Thursday, December 30, 2021

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2021

Curls Studio calls 2021 a transitional year, as nothing was certain and we went with the flow of change. Last year all the comic conventions were canceled due to the pandemic, but this year we got to exhibit at a few in-person events during the second half of the year (Awesome Con in DC, New York Comic Con, Baltimore Comic-Con, and Southern Maryland Comic Con). I was selected to be a part of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) for the first time, as a virtual appearance. So comic conventions happened thanks to amazing staff and volunteers and we applaud them for making it possible!

Other major occurrences that happened was that I somehow had the energy to run three successful Kickstarter campaigns in one year (Banana Bandana™, Cicada hard enamel pin, and Santa Turtle hard enamel pin). I really enjoyed celebrating the periodical cicadas this year (we won't see them again until 2048!). I am proud of all the projects we brought to life.

Sporadically throughout the year I continued Carolyn's Creative Challenge with a few new project prompts.

In July I served as a Rambassador for VCU Alumni Night at a Richmond Flying Squirrels baseball game.

I was a guest on the Generation GC podcast and had a great time talking about the band Good Charlotte (and yes, I visited La Plata High School for a second time during my stint in Waldorf for Southern Maryland Comic Con). 

Another cool thing that happened this year is a Wall Street Journal reporter reached out to me for an interview about Color of the Year and Pantone -- I got quoted in the article for both print and online editions.

Also along the lines of publishing, Black Magic Tales was recently printed in the new Magic Bullet #20 comics newspaper.

Not too sure what 2022 will bring. In many ways 2021 can be viewed at as worse than 2020, but then there is an optimistic side that could be viewed as it can only get better from here. The best thing I can hope for you is that you be safe and happy -- take good care of yourself by eating well and exercising. I want us to be around for the next Cicada uprising in 2048 and the years beyond. That's something to live for!

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Black Magic Tales published in Magic Bullet #20

Magic Bullet, a large format comics anthology newspaper based out of the Washington, DC area, published our latest "Black Magic Tales" story in issue #20, written by Joe Carabeo and illustrated by Carolyn Belefski.

Our story "Optioned" introduces us to two indie filmmakers destined to leave their mark in Hollywood and continues the adventures of world famous criminals Roxy Monroe and Dean Casanova (plus their cat, Black Magic). We made this comic back in 2020, but things were on hold because of the pandemic -- I'm glad you'll be able to read it soon. 

One really cool thing about this story is that we collaborated with Shawn Daughhetee, Sean Causley, Dana Maier, Matthew Mowczko, Nadia Gomez, and Terry Flippo on the lettering for the studio executives -- it is great to see their personalities injected into the story.

Be on the lookout for your free copy in the Washington, DC region! Common places to find this publication include comic book stores, tattoo parlors, record shops, and hip restaurants. I know for sure Big Planet Comics (U Street, Vienna, and College Park locations), Fantom Comics, and Beyond Comics are stocked.

Did you know? "Black Magic Tales" by Curls Studio has been printed in every edition of Magic Bullet (#1-20 so far).

Friday, December 10, 2021

Mentioned in Wall Street Journal article about Color of the Year


I was interviewed by reporter Alex Janin from the Wall Street Journal about Color of the Year selections and the abundance of companies declaring color announcements. Ultimately it's a great marketing tool for any organization working with color -- plus it gets people talking about color, so that is wonderful and one of my favorite topics to discuss. 

After following the Pantone announcements and predicting potential colors for many years, it was great to be connected with such an authority in journalism. For the past two years, I've independently designed my own products featuring the past two colors of the year (technically three colors, because in 2021 there were two colors selected). 


Here are the products I've designed inspired by Pantone's Color of the Year, click on the links below to consider purchasing: 
2020, Classic Blue -- Blue Rose 1.0 enamel pin (sold out), Blue Rose 2.0 enamel pin 
2020, Classic Blue -- Blue Rose holographic sticker
2021, Illuminating Yellow + Ultimate Gray -- Bee acrylic pin
2021, Illuminating Yellow -- Banana Bandana™ (Fashionable Scarf Neck Covering)

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Southern Maryland Comic-Con 2021 is this Saturday


This coming Saturday, November 13, 2021 I'll be a guest at Southern Maryland Comic-Con from 10 AM to 4PM. The last time I exhibited at this show was in 2019 (our last show before the pandemic shut down). I'll be happy to be back in Waldorf Worldwide at Capital Clubhouse 3033 Waldorf Market Place Waldorf, MD 20603.

There will be a costume cosplay contest at 2PM. This is a great opportunity to meet local artists and purchase unique items for your holiday shopping list.

