Team Cul de Sac - Eisner Award Nomination

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.

If you are a comics professional, you can cast your vote here: http://www.eisnervote.com

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.

Free Comic Book Day is Next Saturday - May 4, 2013

Several Magic Bullet contributors will be at nine locations next Saturday to celebrate Free Comic Book Day, a day when participating comic book specialty shops around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Please stop by to say hello and pick up a free copy on Magic Bullet #6.

Joe and I will be at Laughing Ogre Comics in Fairfax, VA. Hope to see you there.

MEET MAGIC BULLET #6 CONTRIBUTORS AT FCBD - MAY 4, 2013

Matt Dembicki, S. G. Artley, Michael Cowgill - Big Planet Comics in Vienna, VA
Andrew Cohen, Evan Keeling  - Big Planet Comics on U Street, D.C.
Art Hondros - Big Planet Comics in Bethesda, MD
Troy-Jeffery Allen, Matt Rawson - Fantom Comics in Union Station, D.C.
Jacob Warrenfelt​z - Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, MD
Rafer Roberts, John Shine - Beyond Comics in Gaithersburg, MD
Carolyn Belefski, Joe Carabeo - Laughing Ogre Comics in Fairfax, VA
Rob Anderson - Laughing Ogre in Lansdowne, VA
Adam McGovern - Dewey's Comic City in Madison, NJ

Recap: Awesome Con DC 2013

This past weekend Curls Studio exhibited at the inaugural Awesome Con at the DC Convention Center. First and foremost, all thanks and gratitude does to Ben Penrod, who conceived and organized the convention with Steve from Third Eye Comics. It was a much needed event for the city, which hasn't had an established comic convention in DC proper for years. Ben started it off with a blast!

The event got a lot of coverage in The Washington Post, DC101, and other media outlets. A reporter from Voice of America interviewed me, so be on the look-out for that.

This was the convention a few people were skeptical about -- it was the first one -- and no one was certain exactly what to expect, but we had a good feeling about it. Having known Ben thru other conventions (and exhibiting at his one-day shows Southern Maryland Comic-Con and Annapolis Comic-Con last year) I felt he had some tricks up his sleeve. When he started booking guests like Phil LaMarr I knew it was on! Also one of my co-workers came up to me asking, "What is this... Awesome Con?" -- that's when I knew he had hit a larger audience than usual.

Saturday blew everyone away! The crowds were hungry to discover new comics and many families were all dressed up as characters for the costume contest. All the exhibitors I talked to did extremely well and everyone had a smile on their face. Our table was situated next to Liz and Jimmy with Cuddles and Rage, who were great neighbors and do amazing work. Also on Saturday our friend, Lauren Jaslow, came to Awesome Con and it was a great surprise because we did not know she was going to be in town! I also attended the first 20 minutes of the Billy West Q& A panel and got to hear him do the Doug voice!

At 3PM on Saturday I was a panelist on the District Comics panel, moderated by Mike Rhode. The other panelists were Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Rafer Roberts, Andrew Cohen, and Jacob Warrenfeltz. After the panel, many attendees were interested in DC area landmarks and other tales about the city and its people, so we spent some time talking outside the conference room in the hallway. We'll post audio of that panel on The Carolyn & Joe Show soon.

At 6PM on Saturday, Joe was involved with a Pro Wrestling panel with Ben Taylor and Dan Nokes. I'm sure we'll also post audio of that panel on The Carolyn & Joe Show in the coming weeks. About a dozen people came up to the table after the panel to discuss wrestling with Joe, so it seems like people were really into the topics.

On Sunday I caught a glimpse of the special guests (Nicholas Brendon, Phil LaMarr, Ernie Hudson) and introduced myself to Theodus Crane to prepare him for our podcast recording. At 2PM, we recorded a live podcast with special guest The Walking Dead's Theo Crane, which will be available for listening this coming Tuesday on The Carolyn & Joe Show. He was such a great storyteller and I was amazed to learn about all the jobs he held before his explosion on the acting scene -- at one time he even studied to be a graphic designer! I don't want to give away too much, but we definitely talked about Robert De Niro acting "in his face" and crazy adventures at a strip club. Be sure to listen!

