If you're a fan of Richard Thompson's comic strip Cul de Sac, you can physically visit the inspiration for part of the strip in Virginia. That's exactly what I did last fall to show some appreciation to this manhole cover and do some dances and jumps, just like Alice. Richard watched his young daughter dance on the manhole cover one day and it inspired him to draw it in his strip!
Pay your homage at 2511 North Harrison Street in Arlington (across from Duck Donuts).
Being as it's the very last day of 2013, I should recap the fall touring season for Curls Studio. Excuses aside, it has been very busy for the past five months. Can't believe Baltimore Comic-Con was September 7-8, 2013 and we are just starting to recap it!
I got to attend my first Harvey Awards, which is a nice dinner and awards show hosted on Saturday night. The winner for "Best Online Comics Work" was Mike Norton's Battlepug. Since he was not present, Baltimore Comic-Con asked me to accept the award on his behalf, but I didn't know who was going to win until the announcement was made to everyone. The lights were very blinding on stage, but my big joke was that I didn't fall down when stepping up to the stage, so that's winning half the battle!
We were able to recruit a few people to walk with us for the Parkinson's walk in DC because of the awareness from this panel. Here is the blog recap for the walk: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2013/11/recap-team-cul-de-sac-at-moving-day-2013.html It was the greatest feeling to see several people at the show - even co-workers from the past couple full-time jobs I've held. Curls Studio really appreciates the support and enjoys seeing people come to the table year after year. More photos from Baltimore Comic-Con 2013 are located here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152089889767381.1073741839.50763422380&type=3 Hope to see you next year! Mark your calendars for a three-day show next year. It's September 5-7, 2014!
On Sunday, November 10, 2013 several members of Team Cul de Sac joined up to walk for Moving Day in Washington, DC. We walked for Richard Thompson, the cartoonist of the comic strip, Cul de Sac. Richard was honored with the 2010 Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year from National Cartoonists Society.
The day was a delight. I really enjoyed being able to spend time with the team and it was nice to have the Nationals ballpark all to ourselves! We got to meet the Teddy and George President characters too. Our team united visually as a gang by wearing black with turquoise bandanas. The walking team included Steve Artley, Kathy Artley, Joe Carabeo, Carolyn Belefski, David Hagen, Olivia Hagen, Hannah Schum, Roger Scott, and Joe Sutliff.
Steve Artley is the member of our team who raised the most funds, so he was invited to join Jared D. Cohen (CEO for Parkinson Foundation of the National Capital Area) in the Nationals dugout before the walk.
More than 1,500 people attended Moving Day DC. The event raised more than $325,000 to support programs and services provided by PFNCA. The program also supports the National Parkinson Foundation.
Baltimore Comic-Con 2013 Visit Curls Studio at Table A99 in Artist Alley
Saturday, September 8 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 9 -- 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 in Artist Alley at Table A99. 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!
In addition to having a table at Baltimore Comic-Con, two books I am a part of are nominated for Harvey Awards. The Harvey Awards, named after Harvey Kurtzman, are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. The Harvey Awards are presented annually at Baltimore Comic-Con to creators and publications that receive the most votes from their peers in the comics industry.
District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC is nominated for:
• Best Anthology
Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson's is nominated for:
• Best Anthology
• Special Award for Humor in Comics
• Special Award for Excellence in Presentation
• Best Biographical, Historical, or Journalistic Presentation
Cross your fingers! I hope to see you soon at Baltimore Comic-Con!
UPDATE (September 2, 2013)
I am invited to be on two panels at Baltimore Comic-Con.
Saturday, September 8 -- Room 305 -- 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Self Publishing: You Can Do It
Featuring: Amy Chu, Jimmy Palmiotti, Danielle Corsetto, George O'Connor, Carolyn Belefski
Sunday, September 9 -- Room 301 -- 11:00 AM to Noon Team Cul de Sac
When Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his friend Chris Sparks began a fundraising effort to honor his friend. With Richard’s support, he asked others to donate artwork featuring the Cul de Sac characters for a Team Cul de Sac book with proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research. The resulting book was nominated for four Harvey Awards. How did it do? Come to the panel and Chris Sparks and Mike Rhode will let you know! The fundraising continues as Joe Sutliff talks about the Drink and Draw event from this past Friday and Carolyn Belefski talks about the upcoming Moving Day Parkinson’s walk. Any other contributors are welcome to join in on stage. Plus, there will be fun things for sale!
Registration is now OPEN to join TEAM CUL DE SAC for Moving Day on Sunday, November 10, 2013 at 11:30AM at Nationals Park in Washington, DC.
Please encourage your friends to sign up to walk and/or contribute a donation. It is a free cost to join the team to walk -- the walk is 2 miles. All donations benefit the National Parkinson Foundation.
Thanks to Richard Thompson and Chris Sparks for starting up the team for the book -- now the mission and outreach will carry on in other outlets. Please email me at info@curls-studio.com if you have any questions regarding the walk. I hope to see you this November.
Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson's (edited by Chris Sparks, published by Andrews McMeel) is nominated for "Best Comics-Related Book" in the 2013 Eisner Awards.
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards is considered the "Oscars" of comics and are given out at a gala ceremony at San Diego Comic-Con. This year the awards are celebrating their 25th year.
It was great to be a part of this book with my contribution, 'Cul de Sac Meets Curls.' Thanks to Chris Sparks and Richard Thompson. To learn more about this project, you can read my past blogs about it here.
I am also planning a 'Team Cul de Sac' team to walk for Moving Day on November 10, 2013 in Washington, DC. Registration is not open yet, but if you want to participate or donate, please email 'info[at]curls-studio.com' to be added to our interest list.
For episode 191 of The Carolyn & Joe Show podcast, we broadcasted recorded audio from the Team Cul de Sac Panel at Baltimore Comic-Con 2012.
When Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, his friend Chris Sparks began a fundraising effort. With Richard's support, he asked others to donate artwork featuring the Cul de Sac characters for a Team Cul de Sac book with proceeds going to The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research.
Hello everyone! I know this is last minute, but I was recently asked to join the Team Cul de Sac panel this Saturday at Baltimore Comic-Con. Hope to see you there. We will be available to sign your Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson's books too. Aside for the panel, I will be located at Table A81 in Artist Alley the rest of the weekend. Here is more information and a map so you can find Curls Studio: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2012/08/baltimore-comic-con-is-september-8-9.html
Baltimore Comic-Con Saturday, September 8, 2012 Room 302-303 11:00-12:00 - Team Cul de Sac When Richard Thompson, the creator of the comic strip Cul de Sac, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, his friend Chris Sparks began a fundraising effort to honor his friend. With Richard's support, he asked others to donate artwork featuring the Cul de Sac characters for a Team Cul de Sac book with proceeds going to The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research. Now, join Chris Sparks and other members of Team Cul de Sac including Steve Conley, Matt Dembicki, SL Gallant, Roger Langridge, Dawn Griffin, Carolyn Belefski, and others as they discuss the project and their continuing efforts to raise funds in Richard's name.
Baltimore Comic-Con 2012 Visit Curls Studio at Table A81 in Artist Alley Saturday, September 8 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday, September 9 -- 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 A81. 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!
Actor/Comedian Phil LaMarr will be hosting the 2012 Harvey Awards and just by browsing the Guest List I saw there will be other amazing people to meet there like Stan Lee, Frank Cammuso, Cliff Chiang, Frank Cho, Steve Conley, Amanda Conner, John Gallagher, SL Gallant, Bryan J.L. Glass, Jimmy Gownley, Brad Guigar, Dean Haspiel, Roger Langridge, Greg LaRocque, David Mack, Carla Speed McNeil, Jimmy Palmiotti, Andrew Pepoy, Paul Pope, Chris Sparks, Mark Wheatley, and Thom Zahler -- just to name a few! Artist Alley has some pretty amazing people to discover too. I hope to meet you there.
On July 11, 2012, I attended the second book signing for Team Cul de Sac at Politics & Prose in Washington, DC (read more about the first signing and launch party here).
If you don't know about Team Cul de Sac, you can read more about the project in their blog here, but it is a group of cartoonists lead by project organizer, Chris Sparks, who created some cartoons and illustrations to honor Richard Thompson and his comic strip, Cul de Sac. Richard is a great cartoonist... so great even that he won the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for "Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year" in 2010! Unfortunately, he has also been recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
All of the original art for the Team Cul de Sac book was auctioned off earlier this year thru Heritage Auctions. You can still purchase the lovely Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s book thru Sparking Design or Amazon to help the cause because the team is connected to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and some of the proceeds go toward Parkinson's research.
The second signing included a presentation by Chris Sparks and speech by Nick Galifianakis. I was happy Richard was also there in attendance. We signed books for almost two hours and really enjoyed meeting everyone who came to support. Thanks to Barbara Sutliff for the photo of the contributors sign and Steve and Kathy Artley for the photo of the team signing books.
I will be at Politics and Prose (5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington, DC) this Wednesday, July 11 at 7PM for the Team Cul de Sac book signing and presentation by editor Chris Sparks. There will be many other local creators and contributors to the book in attendance.
Richard Thompson, the Cul de Sac cartoonist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2009 and began working with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to raise awareness of this illness. Chris Sparks organized Team Cul de Sac, which has solicited work from various graphic artists including Bill Watterson and Gary Trudeau, the proceeds of which have benefitted Team Fox, the Foundation’s fundraising arm.
Last month was the book launch and all the books sold out within the first hour of signing. You can read my recap and view photos of that event here. Be sure to get there early to purchase your book and have it signed.
RSVP to the event and share with your friends on Facebook here.
