:00

Hey everyone! My comic Curls will be featured in the upcoming issue of Indie Comics Magazine.

NEWS RELEASE: CAROLYN BELEFSKI PRESENTS CURLS IN THE NEW INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE #3

Indie Comics Magazine #3 breaks the gender barrier with its first female contributor, Carolyn Belefski, announced Editor Gary Scott Beatty. Belefski will contribute a story based on characters from her popular Curls webcomic in Indie Comics Magazine #3, scheduled for preorder in Diamond Comic Distributors' August 2011 Previews catalog and available ONLY through Previews.

Belefski was nominated for Friends of Lulu's 2010 Kim Yale Award for Most Talented Newcomer. "We're excited to land one of the hardest working and most talented women in independent comics today," said Beatty.

Belefski displays a new Curls webcomic every Monday and Thursday and offends and/or entertains with her podcast, The Carolyn and Joe Show, each Tuesday. She collaborates with writer Joe Carabeo on the comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes.

Belefski's illustrations have been published in USA WEEKEND Magazine, The Commonwealth Times, Magic Bullet, The Pulse on Comicon.com and more.

Each issue of Indie Comics Magazine features full stories from many independent comic book creators, said Beatty. Short biographies and contact information are included so readers can easily seek out more of the creators' work. Enjoy Belefski's blog, visit the Curls Studio Store, subscribe to her RSS feed and listen to her podcasts at http://curls-studio.com.

Indie Comics Magazine is 64 pages of the best story and art from today's independent comic book creators. No huge overprint, no digital version, no back issue sales, August's Previews under Aazurn Publishing is the ONLY way comic readers can get Indie Comics Magazine #3! Visit Indie Comics Magazine online at http://indiecomicsmagazine.com.

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT: Tell Your Friends, Promote, Store Signing Opportunities...

Here is a promo poster for you or any comic or book shop to download: http://indiecomicsmagazine.com/icm3_store_poster.pdf.
It is set up for 11 x 17. For under a buck you can print a poster on a color copier. You have permission to print the poster and use it to advertise Indie Comics Magazine #3. Please do not alter the graphic. You do not have permission to sell this graphic in any form.

If we can all work to get a few of these into comic shops it could go a long way toward increasing readership. Now is the time to schedule end-of-October signings -- if you are a store within 2 hours of Washington, DC, please email info@curls-studio.com to arrange a signing appearance.

Defective Geeks Interview

2011-06-30T19:28:00.008-04:00

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the life and minds of not just geeks, but lady geeks?

This is the question Defective Geeks asks you. Today they posted an interview with me about what it's like to be a creator for Curls Studio, which you can read here: http://www.defectivegeeks.com/?p=2265

Defective Geeks consists of a group of ladies who are enjoy comics, pop culture, sci-fi, cosplay, fashion, design, films and more. Check out their website and podcast to know what they are doing and what it’s like to be a female geek.

defectivegeeks.com

New York Comic Con Artist Alley 2011

2011-06-22T09:05:00.001-04:00

Carolyn Belefski has been accepted to exhibit at New York Comic Con's Artist Alley on October 13-16, 2011.

New York Comic Con is the East Coast's biggest and most exciting popular culture convention and Curls Studio is very excited about expanding our tour to NYCC's four-day extravaganza this year.

We will be updating the website with more info as we get it and Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo hope to meet you in the Big Apple this October!

Here are some links to our previous NYCC experiences:
2010 Panel - The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators
2010 Recap
2009 Recap
2008 Recap

CONVENTION FILMS
by Astray Productions
New York Comic Con 2010 Panel - "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators
New York Comic Con 2009
New York Comic Con 2008

Meeting International Political Cartoonists at The National Press Club

2011-06-21T19:57:00.015-04:00

Yesterday, June 20, 2011, Curls Studio attended the event, Daring to Draw: An Evening with Political Cartoonists from Around the World at The National Press Club in Washington, DC.

The US Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program is currently hosting a group of 20 political cartoonists from North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Central Asia. During their three weeks in the America, they will meet with fellow cartoonists around the country and get a taste of American culture.

Washington, DC was their first stop and we (Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo) were on hand with fellow DC creators and comics enthusiasts (Rafer Roberts, Jacob Warrenfeltz, Donna Lewis, Matt Dembicki, Mike Rhode) to greet them. Rafer brought copies of Magic Bullet to share with them.

Some of the cartoonists we chatted with came from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. They were very excited for this opportunity and very interested in cartooning and meeting us. Their work was played in rotation on a monitor and it was very powerful commentary on their side of the world and global issues in general.

Many of these cartoonists put their life in the line for freedom of speech. It humbled me to know halfway around the world there are cartoonists visually paving the road for freedom.

I have never been to a gathering of so many international cartoonists before and I'm still interested in learning more about other cultures. Maybe there is an exchange program? Or can we go on a USO tour to represent America and Curls Studio? I'd love to do on a USO tour one day.

More photos from this event can be seen on the Curls Studio Facebook Page.

Here is a link to Joe's Tumblr about this event experience: http://goastray.tumblr.com/post/6775818019/curls-studio-and-other-great-dc-cartoonist-greet

Recap: DC Comicon 2011

2011-06-19T21:50:00.006-04:00

Earlier today Curls Studio participated in the second DC Comicon at George Mason University. Overall, I felt tremendous growth in this year's event. The crowd turnout and support was very strong. I got to do several sketch commissions, which are always very fun. One of them was a sketch of Bettie Page. She is an inspiration to The Legettes and myself.

My parents attended and it was their first ever comic convention!

I especially enjoyed meeting new people and connecting with them through discussions of art or wrestling. I also really liked seeing familiar faces from previous Capicons and other local artists. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi and look at our creations on the table and thanks to the organizer and volunteers who made the show happen.

Check out more photos of DC Comicon 2011 on the Curls Studio Facebook page and "Like" us here.

