Recap: SPX 2019

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.

Curls Kickstarter Update -- 60% Funded

Hi everyone,

I just got back inside from shoveling snow. Now I'm happy to be by the warmth of this glowing monitor. It means so much to me and I love to make other people happy with art and stories, so I'm thrilled to have people joining me on this Curls Kickstarter adventure.

Today we passed the $3,000 mark and became 60% funded.

There's still a lot to accomplish and we have 19 days to do it.

I'm excited that some of my heroes in the comics industry have tweeted or retweeted news about the Kickstarter (Raina Telgemeier, Brad Guigar, Jimmy Palmiotti, Kenneth Rocafort, Dean Haspiel, and Elizabeth Watasin to name a few). Now if I could only get Michelle Obama to Instagram again! I wish. 

Since this is my first Kickstarter, I'd like to know if you have any suggestions on how I can make the currently running campaign better or if there are backer rewards you'd like me to offer that I have not thought of.

We've recently been covered online by ComicsDC, Comics in Education, and Team Cul de Sac. Are there any media outlets or specific interest niches you think would dig the Curls comic strip? Maybe you yourself have a blog and want to help get the world out? Reach out to me at info@curls-studio.com if you have any ideas.

I did some math and if everyone who has already pledged recruited at least one person each to pledge for the Curls book, we would be 100% funded. Send your friends a direct link -- http://kck.st/1EprkMX -- or use the "Share this project" button under the video to connect with your pals on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Embed Video or Widget on your website or blog. 

Thanks! 

XOXO,

Carolyn

The Other Side of the Table: Lessons From Creators 2011

In 2011, I organized a panel at New York Comic Con to discuss the life of comics creators and help others become creators by revealing convention tips. Astray Productions filmed the panel on Friday, October 14, 2011 and it is now available to watch on YouTube.

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.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXSIYPkCHqU

If you prefer audio only, take a listen to this podcast: http://carolynandjoeshow.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/the-other-side-of-the-table-2/

You can also watch the 2010 edition of "The Other Side of the Table" at NYCC here: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2010/12/other-side-of-table-lessons-from.html

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

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

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.

The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators

Last October, Astray Productions filmed our panel at New York Comic Con. We now present to you full footage and audio of the panel...

The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators
Date: Friday, October 8, 2010
Time: 11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Location: Room 1A21, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City

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 Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Jonah Hex, The Pro), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), Bryan J.L. Glass (The Mice Templar, Thor: First Thunder) Carla Speed McNeil (Finder) and Carolyn Belefski (Curls, The Legettes) in this conversation, moderated by Joe Carabeo.

AUDIO: http://curls-studio.com/the_other_side_of_the_table_nycc2010_astrayproductions.mp3

NYCC Blog Recap: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2010/10/recap-new-york-comic-con-2010.html

Connect: Continue the conversation by joining "The Other Side of the Table" Facebook page

Below is part 1 of 7 and all the parts link to each other on YouTube. I hope you enjoy the panel!



Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j50D1gZMoc
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBMDSSEmvJg
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ-LC8SqOOA
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsL_eBEC-Zg
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoUBT02DZn8
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2KWROyXlWw
Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vU_n_wALRs

Special thanks to Dave Sim, who provided us with a copy of Ultimate Cerebus Guide To Self-Publishing to give to one lucky audience member.

Thank You: Jimmy Palmiotti, Raina Telgemeier, Bryan, J.L. Glass, Carla Speed McNeil, Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo, Brian Sarvis, Dave Sim, New York Comic Con, Kim Mueller, Larry Settembrini, Mark Fitch, Tatyana Schum, Radial Outdoor Media, Astray Productions, VCR

Recap: New York Comic Con 2010

Even though New York Comic Con happened a week and a half ago, I am still in recovery from running around and also exhibiting at Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo this past weekend. If I was to use one word to describe NYCC 2010 it would be: MASSIVE. This year's show felt much larger and the crowds were excited to discover new things and dress up. There were so many people in costumes! Overall, we had an amazing time. I would describe NYCC as Times Square for comics and pop culture in terms of sensory overload. I will break down this blog entry into each of the three days below.