Monday, November 1, 2021

"Curls in Wonderland" art at Heritage Auctions to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital


My original art "Curls in Wonderland" is a part of the National Cartoonists Society and NCS Foundation art auction to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I used a mixed media approach with colored pencils, oil color, and watercolors. 

All the pieces in the auction represent anniversaries in 2021. I selected Alice in Wonderland because the film is celebrating 70 years this year! Below you’ll find a link to Heritage Auctions. Our aim is to rase as much money as we can for the kids at St. Jude, so bid or help spread the word.


The auction ends in one day. Good luck!

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Recap: Baltimore Comic-Con 2021

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!

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Baltimore Comic-Con is October 22-24, 2021

Baltimore Comic-Con 2021

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!

2008 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyPIiWnZFA

2007 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUL8zNv5FQ

We hope to see you this weekend at Baltimore Comic-Con!

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Generation GC Podcast Guest


I've been "Counting The Days" and now I'm a guest on the Generation GC podcast -- episode 78! Take a listen as we discuss the band Good Charlotte and a bit about my art career. 


I created a new Curls comic strip called "GC Baby" to celebrate (http://www.curls-studio.com/curls/comic/gc-baby). Thank you to Molly Hudelson for having me on your show.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Recap: New York Comic Con 2021


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.

Monday, October 11, 2021

Santa Turtle Hard Enamel Pin Kickstarter

We're raising funds to produce limited edition hard enamel pins with an original illustrated Santa Turtle character design. The pins will be produced at 1.5" wide with a real jingle bell attachment. Other features include gold plating and backstamp. Each pin will be fixed with a green rubber clutch and come with a backing card on soft touch paper to evoke the warm and fuzzy mood of the season.

The campaign will end on November 4, 2021 so I can have time to produce, package, and ship out the pins in a timely manner for the holiday season. Santa Turtle is a jolly turtle who lives in the North Pole with Santa Claus providing encouragement to the working elves by ringing a bell to cheer the Christmas crew. The character first appeared in my comic strip, Curls.

I'm happy to pull out all the bells (and whistles?) with design features that challenge what a pin can be as wearable art or fashion accessory. The Santa Turtle pin makes a great gift for any fan of the holiday season -- it is a conversation starter and will also resonate with anyone who enjoys turtles, storytelling, fantasy, music, or nature.

Please consider a pledge to this Kickstarter and pass the limited edition opportunity on to your friends to spread the holiday jingle jangle! Thank you.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

New York Comic Con 2021

New York Comic Con returns this week (October 7-10, 2021) at Javits Center located at 429 11th Avenue in NYC. New York Comic Con is the East Coast's largest pop culture convention and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City. 

Carolyn Belefski and Joe Carabeo (Curls Studio) will be at Booth #2823 all four days with Francis Bonnet (Suburban Fairy Tales). The location is near Bandai Namco on show floor level 3. 

Carolyn Belefski will be signing nearby at National Cartoonists Society Booth #2928 this Thursday and Friday 1-4PM. 

Show Floor Hours 
Thursday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 
Friday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM 
Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM 

 Hope to see you soon in the city that never sleeps!

Friday, October 1, 2021

2021 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) -- Expo and Discord Stream


I'm proud to be selected to be a part of Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC) for the first time, even if it's a virtual appearance this year. CXC is based in Columbus, Ohio and is all about making connections between people with a passion for the art of cartoons -- a comics, art, and animation festival. The event is founded by curator of The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, Lucy Shelton Caswell -- along with the husband and wife team behind Cartoon Books, Columbus native Jeff Smith (Bone) and his wife Vijaya Iyer. 

This year's event lasts four days (September 30 - October 3, 2021) and is a combination of in-person and online events. I'm part of the Expo (curated online marketplace) and I'll be doing a Discord meet-up on Saturday, October 2, 2021 from 8:00 to 8:30 PM EST. Hope you can spend part of your Saturday evening with me! 


The CXC Discord server is where you can interact with CXC Exhibitors and participate in demos, live drawing sessions, and gameful cartooning events.

Join the Discord server here: http://cartooncrossroadscolumbus.org/discord

New to Discord? Read about it here: https://discord.com/why-discord-is-different

Look for the Exhibitors Showcase channel to watch the video, and use the #discussion channel to interact live!

Don’t want to use Discord? Watch this event on the CXC Discord public stream: https://www.twitch.tv/cxcfestival_discord


Friday, September 3, 2021

Exhibition Book "A Boy and His Tiger: A Tribute to Bill Watterson"



Here is a photo of the "A Boy and His Tiger: A Tribute to Bill Watterson" exhibition book. Thanks to the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, California for inviting me to contribute original art that went up for auction last year to raise money for the museum (along with Patrick McDonnell, Lynn Johnston, Steve Martin, Harry Bliss, Mo Willems, Dana Simpson, and more). The full color exhibition catalog is available for $24.99 here: https://www.cartoonart.org/store.