Team Cul de Sac Art

2011-06-19T21:28:00.012-04:00

Last Friday, June 17, 2011 was the art deadline for Team Cul de Sac. The day before I posted part one (of two) of my "Cul de Sac Meets Curls" comic strip which you can see here.

On Saturday I sent the original inked art and glossy print in a package to Andrews McMeel Publishing. Above is a photo of me at the post office holding the art.

I will be posting part two tomorrow at www.curls-studio.com/curls.

The Team Cul de Sac project is lead by Chris Sparks, who formed Team Cul De Sac through Team Fox in honor of cartoonist and Cul de Sac creator, Richard Thompson. The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.

Team Cul de Sac invited cartoonists to donate original art made especially for a book about Parkinson's awareness in Richard's honor. Part of the profits from the sale of the book would benefit MJFF, and the original art will be auctioned as part of the fundraiser with all of auction money going to MJFF. Additionally, there will be a limited number of deluxe edition books signed and numbered by Richard Thompson.

I'm really excited about this book and enjoy looking at everyone's contributions at http://teamculdesac.blogspot.com.

DC Comicon is this Sunday, June 19

2011-06-14T00:51:00.009-04:00

This Sunday, June 19, 2011 Curls Studio will be appearing at DC Comicon from 10 AM to 5PM.

Following up on last-year's inaugural DC Comicon at George Mason University, the promoter of the VA Comicon and the promoter of the Baltimore Comicon have once again joined forces to bring the largest, most important, most FREE show to our fine nation's capital.

Located at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA the DC Comicon will be a collection of the regions finest comic books from the 1940's to present, along with the industry's top talent... all donating their time to bring the best comics and talent* to Washington DC for FREE!

Featuring Frank Cho (Award-winning illustrator and writer of Liberty Meadows, Mighty Avengers and more!), Jim Starlin (creator of all things Thanos and Infinity), Todd Dezago (the current Casper relaunch, Tellos, Amazing Spider-man, etc), Larry Hama (The "Godfather" of GI Joe, and creator of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow) along with his illustrator on the current GI JOE series, SL Gallant... signing with Mr. Hama for the first time!

We will have a handful of select creators representing the finest regional small press creative offerings, including:
• Azure Press, featuring Tom Chellimi, the writer of Ninjas Vs. Zombies
• Daniel Ross, one of the stars of the Ninja’s Vs. Zombies movie and the voice of StarScream in the Transformers Video Games
• Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo (Curls Studio)
• Dan Nokes (21st Century Sandshark)
• Claton Murwin (Heroes Fallen Studios)
• Bill McKay
• Chris Otto (A Dog’s Life)
• Louis Small, Jr.

With door prizes courtesy of Top Cow, FREE admission, GREAT comic book selection, and less than a 100 mile commute from Richmond, DC, Philadelphia and MORE, along with access to the DC Metro public transit system, the DC Comicon is the EASIEST, and most FREE comic book event EVER on Father's Day.

Visit http://www.dccomicon.com for more information, including your FREE tickets, travel, parking, artists, publishers, updates and MORE! We will see you there!

*Please note that Ron Marz canceled. I'm assuming the postcard graphic above was printed before he canceled.

Recap: Capicons (June 12)

2011-06-14T00:10:00.005-04:00

This past Sunday Curls Studio was a guest at the June 12, 2011 Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con at Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Hall in Dunn Loring, VA. Above is a panorama view of all the guests onstage.

It was great to meet some new faces, eat doughnuts and draw a commission of The Crow. Thanks to the organizers and exhibitors at Capicons for putting on a fun show. If you missed Capicons, you can join us at one of our upcoming tour dates or visit our Etsy Store to purchase our creations online.

More photos can be found on the Curls Studio Facebook Page.

Podcast: You, Me, Them, Everybody LIVE!

2011-06-13T19:15:00.007-04:00

The episode of You, Me, Them, Everybody that was recorded LIVE last Monday, June 6 is now available here.

The talk show podcast features Joe Carabeo, Tim Young and Frau Eva. Frau Eva provided the best band interview of all time. Pictured above is Joe Carabeo (writer of Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes) with host Brandon Wetherbee.

In addition, please feel free to listen to my appearance on YMTE from January here.

More photos from YMTE can be found on the Curls Studio Facebook Page.

Sonjay Dutt Vector Illustration

2011-06-09T23:47:00.008-04:00

Above is a commissioned pro bono vector illustration of professional wrestler - The Original Playa from the Himalaya - Sonjay Dutt. I just added it to my Behance design portfolio. It's been over a year since I have uploaded work on Behance. I hope you enjoy my work - now let’s work on getting Sonjay signed to the WWE!

Here is a backyard wrestling video featuring Sonjay and Joe. Vintage Sonjay Dutt!

Here is a video of more current Sonjay Dutt moves and matches.

Capicons is Sunday, June 12

2011-06-07T22:17:00.003-04:00

Curls Studio will be appearing at Capicons this Sunday as a special guest (from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM), along with Tom Chillemi, Dan Nokes and Tim Dzon. Hope to see you there. We will have free issues of Magic Bullet #2 available.

Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con
Sunday, June 12, 2011  -- 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Hall
2148 Gallows Road
Dunn Loring, Virginia

Admission: $3 - Kids FREE!

Buy, sell & trade: Gold, Silver, Bronze Age comics; Indie & Modern comics, Publishers & Creators, TV & Movie Collectibles. Non-sport cards; Videos & DVDs; Horror/Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars & Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters and other comic-related collectibles.

Alphabattle: Number 8

2011-06-07T11:45:00.007-04:00

Above is my number 8 entry and you can view all the other submissions here: http://www.lettercult.com/archives/3300#more-3300

I was surprised that a snake was not used in any other submissions because it almost seemed like such an obvious solution to this challenge that I almost did not do it. I do like that my snake reminds me of a bowling pin. I'd like to see a snake swallow a bowling pin one day.

I took part in designing a number one and number two. I had hoped to complete all the numbers, but missed a few weeks due to being busy with other activities. Maybe one day I can catch up on the missed numbers.