As with most cons (every con I've ever been to), the Sunday crowd is always a bit lighter. But it seemed like people who could not make it on Saturday made effort to attend on Sunday. I'm really expecting next year to be incredible.

A highlight was late on Sunday when Phil LaMarr stopped by the Curls Studio table! Truly, he is a talent and one of the nicest people to talk to and have an actual conversation with. When you look at all the projects Phil LaMarr has worked on (Pulp Fiction, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, MADtv, The Pee-Wee Herman Show, and much more) it's easy to see how he has leveraged a long career in show business.

Thanks again to Ben for creating this amazing event. We can not thank him enough. It was the best weekend I've had so far in 2013. Overall, I've had so much excitement with Awesome Con that I was way too happy to write a recap immediately -- needed a few days to simma down now!

For more Awesome Con photos, please view the gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151539717162381.1073741829.50763422380&type=3

The next event Curls Studio will be at is ANS Sci-Fi & Comic-Con on May 11 at Archbishop Neale School in La Plata, Maryland. Hope to see you there.

The Washington Post 'Comic Riffs' Interview

Recently I was interviewed by entertainment reporter Michael Cavna about Awesome Con, Magic Bullet #6, District Comics, The Carolyn & Joe Show podcast, and various cartooning and career choices.

AWESOME CON: 'Curls' creator Carolyn Belefski on the creative 'mischief' that has spawned her rich art career

Take it for a read here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/awesome-con-curls-creator-carolyn-belefski-on-the-creative-mischief-that-has-spawned-her-rich-art-career/2013/04/20/163f9632-a8a0-11e2-b029-8fb7e977ef71_blog.html

Thanks to Michael for the interview.

The Washington Post 'Weekend' Cover Story

This past week we had a lot of press for Curls Studio. I was listed in Washington City Paper for winning "Best Visual Artist, Runner-up" in their Best of D.C. Reader Poll -- luckily, I was able to pick up the very last copy at Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse after the Dave Coulier comedy show.

Then I was interviewed in The Washington Post for their Weekend section (Going Out Guide). If you still have this past weekend's physical edition, it's the cover story on the center spread. You can also read it online here. Hopefully this coverage got a lot of people to come out for Awesome Con this past weekend. It was great that they printed the Curls picnic image and a photo of Joe and I. They also interviewed Ben Penrod (show organizer), Phil LaMarr (actor), and Marty Day (Super Art Fight).

I will be writing an Awesome Con event recap and posting a photo gallery soon. Thanks to all who came to Awesome Con and thanks to The Washington Post for their reporting.

It's All Journalism - Podcast Interview

Matt Dembicki, Joe Carabeo, and I were interviewed by Michael O'Connell for his show, It's All Journalism. A fine show - I have listened to several episodes, but need to catch up on the more recent editions. We discussed self-publishing, comics, District Comics, and Magic Bullet (Washington, DC's comic newspaper). Joe and I also discussed our podcast, The Carolyn & Joe Show.

Michael also took us on a tour of WTOP, which was amazing. I love the constant news flow and the energy there. We recorded on a slow news day and the main headlines were Kristen Bell having a baby and a group of local teens spilling milk at area grocery stores. Even so, I was intrigued by the work environment and my inner Lois Lane came out.

Thanks to Michael of having us as guests. It was a fun time and I always enjoy chatting with him!

Take a listen here: http://itsalljournalism.com/time-to-do-it-yourself-publishing-podcasting-and-comics/

Recap: Annapolis Book Festival 2013

This past Saturday was the first-ever Annapolis Book Festival that Curls Studio has exhibited at. There were a lot of families to meet and young children interested in discovering comics. Plus I got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog and ate free ice cream! We also gave out free issues of Magic Bullet #6, Washington D.C.'s comics newspaper.

