BOO-ks! I had fun evening last night from 5-7PM at McKay Used Books during their first Book-or-Treat Event in Manassas, VA. It was a very last minute show for me after just coming home from New York Comic Con (blog recap and photos to come soon from that show). They had games and candy for children and handled out passports so attendees could visit ever table to meet the vendors and get stamped. If they do this event again, I'd like to be able to be a part of it if I'm available.
On Sunday October 27, 2024 from Noon-4PM come out to the Comic Logic parking lot for their Fall Lot Con to peruse the goods and wares for sale from local creators, writers, artists, and more. Costumes are encouraged! There will be costume contests for kids, adults, and pets. Each vendor will have treats for kids to go "trick or treating" during the event. Curls Studio will be there with our big tent.
Saturday, September 21 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday, September 22 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con at Table E3 in Family Alley. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. We have a spinner wheel (which we found in the neighbor's trash and repurposed) -- with a purchase of any amount you can spin the wheel and get an extra something.
This year, the Family Alley is sponsored by Scholastic. Scholastic’s Graphix imprint celebrates 20 years of graphic novels for kids.
Everyone say: Spoon! We are celebrating The Tick in Baltimore Comic-Con's Yearbook this year. Get your Yearbook signed at Curls Studio and we'll have these limited edition mini prints for consumption at Table E3. The original will be auctioned off during the art auction Saturday at 2PM upstairs in Room 339-342.
Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!
This year's Small Press Expo will be held September 14-15, 2024. Visit Curls Studio at Table K11 at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road Rockville, Maryland 20852).
Saturday, September 14 -- 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday, September 15 -- NOON - 6:00 PM
The latest issue of Magic Bullet (Issue #21) will debut at SPX this year -- look for a new Black Magic Tales story (completed in 2023) in it!
Curls Studio will be exhibiting at STORYBOX Comics Fair this Sunday, June 23, 2024 from Noon to 4PM at Third Hill Brewing (8216 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring MD, 20910). *$10 Admission* Hope to see you there!
Nova Labs Holiday Maker Market 2023 will take place on Saturday, December 2 from 10AM to 4PM at 3850 Jermantown Road in Fairfax, VA. Curls Studio will be exhibiting our original comics, enamel pins, stickers, buttons, and more.
Free entry with hot chocolate, door prizes, unique gifts, and tours of the woodshop, metalshop, 3d printing, laser lab and fiber arts shops. Stop by and say hello while you purchase some lovely gifts for the holiday season.
More info available at: https://portal.nova-labs.org/Market
Curls Studio will be at Haymarket Art Market (HAM) this Saturday, October 28, 2023 at Great Mane Brewery (6620 James Madison Hwy, Haymarket, VA 20169) starting at 3PM -- if you want to see us please come during the earlier hours of the show as I can not guarantee staying until 10PM when the event ends.
What to expect: Live mural painting, arts and crafts vendors, DJs & MCs, food trucks, paint & sip for adults, cider for kids, and the best local craft beers in the area.
This is a family friendly event and from 3-6PM there will be activities for children. From 6-10PM it will still be a family friendly event, however more adult focused. Admission is free.
Loads of cool artists are listed on the HAM Instagram (@haymarketartmarket).
Join Curls Studio (Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo) this Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 10:30AM for Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) at The Amazing Comic Shop in Fairfax, VA across from George Mason University and near Taco Bamba and University Mall Theatres. The shop will be handing out select comics which are part of the FCBD promotion. We will be selling comics, prints, pins, and more at the Curls Studio table.
What's better than education, comics, tacos, and movies?
The Amazing Comic Shop is located at University Mall, 10647 Braddock Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032. Hope to see you there for our first appearance of 2023.
Looking back on 2022 it seemed to be another transitional year -- still getting back into the swing of things with lots of changes behind-the-scenes. Comic conventions ramped back up and we exhibited at 10 events (including our first time at Maryland STEM Festival). I started experimenting with new custom booth designs at a few of the shows (a nod to Lucy's psychiatry booth from Peanuts happened at Small Press Expo). I even started cosplaying in 2022 -- that's something I never thought I'd be doing!