Did you enjoy this fun design challenge?

Joe on You, Me, Them, Everybody LIVE!

2011-06-06T09:38:00.005-04:00

Joe Carabeo will be as a guest on the talk show You, Me, Them, Everybody LIVE! tonight, June 6, 2011 at 8:30PM.

You are invited to join the live taping of this podcast hosted by Brandon Wetherbee. Guests include podcaster and filmmaker Joe Carabeo, stand up comedian Tim Young, a special set from Frau Eva.

The Looking Glass Lounge
3634 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Show at 8:30 PM, 21+, donations appreciated

I appeared on You, Me, Them, Everybody LIVE!'s first show of 2011. You can read the recap, view photos and listen to the show here: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2011/01/recap-and-podcast-you-me-them-everybody.html

Brandon Wetherbee was a guest on The Carolyn & Joe Show for episodes 117 and 118. Take a listen and see you tonight at 8:30!

Black Magic Tales in Dollar Bin Anthology, Vol. 4

2011-06-02T14:56:00.006-04:00

Heroes Con is this weekend and although we at Curls Studio will not be there in-person, we will be there in spirit... in the form of The Dollar Bin's Friends Assembled Anthology, Volume 4. This is also our fourth appearance in this anthology.

Our entry in the anthology is a five page Black Magic Tales story featuring a father bird, his son, pizza and a whole gang of birds. Above is a preview of the first page.

Curls Studio exhibited at Heroes Con in 2008. You can read the recap here and watch the convention film that Astray Productions produced here.

Check us out at The Dollar Bin!

Heroes Convention
June 3-5, 2011

Friday: 11 AM to 7 PM
Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM
Sunday: 11 AM to 6 PM

Charlotte Convention Center
501 S. College Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

© 2011 Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo

AIGA DC Urban Forest Project Interview Films

2011-05-25T09:12:00.019-04:00

A few months ago, AIGA DC board members Dian Holton and Kerri Sarembock worked with Joe Carabeo from Astray Productions to produce over 25 interview films based on the artists who took part in The Urban Forest Project. I worked as sound mixer for about half of the interviews.

The Urban Forest Project is a series of unprecedented outdoor exhibitions taking root in cities around the world. This unique environmental, public arts and educational initiative calls on artists, designers and students in each location to employ the idea or form of the tree to make a powerful visual statement on banners that are displayed throughout the community.

Sit back and enjoy causal and spontaneous conversations with the AIGA DC Urban Forest Project artists. You can view all of the films here: http://www.youtube.com/user/AIGAWASHDC

Plus keep an eye out on the streets of DC for the banners in spring of 2011! AIGA DC has set up a Flickr group for UFP DC where you can upload your own photos of the banners: http://www.flickr.com/groups/ufpdc

Here is my Urban Forest Project Submission, which unfortunately did not make the final selection to be produced as street banner: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2010/01/urban-forest-project-submission.html

The Urban Forest Project is brought to you by: Downtown DC Business Improvement District, The District Department of Transportation, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, AIGA DC, Worldstudio and USDA Forest Service

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith Talk about Curls Studio

2011-05-24T00:53:00.007-04:00

Curls Studio is a sponsor of S.I.R. (SModcast Internet Radio). Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith talked about Curls Studio in the Monday, May 23, 2011 episode of Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs.

Have a listen to a very cool part of Jay and Silent Bob Get Jobs. The audio is hosted with Astray Productions at: http://goastray.tumblr.com/post/5791791475/jason-mewes-and-kevin-smith-talk-about-curls

This is not our first interaction with Kevin Smith. We got to meet him on my birthday in 2010. Above is a photo of that moment. Kevin is holding a script of the latest feature film from Astray Productions, The Incident In Tesla.

Recap: Handmade Mart 2011

2011-05-24T00:35:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, May 22 Curls Studio exhibited at Handmade Mart in Silver Spring, MD. We are thankful for a nice day since it was an outdoor show. It only rained for five minutes! Thanks to Hannah and Lindsey and Matt for dropping by the booth to say hello.

We premiered my Hourly Comic in print form, which is now available at the Curls Studio Etsy Store.

Photos of the event can be viewed in the "Handmade Mart 2011" album on the Curls Studio Facebook Page. "Like" us to keep up with all the latest news.

World Turtle Day

2011-05-23T13:04:00.000-04:00

Just learned today is World Turtle Day. Celebrate with Turtle Neck from the Curls Webcomic. You can't deny a turtle who likes wearing turtle necks. Check out some of THE BEST OF TURTLE NECK: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls/?tag=turtle-neck

XOXO,
Carolyn

Curls: The Webcomic

2011-05-19T03:14:00.008-04:00

I don't post my Curls Webcomic to this blog very often, but I figured every once in awhile I should remind you about it. Curls can be found at www.curls-studio.com/curls and it updates every Monday and Thursday.

This wonderful and purely fun with a side of insanity comic strip is about a gal with mitten hands, who runs into adventures with her best friends:
• A life size slice of Toast named Toast of the Town
• Applause, a Siamese Fighting Fish who is the boxing world champion in the waterweight division
• Turtle Neck, a turtle who wears turtlenecks
• Pitter Patter, a penguin waiter
• And more!

Carolyn Belefski was nominated for a Friends of Lulu Award in 2010 for Most Talented Newcomer to recognize cartooning work by women. You can check out a brand new Curls webcomic every Monday and Thursday at www.curls-studio.com/curls.

Handmade Mart is May 22

2011-05-17T18:34:00.008-04:00

Curls Studio was recently accepted to be a vendor at Handmade Mart in downtown Silver Spring, MD! We hope to see you at booth #64 on Sunday, May 22 (see where we'll be located in the handy map image below). You can check out our Q&A on the Handmade Mart blog and take a look at what other vendors will be selling.

Hands-on workshops will be hosted by the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Their workshop booth will be located in the front of the main stairwell, next to the fountain. Pyramid Atlantic will be leading workshops in paper-making and screen printing.

