Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Guests on MOKA Podcast #29


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.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Wonder Woman in Technicolor


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


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

Sunday, August 28, 2011

HurriQuake 2011 Merchandise


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

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

CerebusTV and CBLDF eBay Auctions

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

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!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Another Curls Avatar


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.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Recap: Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con 2011


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.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Baltimore Comic-Con is August 20-21, 2011



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.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Raina Telgemeier & Dave Roman


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.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Women in Comics Spotlight: Carolyn Belefski


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!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con 2011


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.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Recap: DC Zinefest 2011


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.