Friday, October 8, 2010
We started our Friday by driving up around 3 AM. We were already running on very little sleep and the only thing to keep us going was the energy of the show. Joe drove and we also brought along Brian Sarvis for the trip. It was great to have Brian because it was his first time in New York and he assisted us each day of the convention. Once we got into the city, the first thing on our agenda was to park, get our materials into the convention, obtain badges and set-up the table in time for our panel, the first event in room 1A21. This required a lot of rushing around and getting things together very early in the morning and running on the convention high. While I was getting the table together, Joe and Brian were busy getting A/V ready for the panel.


At 11:15 AM, our panel "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" started. Joe and Brian hooked up the camera to project into a large screen for the audience to see. We had a excellent crowd turnout for early Friday morning during professional hours (the convention opened to the public at 1:00 PM). I felt like our panel provided encouragement and amazing stories from the panelists: Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Jonah Hex, The Pro), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), Bryan J.L. Glass (The Mice Templar, Thor: First Thunder) Carla Speed McNeil (Finder) and myself - Carolyn Belefski (Curls, The Legettes). Many of the audience members found the Curls Studio table later during the con to thank me, introduce themselves and say they enjoyed the panel. A couple people even showed me their portfolios. The panelists had a fun time as well and I'm glad we were able to have a panel and kick-off NYCC. Even though it was Friday morning, I'd rather have it be then than compete against M. Night Shyamalan! Everything really worked out well and we will be posting film and audio from the panel soon, so pay attention to this blog!

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


Another really cool thing about the panel was the opportunity to give away a book donated by Dave Sim, "Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing." The book was signed by Dave Sim along with all of the panelists. It was very hard to give away the book because all of a sudden we were flagged for one minute left from a NYCC volunteer and then had to wrap everything up quickly. I wanted to make sure the book went to someone who asked a question, so we made that happen and I hope that one lucky audience member enjoys his book. I wanted to get a photo of him with the book, but things were coming to a close as we had to leave the room. Brian said he caught the winner on camera though, so that is good. Special thanks goes out to Dave Sim for the book. It really is an amazing guide, yet it is important to find out what works for you. I purchased a copy of the book for myself several months ago and treasure that book.


On Friday I was also visited by Nick DeStefano, who is in Carnival Anthology, and Stacy from Comic Fusion, who picked up my original art for Wonder Woman Day 2010. On Friday evening, Joe, Brian and I attended the Riese Web Series panel and got to see Allison Mack, who plays Chloe from Smallville. Joe and I recorded an episode of our podcast all about meeting her. It is already getting a lot of action today from Allison Mack fans on Twitter. You can take a listen here. We also attended the Spotlight on James Marsters event and he sang to the audience.


Saturday, October 9, 2010
The foot traffic on Saturday was out of this world. I stayed at the table most of the day, but left to attend the "Your Highness" panel which featured James Franco and Danny McBride. It was awesome to see James Franco because Freaks and Geeks is my favorite TV show and seeing him made me one step closer to the Apatow Circle. At the table, I met some really amazing people and a lot of people were excited to discover The Legettes. On Saturday night we hunted down authentic brick oven pizza and showed Brian Times Square and the theater district. Later we checked out the NYCC Indy After Party, hosted by Dave Ryan, which featured a performance by Gordon Gano & The Ryans (singer/songwriter of the Violent Femmes). We hung out with Andrew Pepoy, who I recently met at Baltimore a few months ago.


Sunday, October 10, 2010
Joe and I split table duties on Sunday as I saw M. Night Shyamalan and Joe saw Bruce Campbell. MTV hosted a discussion with M. Night about the 10th anniversary of his film, Unbreakable. They played the soundtrack before the discussion started, which provided and eerie tone to the theater. I enjoyed this program the most from NYCC because Night is so smart and I enjoyed when he left the stage and got close to the audience to showcase his storyboards on the large screens. I also won a signed Unbreakable movie poster... which is amazing. M. Night rules. Joe filmed the full Bruce Campbell event in seven parts, which you can enjoy on his Astray Productions YouTube account. Please post a comment if you like it. Sunday ended with a mad rush as everyone exited the Javits Center. We went to eat in Brooklyn with a friend and spotted the orange Conan blimp!