WHAT: Handmade Mart
WHEN: May 22, 2011 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
WHERE: Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring, Maryland (between Fenton and Georgia Avenue)

This event is FREE to attend and fun for all ages! Stop by and say hi to us. See you this Sunday!

Valuable parking information: http://www.silverspringdowntown.com/transportation/parking

May 18 - UPDATE: Downtown Silver Spring is no longer allowed to have booths located on both sides of the street during any of their future events. This ruling came from the Fire Marshall's Office, so booth #'s 59-71 had to be moved. The second development is that the large stage, which is usually located in front of the breezeway, is still up. Apparently there are a few mechanical problems with the stage, so it cannot be taken down in time for the Mart. The stage itself won't affect any vendors booths, but the organizers have decided to move the Handmade Mart booth onto the stage, instead of in front of the fountain. The map posted yesterday has been taken down and replaced to represent this change, so the map above is correct.

10 Questions with Rafer Roberts

2011-05-16T00:31:00.015-04:00

In this second installment of "10 Questions with..." we feature Rafer Roberts. Above is a photo from last year's SPX of Rafer in the center with the Carnival Anthology carnies. Rafer has a new trade paperback out now called Plastic Farm: Sowing Seeds on Fertile Soil, which you can pre-order on Amazon or ask comic retailers to order it from Diamond using order code APR110754. Read on to learn more about Rafer and Plastic Farm.

1. How would you describe Plastic Farm to someone who has never read it before?

PLASTIC FARM is the life story of Chester Carter, his slow descent into complete insanity, and how that madness is reshaping reality in many strange, terrifying and hilarious ways. It is written and mostly drawn by me, and walks the delicate line between a serious treatise regarding the nature of humanity and our relationship with the sublime with dick and fart jokes.

We just released a new collection of the first 12 issues and folks are encouraged to pick that up from their local comics pusher.

2. Which cartoonists do you consider to be huge influences?

I'm not sure how much of it comes through in my artwork or storytelling but Dave Sim, David Lapham, Jack Kirby, Mike Mignola, and Ted McKeever all come to mind.

3. What are you inspired by outside of the art and comics world?

I'm a fan of crappy speculative documentaries about bible stories and the approaching apocalypse and I've been known to speed read the occasional bullshit new-age philosophy book. I've listened to a ton of Alan Watts lectures (who I actually enjoy) and I enjoy staring at the sky. Little snippets of overheard conversations, images from half-remembered dreams, old college sketchbooks filled in while a much younger me was out of my mind, and mis-read newspaper headlines all fill my brain with story bits. These bits float around my mind like rocks in a cement tumbler until they coalesce into a story or until I've ground them down to powder.

4. When did you start creating comics and what has kept you going after so many issues?

I started making PLASTIC FARM in early 1999, but many of the characters were appropriated from the comics I had been making since middle school. I don't know why I keep going. It's not like I'm getting rich doing this. I suppose I just have a story I need to get out of my head. I also enjoy the act of drawing; the zen-like act of sitting alone in a room making a series of lines that eventually approximate the form of a person or a building or whatever is very satisfying and keeps me sane.

5. You are the editor of Washington, DC's comic newspaper, Magic Bullet. What have you learned from this experience?

I've learned that being the editor of any sort of anthology project is a difficult and time consuming job. I've enjoyed my time as editor of MAGIC BULLET and I am damn proud of the product we have put out, but I've also realized that in order to steer the paper other projects fall by the wayside. I'm thinking that the next issue, MAGIC BULLET #3, will be my last as editor. I need to refocus on PLASTIC FARM if I'm going to finish it before I die.

6. What books have you recently read or are currently reading?

I'm terrible at this. I pick up so many books at shows that look great and they just sit in a pile unread waiting for me to have time for them, That said, I always have time for The Walking Dead. I wish Young Liars could have gone on longer (though I really wish Lapham could find a way to go back to Stray Bullets). I also highly recommend a book called The Signifiers by Michael Neno. Folks should go hunt that out.

7. You have been to many comic conventions recently. Do you have any fun stories from the road?

Yes, but most of them involve other people and I'm not sure I should talk about this stuff on the internet. Most of my stories actually involve me getting too drunk and making an ass out of myself in front of creators that I admire and respect.

8. Do you have any tips for someone interested in getting started in the comics industry?

Give up now. Go into banking.

Or, I suppose, take professional art lessons. That's the one thing I wish I had done and the one thing that has hurt me the most.

9. What upcoming projects do you have up your sleeve?

Hoo boy. There's two different anthology projects coming up that I'm not sure I can even discuss yet. I've got a short story in the upcoming FUBAR 2 World War 2 zombie anthology. It's a fun story and I got Jake Warrenfeltz to do some beautiful greywashes over my artwork. Jake and I are also working on another sort story written by our friend Stephen Hines. I've got some more Nightmare the Rat newspaper strips to draw, and of course, there is more PLASTIC FARM.

10. Where can people locate your comics?

Folks can find me at http://www.plasticfarm.com and the latest PLASTIC FARM collection is available in finer comic stores and bookstores everywhere, as well as online.

Now that you've read my interview with Rafer Roberts, stop by his blog to read his interview with me. Ten Questions with Carolyn Belefski: http://www.plasticfarm.com

Recap: We Are Monsters

2011-05-12T12:07:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, May 6, 2011, we attended the "We Are Monsters" art show opening at Pleasant Plains Workshop in Washington, DC. It was a fun night and many people attended the show. I am excited to see so many inventive monsters by the top artists in the DC area.

I got to premiere my monster, MASER, and hopefully he has not killed anyone in their sleep for calling him cute.

Make sure you check out more of the photos we took on the Curls Studio Facebook Page and "like" us while you are at it!

If you missed the opening and want to check out "We Are Monsters" in person, Pleasant Plains Workshop is open to the public on Fridays 2-7PM and Saturdays 1-6PM at 2608 Georgia Avenue, NW.

Thanks to Anthony Dihle for organizing the show.