Curls Studio kicked off the year with a successful Kickstater campaign for "Thank You Mom" hard enamel pins to celebrate Mother's Day on May 8. We also debuted a new soft enamel pin at Awesome Con called "Watermelon Umbrella Rainbow Duck," which was part of the event's collectable pin program.
My illustrations were published in Ranger Rick magazine and I was featured in Uppercase magazine to discuss creativity. I Love To Write Day's 20th Anniversary featured new Curls comic strips to celebrate the creative process.
At New York Comic Con we showcased a new charm with the Pizza Face character and had a great time in the city -- we even got to play some ping pong and go to Coney Island.
The "DC Region Cartoonists" poster released in the fall and features 25 cartoonists from the area. If you want more information about how to order a poster, let me know.
I did a lot of studying at STEM and STEAM events and attended a few art exhibits. I read a bunch of books, took notes, wrote a lot, and drew in my sketchbook. Loads of ideas were generated on paper and are now marinating in my brain. I also changed up my diet and workout routine quite a bit and am living a healthier lifestyle. We are looking forward to what this new year will bring!
Visit Curls Studio at Table K17 in Kids Love Comics
Friday, October 28 -- 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 29 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday, October 30 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con in the Kids Love Comics section at Table K17. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. This year we are offering a special if you purchase $5 or more -- you can select a free print (five print options to select from). You can also earn a free print is you correctly guess who I'm cosplaying as on Sunday!
We are prepped for Halloween and will have our two Cartoonists Draw Blood anthologies we produced (Trick or Treat / Monsters). You can also bid on Carolyn Belefski's original art made for the Jill Thompson "Scary Godmother" themed yearbook as well as get your book signed at Booth K17 for the scavenger hunt. The Hero Initiative Art Auction takes places Saturday at 5:00 PM in Rooms 339-342.
Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!
New York Comic Con happened earlier this month and Curls Studio had a fun (yet exhausting) time. I didn't get to hang away from the table too often, but I got to take a photo at the My Neighbor Totoro display (waiting to take the cat bus). I premiered the new "Pizza Slice" charm and had a signing at National Cartoonists Society booth on Thursday and Friday. Joe got an exclusive poster from Paul Pope that was his mission to obtain and he also told me he thinks he saw WWE wrestler Omos walk in the crowd, although he didn't call out to him to get a confirmation. I feel like it was probably him because if you see someone strikingly tall like that there aren't many people who have his physique and look.
We enjoyed being in the city and got to experience wonderful dining at Planet Taco (I had the three "Out Of This World" tacos -- Mars Vegetarian Chorizo, Venus, and Saturn). We ate pizza from three different joints over the course of our stay and I had my first Everything Egg Bagel (not to be confused with egg filling inside, but imagine an egg bagel with everything spices on top).
On Friday night I walked over to Poster House for their First Friday events with free admission. The exhibits "Masked Vigilantes On Silent Motorbikes" and "Air-India’s Maharaja: Advertising Gone Rogue" were on display and I met up with a friend at the museum. We both had dice readings from Maia Lorian. Look for my Instagram (@CarolynBelefski) to be updated with a post solely about my participation at Poster House within the next few weeks. Afterwards we ate at Eataly, our most expensive meal of the trip. It was tasty, but not filling enough. I was so hungry and ended up getting a slice of pizza later on at night.
I got to play ping pong at PingPod. I visited Coney Island and it was a better experience than last year when the weather was drizzling and the town didn't look as vibrant as it could be on a nicer day. I rode Deno's Wonder Wheel for the first time! Luna Park was decorated for Halloween and they had a fog bubble machine. When popped, the grayish bubbles let out mystical fog. I learned that apparently Nathan's does not make the creamy orange shake anymore (so I'm glad to have gotten that last year).