Thank you!
NYCC was such a blast. I enjoyed being able to attend the convention as a panelist, organizer, fan and creator. I am glad to have met a whole bunch of new faces this year. Our business cards were eaten by NYCC and our mailing list grew. Thanks to everyone who went to "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" panel and all those who stopped by the Curls Studio table. We really appreciate all the moments we got to spend with you.

XOXO,
Carolyn

You can see more photos of Curls Studio at NYCC 2010 on our Facebook Fan Page. Jimmy has super white teeth - glowing like Jon Bon Jovi. See for yourself.

June 7, 2011 - UPDATE: I figured it would be a good idea to provide links to our "The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators" panel. You can find the recap, audio and video of the panel here: http://curls-studio.blogspot.com/2010/12/other-side-of-table-lessons-from.html

Enjoy!

New York Comic Con 2010 - Panel and Booth 2485

Curls Studio will be kicking off New York Comic Con 2010 with a panel on the morning of Friday, October 8 and three full days at Booth 2485!

Some of you may ask yourself, "What? Who is driving? Bear is driving? How can that be??!!" But you heard right. Yes. Let me repeat, We have a table AND A PANEL. I pitched the panel idea to NYCC this past summer and it was greenlit - so we will now rock NYCC. I spent quite awhile molding and organizing the panel into perfection. I hope you find the concept interesting and check it out. I wanted to make sure everyone on the panel is a pure creator and world builder who takes the extra effort to market themself by appearing at conventions and working above and beyond just creating a book. I also wanted to include writers who work with artists and artist/writers, so everyone on this panel does more than just draw pretty pictures. I am happy with how the panel shaped up and very excited to have Jimmy Palmiotti, Raina Telgemeier, Bryan J.L. Glass, Carla Speed McNeil and myself as panelists with Joe Carabeo as moderator.


In addition, Dave Sim sent me a copy of his book, Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing, which will be given away to an audience member. Thank you to Dave Sim who really went out of his way to illustrate a custom title page for our panel. What a nice man! I want to meet him one day.

Without further ado, here is more information about the panel. Please mark it our your calendars and join us the morning of Friday, October 8 to kickoff NYCC 2010!


"The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators"
Date: Friday, October 8
Time: 11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Location: Room 1A21
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. We will be giving away a signed copy of Ultimate Cerebus Guide to Self-Publishing by Dave Sim to one lucky audience member. Join creators Jimmy Palmiotti (Painkiller Jane, Jonah Hex, The Pro), Raina Telgemeier (Smile, The Baby-Sitters Club), Bryan J.L. Glass (The Mice Templar, Thor: First Thunder) Carla Speed McNeil (Finder) 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 THREE DAYS of the convention at Booth 2485 near the border of The Cultyard. See the map image above to locate us or us NYCC's Map Your Show to plan your weekend.

Professional Only Hours:
Friday, October 8, 2010 -- 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Open to the Public:
Friday, October 8, 2010 -- 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Saturday, October 9, 2010 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 10, 2010 -- 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!

Individual tickets for the New York Comic Con are available right here. Order your tickets online to avoid the lines on-site and save some dough, as prices will be more expensive at the Javits Center. Online ticket prices are: Weekend Pass - $50, Friday Pass - $30, Saturday Pass - $40, Sunday Pass - $30. Don’t wait until the last minute. Get yours today!

XOXO,
Carolyn

Recap: SPX 2010

This past weekend was Small Press Expo in North Bethesda, Maryland. It was so amazing that I'm still blown away from it. The most exciting part of the show was premiering our Carnival Anthology. Above is a photograph of everyone in the anthology who was at SPX - The Carnies are: Ava Ann Vrooman, John Bintz, Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo, Terry Flippo, Rafer Roberts and Jim Coon. Elizabeth Watasin, Else Tennessen, Kris Black, Nick DeStefano, Kenneth Rocafort, Rob Levin and Rafael Navarro are in the anthology, but were unable to attend SPX. I know for sure Rafael was there in spirit!

It was so exciting to premiere a book with so many artists and writers involved. The book means a lot to me because I gathered the creators and it feels great to know that they were willing to use their free-time to do a story for the book. It's not easy. Everyone has life and jobs, but we made it happen and even sold out of all the "indy" handmade premiere issues that were at the show! The book is now being sent to the printer and we will have "professional" issues soon. You can pre-order for a mere cost is $4 with shipping to any location in the USA and $5 International. We have already had an order from France, so I'm pumped to mail that issue out. I love going global.