AIGA DC Farewell

2011-05-04T00:24:00.019-04:00

It was a tough decision to make, but I recently decided to roll off the AIGA DC board of directors. I have served on the board for four years, but my history of AIGA started in 2002 when I was a student member at Virginia Commonwealth University with the Richmond chapter. As a student, I served on the student chapter board. After graduation, I moved up to DC and started volunteering at many AIGA DC events, hoping to catch the board's eye and be elected to the DC chapter at the professional level. It took me two years of volunteering until I got on the board.

AIGA describes itself as: AIGA, the professional association for design, stimulates thinking about design, demonstrates the value of design and empowers the success of designers at each stage of their careers. AIGA’s mission is to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, and is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution.

My first position on the board in 2007 was working with Dian Holton on AIGA 50, our biennial juried exhibition. Here are two blogs where I previously wrote about this position and the event reception at National Postal Museum.

Then a brand new position opened to the board revolving around our Design Continuum Scholarship program, which I held for the next two years. As Continuum Chair, I worked with our Advisory Board, Mira Azarm and Jill Spaeth to create fundraising events and dinners to raise money for the scholarships. Some of these included a summer party, a wine pairing and tasting event at The Art Institute of Washington, a private event with Michael Osborne and more. The position also involved promoting the scholarship to media outlets and schools to let educators and students know about the application process. We also started the Continuum Fund Button Campaign which involved getting original designs from Stanley Hainsworth, The General Design Company, Michael Osborne, David Franek and Nathan Hill for buttons promoting our scholarship opportunities. We have given away five scholarships to young designers.

This past year I attended the Leadership Retreat in Chattanooga, Tennessee and then served as Special Projects Coordinator. AIGA DC will soon be premiering a new blog site. We will let you know when the site is active, but I can tell you Ripe is doing a great job working on designing and programming the site at this very moment. Having a blog where our members can write about design and recap our events is something our community really needed. You can read all my AIGA related blog posts here: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/search/label/AIGA

Being on the AIGA DC board is a time in my life I will remember forever. The people on the board are awesome and we make a great team. Through the board experience, I learned to organize projects, write press releases, promote the chapter's activities and plan events. I enjoyed meeting many designers in the area and connecting with the community in ways I never imagined.

Next time you go to an event, look around you and take in the effort of people working the event. Someone organized a speaker to travel from New York to speak to you or a sign language interpreter or set-up the registration table or volunteered as an event photographer. It all adds up to create the magic that you aren't supposed to notice, that should be flawless. Many people do not realize this but it's important to stress that no one on the board gets paid. We are all volunteers who devote our time and energy to advancing the design profession. Not just time, but also expenses. It costs me $13.45 to park and commute to each board or committee meeting (each commute to DC). That may not seem like much, but over a year's span that's at least $200. In addition to commuting to meetings, professional membership is $315. AIGA DC board members are very devoted beyond the need of themselves to providing our membership with great resources and events.

The best thing besides working with the people on the AIGA DC board is the ability of seeing results. All too often in my design jobs, I never know what happened to the work I created. As a cartoonist, I work alone when I draw and it takes months to create something and get feedback. I usually only get to speak to people face-to-face at comic conventions. With AIGA a majority of the projects we have work on get instant feedback. For example, we got to give away scholarships or we know when an event sold out. The results are what keep us going.

I'd like to thank the two past presidents Mira Azarm and Jill Spaeth for their dedicated support and assistance with everything in the past few years. They are truly amazing stars in the world of design. The DC area is much stronger with their positive example of running the chapter.

It is my time to exit and open a slot to a new fresh board member. If you know of someone who has productive energy and time and commitment involved to be on the AIGA DC board, please apply by May 6, 2011. For more information, visit: http://www.aigadc.org/events/2011/05/61301417

I'm excited to use my limited "free time" to take my storytelling and comics work to a new level. I plan on giving more time to my Curls webcomic, other Curls Studio endeavors and taking over the world. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, here I come.

We Are Monsters - MASER Sneak Peek

2011-04-26T21:28:00.011-04:00

Above is a sneak peek of my monster, MASER, specifically made for the exhibit We Are Monsters.

I will be posting new facts about MASER weekdays on my Twitter account leading up to the opening on May 6. Follow me @CarolynBelefski. Today we learned "he eats gravel and will kill you in your sleep if you call him cute."

We Are Monsters features a hand-picked group of over twenty artists, illustrators, and designers who are bringing their beasts to the heart of DC. Dual heads, third-eyes, cloven hoofs, purple fur, and forked tongues will be found in obscene abundance. Media will include painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, maybe even a little video. Opening Friday, May 6, from 7–9PM at Pleasant Plains Workshop, 2608 Georgia Avenue, NW.

Artists include: Marc Crisafulli, Carolyn Belefski, Greg Pizzoli, Dana Jeri Maier, Antonio Peters, Adam Dwight, Elizabeth Graeber, John Foster, Rich Bernett, Tim Gibbon, Melinda Rainsberger, Catherine Smith, Josh Dihle, Mike O'Brien, Allison Glancey, Ivan Anic, Evan Keeling, Kristina Bilonick, Stephanie Kwak, Steve Loya , Jodi Hoover , Lisa Adang, Pia Blumenthal, Anthony Dihle

You can RSVP and invite your friends to the event using Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155052164558904

Thanks to Anthony Dihle and Kristina Bilonick for hosting the show.

The Legettes Silkscreened T- Shirt

2011-04-26T20:13:00.009-04:00

If you have been to the Curls Studio Etsy Store, this could be old news to you... but I have never written about this project for the blog and just realized it really should be given attention. Why? Because this project pretty much rocks. It started over two years ago when I created this shirt featuring the title characters from The Legettes comic book I make with Joe Carabeo. The shirt premiered at New York Comic Con in April of 2009. I know it was a hit when J. Scott Campbell commented how cool the shirt was in-person to me. (It would really be great if one day he did a pin-up of The Legettes!)