After the show we heard that former WWE wrestler Enzo Amore was at NYCC at a table about a two minute walk away from our booth. I didn't know he was there and missed him, but it would have been great to see him. Reminds me of how last year I found out after the event that MJF, Danhausen, and Orange Cassidy were all there and I missed out on that too. But it also shows how going to all these comic cons is "work" for us and we have to be at our table and represent the books we create. Yes, we get to have a good time and it is sort of a mini vacation, but we are also there to invest in ourselves.
We hope to be back at NYCC in the future. Big thanks to Francis Bonnet, Joe Carabeo, Hannah Mount, NYCC staff, NYCC volunteers, NCS, the kind people at the hotel, and everyone who stopped by the booth.
Our next tour stop for this year is Baltimore Comic-Con (Booth K17) this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Curls Studio had a fabulous time yesterday kicking off the Maryland STEAM Art Competition. We got to meet a lot of cool science people and learn more about the different fields of study and opportunities to create for young scientists. We went into the STEAM Bus from Howard County Library System, talked to representatives from the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, saw VR in front of our table, and took part in some spin art.
One of the activity tables was doing something similar to my HijINKs! Inktober project from 2019 where you blow in a straw to move paint around on paper. It seems I have been injecting STEAM into my artwork for awhile and I believe that is the direction to head toward. If you look at many of my #CarolynsCreativeChallenge projects that started in 2020, you can see unplanned STEAM influence. Even Curls had a whole storyline where she was a Mad Scientist many years ago!
I also represent National Cartoonists Society (I'm the Washington, DC chapter chair) and handed out brochures and postcards about the organization and it's 27 Club, a young professionals program for cartoonists.
More photos will be on my Instagram (@CarolynBelefski) Feed and Stories shortly.
Thank you to Maryland STEM Festival for having us. We hope to do more STEAM activities in the future. Our next tour stop is Small Press Expo next weekend (September 17-18) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Come to the Maryland STEM Festival Art Contest Kick-Off Event at Howard Community College this Saturday, September 10 from 9AM to Noon in the Science, Engineering, and Technology Building (SET). A free, fun family event for all! I was invited to speak about art and encourage young students in grades K-12 to enter in the Art Contest (this year's theme is Cybersecurity and Information Technology). Winning entries will be announced in a live event at the National Cryptologic Museum.
I will have Curls Studio comics, books, pins, stickers, and other merchandise available for purchase.
Curls Studio will be at Tidewater Comicon on May 14-15, 2022 (Artist Alley Booth C9) at the Virginia Beach Convention Center with celebrity guests, comic book creators, voice actors, and much more. Children 10 and under get in free with the purchase of a regular adult pass.
Virginia Beach Convention Center 1000 19th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Saturday, May 14, 2022 • Noon Draw A Little Dream with Chris Mariano and Carolyn Belefski Chris Mariano interviews kids and parents about their strangest dreams. Professional artists bring their dreams to life on the drawing board.
Sunday, May 15, 2022 • 1pm Emoji Comics with Carolyn Belefski We’ve used them in texts and social media, now cartoonist Carolyn Belefski shows you how to use emojis in comics. From designing these easy-to-draw icons to using them to tell a story, this workshop will surely play with your emotions.
Saturday, May 7, 2022 is free Comic Book Day! Curls Studio will be appearing at The Amazing Comic Shop in Fairfax, VA (near George Mason University). As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops give away selected comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May each year. We will be appearing at FCBD from 10:30AM to 1:00PM. Hope to see you there.
We had a fun time at Baltimore Comic-Con 2021, a three day show which wrapped on Sunday. Since it's what Curls Studio likes to call a "transitional" year, much like New York Comic Con was with the requirements of temperature checks, vaccination (or a negative test for those age four or younger), and masks -- the goal was to have fun and enjoy our time together.