On Sunday, June 10, 2012 a few dozen cartoonists attended a book signing at One More Page Books in Arlington, Virginia to celebrate the release of Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson’s. The book contains original artwork from cartoonists and illustrators inspired by Richard Thompson’s comic strip Cul de Sac, including Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury). The originals were recently sold at an online auction, which raised $47,000, for Team Cul de Sac, which is part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The place was packed and I heard from an online post by Michael Rhode that the 75 books the store had ordered for the signing sold out! Usually at conventions, perhaps being that they are six hours per day and can last a full weekend or more, I have some lag time in between fans and customers at the table. There might be a ten minute gap before another person swings by. At this two hour book signing, I can say it's the most consistent crowd flow of signing book, after book, after book. We all must have signed around 100 or more books each!
This event was so fun! The man himself, Richard Thompson, creator of Cul de Sac (and 2011 'Cartoonist of the Year' Reuben award winner) was there along with the book's editor, Chris Sparks. Many local creators and comic supporters came out in droves to attend the signing. It was a large gathering of talent with combined forces ready to battle Parkinson's disease and come together to honor Richard Thompson. It was a delight to see this level of commitment and respect for Richard. Straddling a career field myself in the design and advertising industries, I can say most cartoonists are friendly people who really come together for a cause. It's hard to imagine another group of people making such an effort to raise money in a selfless way. It genuinely felt like everyone who came to the event was there for Richard, and that's the memory I will take with me for the rest of my life. It is an honor to be a part of this project.
The book is really beautiful and I urge you to purchase it and see all the art for yourself. It is currently $16.73 (list price $29.99) on Amazon.
If you missed this signing, there will be another one on July 11, 2012 at 7PM which will include a presentation with Chris Sparks at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC. Please RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!
On this past Sunday, June 3, 2012 Curls Studio was a guest at Capicons. Unfortunately we didn't take too many photos of the show, but we did whip the camera out when Michael Rhode of ComicsDC stopped by with his Team Cul de Sac: Cartoonists Draw the Line at Parkinson's book. It was my first time seeing the book and it's beautiful and jam packed with art from several cartoonists all influenced by Cul de Sac creator Richard Thompson, who was honored as last year's 'Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year' at the Reuben Awards.
In addition, there will be a book signing this Sunday in Arlington, VA. I will be there along with several other cartoonists and editor, Chris Sparks! Here is the RSVP on Facebook, join us and invite your friends: https://www.facebook.com/events/332334420171612/
If you can't make the signing, you can purchase Team Cul de Sac on Amazon. The book is currently $16.52 (list price $29.99).
The Capicons show was fun and it was good to meet a lot of local comics lovers. It's nice to have a relaxed show where you can talk with people and get to know them. It was also great to meet K. Michael Crawford, a children's book illustrator who was also a guest at Capicons. Check out her work at http://www.happilyeverart.com. I also thought it was innocent when a young man purchased Black Magic Tales, Volume 1: The Adventures of Roxy and Dean, World Famous Criminals and after I signed it he asked how much the autograph was. For now, my signature is free! So make sure you bid on my Team Cul de Sac art - the value will definitely go up!
Thank you to Michael Rhode for bringing the Team Cul De Sac book to Capicons. We wouldn't have photos without him!
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.
March 22 • CulpeperCon (Keynote Speaker)
April 4-6 • Awesome Con
May 18 • Comic Logic Spring Lot Con
June 28-29 • Tidewater Comicon
August 23-24 • Fairfax Comic Con
September 13-14 • Small Press Expo
October 9-12 • New York Comic Con
October 17-19 • Baltimore Comic-Con
October 26 • Comic Logic Fall Lot Con
November 15 • Local Author Book Festival
Donate to Curls Studio
If you enjoy Curls Studio products, please donate to keep us motivated and in action! We travel locally in DC, MD, and VA... but also need your support to pay for printing costs and travel expenses for events like New York Comic Con. Your help is needed and appreciated. You never know what could come your way if you donate to Curls Studio.
Carolyn Belefski creates and publishes original comics and illustrations. Carolyn writes and draws the comic strip Curls. She also collaborates with writer Joe Carabeo on the comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales, and The Legettes.
In 2010, Curls was nominated for the Friends of Lulu Kim Yale Award to recognize women in cartooning. In 2013 and 2014 Carolyn was voted Best Visual Artist runner-up for Washington City Paper’s Best of D.C. awards.
Carolyn became a National Cartoonists Society member in 2012, and is currently serving as a Washington, DC chapter Co-chair. With NCS, she started “Cartoonists Draw Blood” in Washington, DC by connecting with the American Red Cross, gathering local cartoonists, and organizing a blood drive where blood donors receive a sketch from a cartoonist.
Carolyn serves as editor-in-chief of Magic Bullet, Washington, DC’s comics newspaper anthology.
Carolyn has exhibited at New York Comic Con, Baltimore Comic-Con, Awesome Con, Small Press Expo, Pittsburgh Comic Arts Festival, Philly Alternative Comic Con, and many other comic conventions and art fairs.
CONTACT
info(at)curls-studio.com