Fast forward to a few months ago... Joe and I did a photo shoot with the lovely burlesque dancer Dolli Holiday to feature the shirt design. As you can see the results are amazing. Dolli looks like a real-life Gwen LeGette and we had a blast working together. Definitely check her performances with Richmond Varietease and The Garter Snaps when you have the chance!

As far as the shirts go, act fast. Small size is SOLD OUT. Current available inventory: 1 medium navy, 2 large navy, 4 large green

Get yours today at the Curls Studio Etsy Store.

VCU Libraries Digital Collections

2011-04-18T23:08:00.008-04:00

I was recently informed by someone who works for Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries that: "VCU put all the Commonwealth Times issues online (I was the lucky person who removed the archived collection from their bindings and prepared them for digitization) so you can you can find all your Curls adventures as a Ram here! :)"

http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm4/index_com.php?CISOROOT=/com

For those of you who do not know, I have a webcomic called Curls, which got it's start in VCU's student newspaper, The Commonwealth Times, published in print every Monday and Thursday. You can now search the database of VCU Libraries Digital Collections to read my Curls strips from 2002 to 2004.

Now I publish Curls on the web every Monday and Thursday in honor of the original publication days. You can read Curls here: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls

Recap: Capicons (April 10)

2011-04-16T11:59:00.008-04:00

Curls Studio was a guest at the April 10, 2011 Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con at Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Hall in Dunn Loring, VA along with Rafer Roberts and RM Rhodes.

It was a fun time. I met some interesting new comics fans and ate two doughnuts. I also purchased a Thorn (Bone) action figure for only $3. We gave away many free issues of Magic Bullet. Thanks to Capicons for having us and thanks to all who attended and talked to us!

More photos can be found on our Facebook Fan Page. "Like" us already, will ya?

Capicons is Sunday, April 10

2011-04-02T22:22:00.007-04:00

Curls Studio will be appearing at Capicons next Sunday as a special guest, along with Rafer Roberts (creator of Plastic Farm, editor of Magic Bullet) and RM Rhodes (Oletheros Publishing). Hope to see you there. We will have free issues of Magic Bullet #2 available.

Capicons Comic Book & Pop Culture Con
Sunday, April 10, 2011  -- 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Hall
2148 Gallows Road
Dunn Loring, Virginia

Admission: $3 - Kids FREE!

Buy, sell & trade: Gold, Silver, Bronze Age comics; Indie & Modern comics, Publishers & Creators, TV & Movie Collectibles. Non-sport cards; Videos & DVDs; Horror/Sci-Fi; figures, toys; Star Wars & Star Trek memorabilia; original artwork, posters and other comic-related collectibles.

Magic Bullet #2 - Washington DC's Comics Newspaper

2011-04-02T13:57:00.008-04:00

Last August, Washington DC's Comics Newspaper - Magic Bullet - was launched with issue #1. Now Magic Bullet #2 has hit the streets... literally. Last Monday, members of DC Conspiracy, a collective of local comic-book creators and enthusiasts, were at Metro and MARC stations handing out copies. If you don't commute via mass transportation in the DC area, don't fret. Check out Magic Bullet sightings, a handy Google Maps page with many shops and establishments where the newspaper can be found.

Curls Studio has a Black Magic Tales story in Magic Bullet #2, titled "Good Enough." Above is a small image of Curls Studio's comic. I will post a larger image once the printed newspaper has had it's run, but for now if you want to read the comic, make some effort and hunt down a copy of Magic Bullet. Speaking of which, you will be able to get your hands on one at Capicons on Sunday, April 10, 2011 at Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Hall from 10AM to 3PM. I'll be there for sure. See you there!

(Related: Want to read the Black Magic Tales story from Curls Studio which was published in Magic Bullet #1? Check out: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2010/09/black-magic-tales-reunion.html)

Shaka Smart and VCU Merchandise

2011-03-30T00:51:00.016-04:00

This past week I have been buzzing about my Alma mater, Virginia Commonwealth University earning their spot in the Final Four. I did a Curls Webcomic about VCU and Joe and I devoted a good portion of The Carolyn & Joe Show to discuss VCU's victories.

My brother and I had a fabulous idea for a Shaka Smart print to honor VCU's coach. I am so excited for VCU and they got me even more motivated to work hard for myself. I hope they win it all. Please checkout my Etsy Store to purchase prints with my original Shaka Smart design.

365: Make Something Every Day

2011-03-28T02:13:00.005-04:00

Last Friday, my SKETCH BEFORE SLEEP project and interview was featured on 365: Make Something Every Day by Noah Scalin. I made an illustration every day for a year using a Wacom tablet. An important thing to know about SKETCH BEFORE SLEEP is that the project has been recently approved by Kickstarter for a fundraising campaign to publish all 365 sketches in a book. You can read more on the SKETCH BEFORE SLEEP Blog.

Read the full 365: Make Something Every Day blog post here: http://makesomething365.blogspot.com/2011/03/sketch-before-sleep.html

Alphabattle: Number 2

2011-03-17T00:23:00.002-04:00

Above is my entry and you can view all the other submissions for number two here: http://www.lettercult.com/archives/3101#more-3101

In addition, I took part in designing a number one the other week: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2011/03/alphabattle-number-1.html

I hope to continue this design exercise and complete all the numbers.

Your Schedules - Curls: Days of the Week

2011-03-15T10:08:00.011-04:00

Last week, I invited everyone to submit their schedules to the Curls Webcomic - and now here are the results! I am really impressed with how creative the schedules are... in addition, it is so interesting to me what everyone is up to! A huge thank you goes out to everyone who participated. Please go visit the following sites:

Carolyn Belefski (my sample schedule) - Curls

Ali Thompson - Best Available Productions

Jose Capetillo - @realchicofiesta

Joe Carabeo - Astray Productions

Jim Coon - Last Dollar Comics

Troy-Jeffrey Allen - Typographic Era

Rafer Roberts - Plastic Farm

Susan Page - More than Just Super Friends

Curls: Days of the Week

2011-03-10T20:30:00.011-05:00

I don't post each strip to the Curls Studio Production Blog, so in case you didn't know, I have a webcomic called Curls which updates every Monday and Thursday at http://www.curls-studio.com/curls.