I participated in the exclusive "Trick or Treat" BCC Yearbook and got to meet the person who pledged on my original Curls Halloween art. He came to the table after the auction with the piece and took a photo with me, so that was cool. I also premiered my new "Emoji Comics" workshop (which came with sign language interpreter).
Thank you to all the guests, retailers, volunteers, fans, and everyone else that made the show possible. Mark your calendars now for next year October 28-30, 2022!
Visit Curls Studio at Table K14 in Kids Love Comics
Friday, October 22 -- 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 23 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Sunday, October 24 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con in the Kids Love Comics section at Table K14. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. This year we are offering a special if you purchase $5 or more -- you can select a free print (five print options to select from).
On Saturday at 4:00 PM I'll be doing "Emoji Comics" workshop at Kids Love Comics pavilion. Then directly after at 5:00 PM in Room 325 you can bid on my original Curls Halloween art at the live Art Auction.
I'll be signing the exclusive "Trick or Treat" BCC Yearbooks at the Curls Studio table as well.
Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!
Curls Studio visited New York Comic Con last week and had a swell time. I didn't get to break away from the table too often, but I saw a drawing demo by Dan Parent (he drew Jughead and Betty) and glanced at Adam Cole and Tony Schiavone at the AEW booth. I also got to visit the NASA booth to give them Curls "I Need Space" buttons, sample some Kung Fu Tea, and admire Art Baltazar and Franco work (Tiny Titans) in Artist Alley.
I had a signing at National Cartoonists Society booth on Thursday and Friday. It was fun to be able to see some of the great cartoonists there and catch up after so long.
One crazy thing that happened actually happened at the Curls Studio table was out of nowhere I saw a man walking the aisle in front of me. He was dressed in black tones. Definitely cool and rock-and-roll casual, but nothing too shimmery. He could have been anyone, but then I said to Joe through my mask, "Is that Mikey Way?" Since everyone is wearing masks it can be hard to recognize, but I had a good feeling it was magically him. He walked by since he was on the move and right after he passed I said, "Hey, Mikey!" He stopped and turned around. Imagine someone in one of your favorite bands suddenly face-to-face with you. I told him how much his band is super influential and he mentioned how he it was nice to hear some positivity. Mikey gave us fist bumps and I got a photo with him (with my glasses foggy from wearing mask). I'm happy because I already had photos with all the other members of My Chemical Romance and the only one left to meet was Mikey. Now I have photos with all of MCR!
Of course we enjoyed being in the city as well. We ate lots of pizza in the hotel room and saw Times Square. I got to see the Vessel structure at Hudson Yards for the first time, however it was closed to go up. I also got to visit Coney Island once again and have an authentic Nathan's hot dog and creamy orange shake.
We hope to be back at NYCC in the future. Big thanks to Francis Bonnet, Sammi Messina, Joe Carabeo, NYCC staff, NYCC volunteers, NCS, and everyone who stopped by the booth.
Our next tour stop for 2021 is Baltimore Comic-Con this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I’m excited to see what 2020 will bring. Here is a recap of some of the highlights Curls Studio experienced in 2019.
We exhibited at Awesome Con (my kids workshop got a mention from The Washington Post), NCSFest, Fairfax Comic Con, Small Press Expo, Baltimore Comic-Con, and Southern Maryland Comic Con. We also celebrated Free Comic Book Day at our local store.
NCSFest and the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Weekend in Huntington Beach, CA was a good experience for me (recap blog here). Not only was it the first time I’d ever exhibited and sold comics on the west coast, but it was also my first trip flying by myself and branching out into the world in that sense of solo. I had been to events were I had to drive and set-up myself, but never flight. It also felt cool to sell comics steps away from the Pacific Ocean — and to relate that to the third Asbury Park Comic Con show back in 2013 (recap blog here), where we sold comics at the legendary Asbury Park Convention center looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. Curls Studio went Coast To Coast in 2019!