For more photos, visit the Curls Studio Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151518154992381.1073741828.50763422380&type=3

Carolyn Belefski: Runner-up Best Visual Artist - Best of D.C. 2013 in Washington City Paper

Thanks to all of you who voted in Washington City Paper's 2013 Best of D.C. Reader Poll. The votes are in and I was actually informed by Jeffrey Everett of the status. He won and I got in second, as a runner-up!

Jeffrey Everett wrote on Facebook that he is super thrilled to win and "Carolyn Belefski is an incredible artist and I am happy to be on the same page as her."

It was also cool to work with him on Magic Bullet #6, Washington, D.C.'s comics newspaper, which I edited and asked him to design the new masthead. El Jefe Design really is a talent. It's great to be on the same page with him as well. Here's to representing the Washington, D.C. area! It's certainly a cool acknowledgement a great addition to the resume.

Illustrations for Clorox Ick-tionary

The Clorox® Company is partnering with award-winning writer, comedian and mom, Carol Leifer, who has written for shows such as Modern Family and Seinfeld, to launch the Clorox® Ick-tionary, a wiki-style dictionary of everyday ick that parents everywhere and others are all-too familiar with. 

I was asked to illustrate in the project and devise sketches based on the concepts and word usage. Once approved, I created the final vector illustrations to showcase the ick. The words I have Illustrated so far are Ranch Guessing, Air-traffic Control, and Oh-Sol-Me-ato.

The Clorox® Ick-tionary will also be brought to life over the next few weeks through an interactive mobile experience – a 12’ glass truck accompanied with a variety of interactive word-play activations and digital experiences – that will be making stops in Washington, D.C., Nashville and San Francisco.

This is really a amazing and fun project and I'm happy to be a part of it. It's also great to say I've done freelance work for Clorox, a very recognizable brand. 

Be sure to check out more of my portfolio here: http://www.behance.net/CarolynBelefski

Awesome Con DC is April 20-21, 2013

Join Curls Studio at their Artist Alley table (#223) and the three panels Carolyn and Joe will be appearing on at Awesome Con DC. All the action will be happening April 20-21 at the DC Convention Center (801 Mount Vernon Place, NW). 

There are a ton of excellent programming events as well as celebrity guests including Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Billy West (Futurama, Ren & Stimpy, Doug, Looney Tunes), Phil LaMarr (Ghostbusters, MADtv, Pee-wee's Playhouse stage show), and Theodus Crane (The Walking Dead).

Tickets are available here: http://awesomecondc.com/tickets/

AWESOME CON SHOW HOURS
Saturday, April 20, 2013 10AM-7PM
Sunday, April 21, 2013 10AM-5PM

Saturday, April 20, 2013 - 3PM

Room 102B 

DISTRICT COMICS

Chronicling the unconventional history of our nation’s capital, District Comics has won numerous awards and has received critical acclaim across the U.S. Join the writers and artist who came together to honor our favorite city during this Q and A panel moderated by ComicsDC’s Mike Rhode. Panelists include Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Rafer Roberts, Andrew Cohen, Jacob Warrenfeltz, and Carolyn Belefski.

Saturday, April 20, 2013 - 6PM

Room 102B 
PRO WRESTLING TODAY: HOW WE'D BOOK IT
How would some of Awesome Con’s guests (Including DC101’s Mike Jones & Astray Productions’s Joe Carabeo) have written some of wrestling’s biggest storylines? We will also discuss current storylines with the audience.

Sunday, April 21, 2013 - 2PM
Room 102A 
CAROLYN & JOE SHOW: LIVE PODCAST RECORDING
The brainchild of mad scientist cartoonist Carolyn Belefski and Astray Productions film director Joe Carabeo; created to fight the oncoming apocalypse one deadly word at time. With special guest Theo Crane from The Walking Dead! (Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC)

Hope to see you there!