Here's a handy weekly schedule to remind you to read the Curls Webcomic every Monday and Thursday. In addition I've filled out my upcoming week for you and in return I ask you to do the same. Maybe you have an improv class scheduled? Or you are taking your child to soccer practice? Either way, Curls wants to know what is going on in your life! Send me your upcoming week and I'll post it on the blog and link to your site. You can use a tablet, like I've done or you can print out the blank one above fill it out by hand and take a photo or scan it. Email your schedule to info@curls-studio.com by 10 PM EST Monday, March 14th to be included in the blog post.

Feel free to post the schedule on your blog or website to let people know about the Curls Webcomic. Thank you!

Nominee for Best of D.C.

2011-03-03T22:56:00.006-05:00

I am nominated for Washington City Paper's Best of D.C. Readers Poll in the category of "Best Crafter." It only takes a couple seconds to vote. I'd appreciate if everyone took a moment to vote. Thank you!

Please spread the word and vote using this link: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofpoll/nominations/vote/586

The poll closes March 15th at 11:59PM EDT

Carolyn Belefski (Curls Studio) has been nominated for Best Local Crafter
Carolyn Belefski (Curls Studio) creates fantastic illustrations and merchandise of her original creator-owned comic characters. She has exhibited at Crafty Bastards, DC Counter Culture Fest, Small Press Expo, Baltimore Comic-Con, New York Comic Con and many other events. She also contributes to the local design community by serving on the AIGA DC board. Check out her work at curls-studio.com.

Curls and Cerebus Illustration

2011-03-02T03:37:00.008-05:00

Above is a commission I did of my character, Curls, with Dave Sim's character, Cerebus. I hope he'd like it. Arsia Rozegar did the wonderful colors.

The illustration really comes to life when it's in color... which honestly leads be to believe if Curls is on the web, there should be no reason why it shouldn't be in color. I am used to black and white from the times when Curls was published in The Commonwealth Times newspaper. I would like to have more Curls strips in color, but it is time consuming so we will see where it goes in the future. I think this piece came out really well and I'm proud of the work Arsia and I did for it. It was fun to create this.

Be sure to read Curls every Monday and Thursday at this site: http://www.curls-studio.com/curls

Art for Aardvark Art Bazaar

2011-03-02T03:04:00.019-05:00

I recently teamed up with Anthony Dihle from Fire Studio to produce screenprinted posters for The Harbor School's Aardvark Art Bazaar event. (You might remember my recent blog about a visit to Anthony's studio at Pleasant Plains Workshop.)

The client originally wanted an aardvark wearing leg warmers with a letter "A" similar to an alphabet card. So I drew that in my sketch concepts above. I also came up with another idea to have the aardvark surfing on a artist palette, so I decided to present that was well... and I'm happy to say they went with that for the final. I love concepting! I hope seeing the above sketch will give you a glimpse of my first steps when I design or illustrate a project.

I did the illustration and Anthony did the design. Last weekend Anthony printed all the posters at his studio. I hope you enjoy the process photos he took. It's really a treat. He did an amazing job!

Anthony says: It's a "seven" color screenprint in three layers. The second layer is a split fountain (color fade) of five different inks. A plop of each color is dropped on the screen and mixed progressively with each squeegee pass. The challenge wasn't so much mixing the five colors on the screen, but mixing each color so that it would have a similar amount of transparency over the dark background color, so that no color band stands out as too bold. It's 13"x21", printed on 80 lb. Cougar Opaque white.

Friday, March 11 is the 1st annual Aardvark Art Bazaar from 11AM to 4PM at The Harbor School. A fun and funky art bazaar featuring local artisans, live music and a craft/activity corner for kids!

Available for Freelance Work
If you are are creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.

10 Questions with Jim Coon

2011-03-02T02:27:00.013-05:00

So I'm trying a new feature on this blog called "10 Questions with..." and the first person to experiment on is my lab rat, Jim Coon. It was actually kinda his idea! So it's pretty basic: we both interviewed each other and will post each other's interviews on our blogs. I met Jim at my first SPX show when I was walking around as a volunteer and got to talking with him about how he does what he does. Two years later, I started exhibiting at SPX and have been sharing a table with him each year at SPX ever since. Above is a photo of us from a previous SPX that I stole from his site.

Last year, I asked Jim to be a part of the Carnival Anthology. In this interview I found out that we are both influenced by Chuck Jones. Read on to find out more!

1. What type of comic work or cartooning do you do and how do you describe it to people you meet?

If I had to sum up the type of cartooning I do now a days I'd have to refer to the late comedian George Carlin. He said his "job" is thinking up goofy shit and then coming around once and while to tell people about it. I think that description fits what I'm doing right now with Last Dollar Comics to a tea. I've stopped doing sequential panel by panel comics because I found that more people were buying my books where the story was told one panel to a page. Books like Giant Robot Attacks or Bitch Stole My Fish were much more popular than the books with 5 or six panels per page. I subscribe to the K.I.S.S. theory. Keep It Simple Stupid.

2. Which cartoonists do you consider to be great influences in your work?

The animator and cartoon director Chuck Jones is one of my biggest influences. I love to watch any cartoon that he was involved with and see the similarities in expression and mannerisms in the characters. I think Jones may have been reflecting himself in his stories. Sometime watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas and then watch the Bugs Bunny cartoon the Rabbit of Seville and you'll see what I'm talking about. I think I get a lot of my cynicism from Charles Shultz and Don Martin was also a big influence on what I do now. In the early days of my publishing career when everyone was trying to draw like John Byrne, so was I. I think I have since shed any of the Byrne influences and I'm working hard to develop my own style.