At the 90 Years of Popeye exhibit at the Huntington Beach Art Center it was fun to see my art on the wall and later auctioned off thru Heritage Auctions with proceeds benefiting the NCS Foundation.
I got to participate in the NCS "Cartooning For Kids" program and draw at the Children's Hospital of Orange County. It was such a rewarding experience!
Because of the trip to California, I was able to meet and chat with Disney artists Elizabeth Watasin and Floyd Norman — something that I never dreamed would have happened!
Back at the home base, Black Magic Tales was published in issues #18 and #19 of Magic Bullet, a comics anthology newspaper. We have been in every issue, so that is always an exciting constant.
At Baltimore Comic-Con I got to meet Blacksad artist Juanjo Guarnido and participate in the Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook with my original Blacksad art, which was auctioned off at the show with proceeds benefiting Hero Initiative.
I completed my third Inktober prompt by inking a small image every day during the month of October with my theme of “HijINKs!” The project was very experimental and liquid.
Also during October, I organized the seventh annual Cartoonists Draw Blood event with American Red Cross and then the Washington, DC chapter of National Cartoonists Society where four local cartoonists drew for donors as a "thank you." The results of the blood drive were fantastic: 43 total donors, 13 first time donors, 42 units collected, 126 potential lives saved.
I ended the year by doing a few commissions for holiday cards and designing a film title for the comedy Netfins & Chill. I continued to update my comic strip, Curls.
If you want to read more and see photos of the experiences we've had in 2019, please look in the blog archives. We hope to create more for you in the years to come.
Happy New Year from Curls Studio. Thanks for your support!
Add another Baltimore Comic-Con to the books (and hopefully another curly W in the books tonight in game one of the Word Series)! Not just any Baltimore Comic-Con -- we celebrated the 20th birthday of this wonderful show that Curls Studio has been exhibiting at since 2007! It does truly get better each and every year.
I got to participate in the Baltimore Comic-Con Yearbook, celebrating creators appearing at this year’s show. This year’s book of art featured interpretations of characters from Blacksad, one of my all-time favorite comics about a black cat private eye. This is BCC Yearbook number eight (my third -- I got to contribute to the Archie Yearbook in 2016 and Strangers In Paradise in 2018).
The highlight of the show for me was meeting Blacksad artist Juanjo Guarnido and having him sign my Blacksad books (I have them all in English). I had met him once before years ago at NYCC, but I didn't know he was going to be there and didn't have my books for him to sign, so I was prepared to meet him again more formally this past weekend.
Thanks to the Kids Love Comics section, Baltimore Comic-Con staff, volunteers, exhibitors, and attendees for making this event so memorable. We hope to be back next year with new comics!
Small Press Expo 2019 wrapped last month and it was a great show that celebrated 25 years of America's Premiere Independent Cartooning and Comic Arts Festival.
It was fun to have Kickstarter be a sponsor and they gave me a goody bag of stuff including nice book stands and a balloon to showcase my two past Kickstarter projects (Curls Book Collection and 100 Sad Fish).
I stepped away from the table for a bit to get Raina Telgmeier to sign her book, Ghosts. Her line was limited to 200 people and only one item could be signed with no sketches. Exciting to see her and her career take off, but we all knew that back when I attended my first SPX back in 2004.
Every inch on every table was covered in fabulous comics and creativity. It was refreshing to be tabled next to someone who was experiencing her first SPX. It's a much different show than it was a handful of years ago at the old hotel. I have fun memories from that time period as well, but things are always changing and progressing. I enjoy seeing the talent at SPX each and every year and hope to be back again!
Thanks to Cynthia Tenicela for the photograph. Thanks to everyone who stopped to say hi and look at the Curls Studio table.
March 8-10 • Awesome Con DC
May 19 • Comic Logic Spring Lot Con
June 23 • STORYBOX Comics Fair
Sep 14-15 • Small Press Expo
Sep 20-22 • Baltimore Comic-Con
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