Guests on MOKA Podcast #100

Troy-Jeffrey Allen invited Marcus Dowling, Joe Carabeo, and myself to be guests on his podcast, The Menagerie of Kick-Assery.

For their 100th episode the theme was WrestleMania. Take a listen at http://wearemoka.blogspot.com/2013/04/mokasst-100.html?m=0.

And if you enjoyed this podcast, please check out Joe and I's podcast, The Carolyn & Joe Show. Our guest this week is comic book artist and podcaster Matt Rawson, who is also a contributor in Magic Bullet #6. Look for us on Stitcher Radio and iTunes.

Be sure to listen to the MOKA podcast during the month of April. Many of their guests will be Magic Bullet contributors. Thank you MOKA for supporting the Magic Bullet crew as well as advertising in Magic Bullet #6.

Curls Studio at Annapolis Book Festival on April 13, 2013

Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo of Curls Studio will be appearing at ComicKey!, a family-friendly comic adventure at the Annapolis Book Festival at Key School (534 Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis, MD 21403) on April 13, 2013 from 10AM to 3:30PM. We will be located in Artist Alley - Manse Addition in Room 2.

There will be many activities in the room as well as throughout the entire festival. Some of the exhibitors include Charles Paul Wilson III (The Stuff of Legend), Charles Dowd, Awesome Con D.C., Steve Conley (Bloop), K. Michael Crawford, Th3rd World Studios, Dan Nokes, and more.

The Annapolis Book Festival is known for featuring top fiction and non-fiction authors, year after year. There will be science demonstrations, balloons, magic, live music, seminars on how to create your own superhero, a discussion on the history of comics with Third Eye Comics, and more. If you are an American Girl fan, you can meet author Kathleen Ernst at the festival too.

This event looks like so much fun! We can't wait to meet you there. For more information, visit: http://www.keyschool.org/community/annapolis-book-festival/childrens-activities/index.aspx

Recap: Asbury Park Comic Con 3

This past Saturday, March 30, 2013, Curls Studio exhibited for the third time at Asbury Park Comic Con. This show tripled in size, attendance, and hype as the organizers took it to a higher level. For one thing, the two previous events were held at Asbury Lanes, a bowling alley, just a short walk from the boardwalk. This time around they held the con at the legendary Asbury Park Convention center, directly on the ocean and boardwalk. It was a nice day despite some wind and everyone was very happy and cheerful. It was a good crowd.

There were two levels of exhibitors: one was the main hall and the other was upstairs which was similar to an "Artist's Alley" with the artists lined up along the parameter of the venue on the second floor. This is where Curls Studio was set-up. One thing the organizers could have done in advance was tell us we would be located here as the venue did not have an elevator and the exhibitors had to walk up the stadium stairs with their table displays and merchandise. I wish they provided a map in the program guide so I could be able to find some artists I missed. Yes, it was a big enough show to miss people's tables. I have noticed with each Asbury Park Comic Con that the promoters have upped the ante and increased the quality of the show each time with steady growth - already looking forward to the next show.

Another addition this year was the addition of panel discussions. The panels were located at Wonder Bar, just a simple walk across the street from the convention center. I broke away from the table to attend the first 20 minutes of the Al Jaffee discussion. This dude is 92 years old and can kick it better than people my own age. He is an amazing storyteller in addition to doing some amazing work for MAD magazine. I was glad to be able to see him.

The view from our table was amazing. I didn't ever dream or think of ever exhibiting comics directly over the Atlantic Ocean! It was also sweet to table in-between Jim Coon and Dave Bullock. We were also able to distribute Magic Bullet #6 to many people - already receiving many compliments about the publication and it was great to be able to expand up north in distribution.

After the show we had a nice Mexican dinner with Rafer Roberts, Jacob Warrenfeltz, and the FUBAR comics crew then headed back home to get ready for Easter the following morning.

You can check out more photos of Asbury Comic Con 3 on the Curls Studio Facebook page. Give us a "Like" while you are there!

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Curls Studio table. We hope to see you again soon!