Another cool tidbit about the anthology is that the book represents Elizabeth Watasin's comeback to comics. Her comic book Charm School is one of my favorites and over time I began to connect with her. I would have never guessed a few years ago that I would have her be a part of my first anthology. It's awesome that she is returning and creating original work. I am curious to see what she is up to with her new creations and I adore her style. She is definitely a great asset to the anthology by illustrating the back cover and a two page Darque Towne story. I look forward to and wish her good luck with her endeavors.



Now back to SPX. The crowd was consistently great. Hardly ever did the mood get slow or draggy. I did a lot of fun sketch commissions including a piece for a Firefly sketchbook (in which I drew Mrs. Reynolds AKA the lovely Christina Hendricks) and a 'favorite movie' sketchbook (in which I drew The Wizard of Oz). I also drew a wolf on a golf hat... and learned that drawing on hat is kinda hard because of the fabric! I gave the wolf a bowler cap and a pipe. He reminded me of the Blacksad world, which is pretty rad. I also drew Gwen LeGette from The Legettes on a sketch card.

I really enjoy doing sketchbook commissions and I think it's a great collection for someone to have. In fact, you may remember my Baltimore Comic-Con recap post from two weeks ago when I started my first ever convention sketchbook. I added two new sketches to the book at SPX. One was from Rusty of Full Sanction and the other from Roger Langridge, who does The Muppet Show Comic Book.

The Ignatz Awards after party was crowded! I think it was because of Raina Telgemeier's SPX 2010 poster depicting the legendary chocolate fountain. I even overheard someone say that the actual fountain looked dinky and that they were actually expecting a huge fountain. I guess they thought people could swim in it or something. People and their expectations! Either way, the party was rocking. I got to meet the creator and producer of Red Moon, David McAdoo and Steve Kozak! I actually connected with them many years ago on MySpace. They are awesome guys who have a schnauzer terrier in their book. How could I not like that? I have been waiting to buy the book in person at SPX and finally the time came. I still have yet to read the book, but I can tell it is one of those things that I'm going to like. Sometimes there are just things that are right up your alley and I believe Red Moon is one of them for me.


As far a food goes, Joe and I discovered the east coast equivalent to Pinkberry within walking distance. We got tart melon and strawberry frozen yogurt with mochi, raspberries and pineapple. We went there on Saturday and Sunday nights. So good. We also ate at Vegetable Garden with some new SPX friends on Sunday night. It was great to be a part of SPX. I think it gets better every year.

Thank you to SPX and all the returning fans who visited the Curls Studio table as well as new people we met!

You can see more photos of Curls Studio's adventures at SPX on our Facebook Fan Page. Click and join up with us.

XOXO,
Carolyn

Belefski Interview with Washington City Paper

Mike Rhode posted his interview (Meet a Local Cartoonist: A Chat with Carolyn Belefski) today for Washington City Paper. Here is a sample of the interview and a link to the full shebang.

Washington City Paper: What type of comic work or cartooning do you do?

Carolyn Belefski: Dangerously adorable cartooning. I write and draw the webcomic Curls. I also collaborate with Joe Carabeo on the comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes. I have also been doing a sketch everyday since January in my Sketch Before Sleep blog.

WCP: When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born?

CB: I grew up being woken on Saturday mornings by Pee-wee’s Playhouse. I was born in Virginia.

WCP: Why are you in Washington now? What neighborhood or area do you live in?

CB: I’m in the greater Washington area now because after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University, I landed my first freelance design gig in Northern Virginia. My career has been in the city and surrounding area ever since.

Continue to read the full interview here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2010/09/07/meet-a-local-cartoonist-a-chat-with-carolyn-belefski

Photos: Small Press Expo 2007

Carolyn with Jeff Smith

Joe with Jeff Smith

Carolyn with James Kochalka

Carolyn with Raina Telgemeier

As you can see, at Small Press Expo 2007, Curls Studio met some of our favorite artists! Check out all the Curls Studio 2007 SPX photos on the Curls Studio Flickr page and be sure to look for a new addition of The Carolyn & Joe Show soon. We plan on talking about highlights of our SPX experience.