3. How did you get started making comics?

I started making comics when I was in second grade drawing on any kind of paper I could get my hands on. I created my own characters, all super heroes of course. My first comic however was influenced by a Japanese monster movie called Yog: Monster from Space. I made a comic called Monster Island. Once I got to a point in my life where I had money and was deeper into the printing industry the self publishing really took off. I spent every Last Dollar (shameless plug) on publishing my own books and at one time was distributed by Diamond when my Dead End series was called Club 13. It was a DISASTROUS experience. The printer I used could print the sample books, but then couldn't hold registration on long runs. I had to change cover stock on the retail copies just to meet the distribution deadline. Years later I found an issue of Club 13 in a 25¢ box. That's when I knew I had arrived! LOL! My next venture to distribute books was a collected edition of Dead End. It was the first 10 issues which chronicled a Halloween night where the lord of the dead, Samhain, raises the dead and the streets are filled with zombies. Diamond rejected it saying there was no interest in zombie comics. I'd say I was about 5 years early as it wasn't long before zombies took over mainstream comics.

4. You are a proponent of mini comics. In your opinion, how can small press publishers make mini comics more visible to a larger audience?

As I see it the biggest hurdle for mini comics in general is distribution. Maybe hurdle is too small a word. Perhaps mountain is a more appropriate metaphor with the biggest mountain being Diamond Distributors. In my opinion Diamond wants nothing to do with small press in general. You can point to publishers like Top Shelf or Ad House who regularly have listings in Diamond catalogs, but to me, those publishers are not small press. They produce some very high quality books that sell at a price point that Diamond will benefit from. Until mini comics can be produced and packaged in a way that Diamond can profit from the sale I don't see a viable distribution system in place. Tony Shenton does a great job trying to fill this void, but it is to big undertaking for one man. I'm working on something now that I may or may not present to Diamond. I don't want to say much right now but if it works it could open a whole new door for small press.

5. When you are stuck on a project, what do you do to get in a better mindset?

It's hard for me to get in a better mindset when I get frustrated with a project. Fortunately it doesn't happen too often. With my minis I normally have the entire book written and sketched out before I work on the finished pages. If I have an idea for a story I'll jot it down in a book or I'll sketch out a character and then that stuff goes in a bin until all the pieces of the story come to me. I have characters that are just waiting for their story to be told, I just don't know what that story is yet.

6. Which book do you consider to be your most successful and why?

I guess I've never really thought about the success of one individual book. I always look at my books as a growing line of comics. I don't think I've really achieved the level of success with any of my books that I'm striving for.

7. You are an established caricaturist in Upstate New York. What are some of your most requested faces?

When I draw caricatures I always draw the face with a little body under it. The most requested bodies are Soccer, Basketball, Horseback Riding, Dancing, Singing, Baseball and Football. I could draw those in my sleep.

8. Do you have any tips for someone interested in getting started in the comics industry?

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!! Seriously, unless you are a hopeless optimist willing to get you dreams trampled on and you self esteem pulverized don't do it! That being said, if you think "Well, Jim doesn't know what he's talking about. 20 years of publishing indy comics isn't THAT long." then go right ahead and dive head long into the hell that is self publishing!
If you think that you have the next original super hero that is going to sell millions of comics and get you a movie deal I'd like to slap you upside the head with a big whopping dose of that magical elixir called REALITY! Marvel comics and DC comics try out new super heroes every so often and most of those books sell in the low thousands and last only a few issues. So if the 2 biggest comic companies in the country can't establish a new character what makes you think you can? So, forget the super hero genre all together. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles where created during a time when the market was not over saturated with super hero comics and the Diamond Distributor catalog was only about a quarter of the size it is today. There, the fanboys have stopped reading. Now, for those who want to publish small press comics...STAY AWAY FROM SUPER HEROES!!!! The small press community in general buys small press comics because they don't like stories about super heroes. They like stories about teen angst and boogers. Zombie pre-schoolers and and boxing fish. I'm always amazed when I see a couple of "playas" at SPX with the high quality full sized super hero comic and wonder why no one is buying it. Don't put your all your eggs in one basket. I've found I've achieved better results in sales by having a variety of different characters instead of trying to push one idea. If you create a character, let's say. a bunny with one eye, Zombie Cyclops Rabbit (copyright 2011 Last Dollar Comics, I'm gonna use that later) and you do several issues you are limiting yourself to just those people who like zombie cyclops rabbits. That is a small percentage. Instead of doing 10 issues of Zombie Cyclops Rabbit, do 1, then move on to a different character - Angry Monkey Finger Puppet (copyright 2011 Last Dollar Comics, that one is already mine) and write a story about that. Eventually, you'll have several books that appeal to a broader spectrum of buyers. I've found that my Giant Robot character sells well so I've used the character in 3 books. Little Lost Yeti is popular so I'll be doing a second issue of that. At some point one character will break away from the pack to establish it self as your signature character. Finally, if you're going to do a comic - DO IT! Don't tell me you're working on it while you promote it with your 2 sided UV coated postcards and flashy website! Don't give me a "preview" copy of a book filled with pin ups and sketches. Complete your book and THEN promote it. Ideas are a dime a dozen and in small press product is key. Also, make your comic a self contained story. It's hard to maintain the pace of a serialized book when you are doing it on a part time basis. Don't leave people hanging with a "to be continued" because chances are there won't be a next issue. I'm guilty of this myself. It's not fair to a reader to give them only the first part of what you intend to be a six part story.

9. What are your upcoming comic projects?

I've been trying to finish a 16 page story for Rafer Robert's Plastic Farm for over a year now. I'm amazed he hasn't given up on me. I'm almost finished with a new mini that is a spoof of Sesame Street and the song "Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?". I'm also finishing a book about Nightmares that is a fun little rhyming story.

10. Where can people find your comics?
Buy my books at my etsy store www.jim8ball.etsy.com or just send me your address and I'll come to your house! LOL!

Now that you've read my interview with Jim Coon, stop by his blog to read his interview with me. Ten Questions with Carolyn Belefski: http://jim8ball.blogspot.com/2011/03/10-questions-with-carolyn-belefski.html