Friday, December 30, 2011

Del Ray Baby Logo


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.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2011

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 J
UN 12 • Capicons 
JUN 19 • DC Comicon 
JUL 30 • DC Zinefest 
AUG 20-21 • Baltimore Comic-Con 
SEP 10-11 • Small Press Expo 
SEP 16-18 • Intervention 
OCT 14-16 • 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.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Curls Studio Holiday Giveaway Contest


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


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


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.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Philadelphia City Paper's Comics Issue


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.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Recap: GV Expo 2011


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.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Speaking at GV Expo on Nov. 30



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

Monday, November 21, 2011

Guest Blogger for Jimmy Palmiotti's SEXY MONDAY


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.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Harvey Pekar Kickstarter


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

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Nominate Curls for Comic Riffs Webcomics of 2011


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

Monday, November 7, 2011

Toast of the Town takes New York!


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.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Recap: VA Comicon OCT. 29-30


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.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Al Butler interviews Curls Studio at NYCC 2011


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.

Monday, October 24, 2011

VA Comicon is OCT. 29-30


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.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Recap: New York Comic Con 2011


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

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Comic Book Interviews - Carolyn Belefski


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!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Bid on Women of Wonder Day 2011


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!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Amber Love at B16 NYCC Saturday


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

Friday, September 30, 2011

New York Comic Con 2011 - Panel and Table B16


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 use 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


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.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Film: SPX 2011 Interview

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.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Recap: Intervention 2011


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


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.