In other Cartoon Art Museum news... John Oliver’s show Last Week Tonight is going to donate $10,000 grants to five American museums to host and exhibit that includes works from Oliver’s recently-cultivated “weird art” collection. The five museums that will be receiving the money are the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota, the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, the William V. Banks Broadcast Museum and Media Center in Detroit, and the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco.

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Awesome Con is August 20-22, 2021

We hope you can join us on August 20-22, 2021 for the eighth edition of Awesome Con at the DC Convention Center. Curls Studio will be located at table D11 in Artist Alley all three days. View the map above where the yellow pulse signal circles are so you'll know where to find us.

Join me Saturday, August 21 from 11:30am to Noon for Create Your Superhero Symbol with Carolyn Belefski at the Awesome Con Jr. Workshops area.

Joe Carabeo will be presenting the Awesome Con Short Film Fest. Each year fans gather to watch specially selected short films in the categories of comedy, drama, horror, action, science fiction, documentaries, and more.

Exhibit Hall Hours

Friday, August 20 | Noon - 8:00pm
Saturday, August 21 | 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday, August 22 | 10:00am - 5:00pm

Short Film Fest Hours

Friday, August 20 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Room 150AB
Sci Fi, Action and Horror

Saturday, August 21 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Room 150AB
Comedy and Drama

Sunday, August 22 | 3:00 pm - 5:00pm | Room 150AB
Awesome Docs and More

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Visit to Cul de Sac manhole cover

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). 

Monday, June 7, 2021

Cicada Hard Enamel Pin Kickstarter

We're raising funds to produce limited edition hard enamel pins with a modern original illustrated Periodical Cicada design. The pins will be produced at 1.5" tall with two red rhinestones to represent the cicada eyes. Other features include matte gold plating and translucent enamel for the wings. Each pin will be fixed with a brown rubber clutch and come with a backing card. The design portrays an hourglass shape of the body made with the overlapping wings that evokes time passage.  

The campaign launched last Wednesday and will go thru the month of June. I've been fascinated by cicadas ever since I was young and remember collecting their exoskeletons in a square plastic strawberry container at my grandparent's house. I also am fond of wearing them on my shirt as a cicada brooch -- and that is what inspired this creative project.

If you feel the need to wear a cicada all the time, then please pledge to the Kickstarter. We'd enjoy your support and fondness for this exciting insect. Please pass this limited edition opportunity on to your friends as well! Thank you.

Pledge today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/carolynbelefski/cicada-enamel-pin

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Banana Bandana™ Update and Ordering Info


The Banana Bandana™ project was funded through Kickstarter back in February and shipped in March. I flipped the classic bandana print and paired it with banana humor in a modern paisley design to create a fashionable scarf face covering. Originally it started with yellow fabric, but then I added brown fabric alternative near the end of the Kickstarter campaign -- so now we have two color options.

If you missed pledging to the campaign to back the project, have no fear! Bandanas are available for purchase here: http://www.carolynbelefski.com/store/banana-bandana-fashionable-scarf-face-covering

Big thanks to photographer Joe Carabeo from Astray Productions and model Camille Richardson for stunning Banana Bandana™ product images.

It was great to create this during the COVID-19 era. I have new projects and ideas up my sleeves and have been working in my sketchbooks. Hopefully I'll be able to appear at some in-person comics events later in 2021.

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Banana Bandana™ - Make 100


Join us in raising funds on Kickstarter to produce at least 100 limited edition bandanas with a humorous original illustrated banana themed design. The bandana fabric color will be yellow and imprinted with two ink colors -- brown and white. Guard yourself and others against germs, coughs, and sneezes with this non-medical grade 22×22″ premium cotton bandana -- and look fun and fashionable at the same time. Or simply use as gang association, hanky code, or your next outing as an Wild West outlaw!

The campaign is currently 149% funded and we have 16 days to go, so that is a success and we’ll be able to get the file off to the print vendor in early February. Now is the time to pledge to receive your Banana Bandana™ and drape yourself in this appealing fruit fashion accessory.


Thanks to all the Top Bananas who have pledged to support this project, taking pledges until February 4 -- you can still get your friends and family in on this. Thanks to Joe Carabeo (Astray Productions) for taking my photo posing with a banana.

Click the link below to learn more about the concept and consider pledging: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/carolynbelefski/banana-bandanatm-make-100

Thanks for your support -- please help share the link on socials to grow our crew!

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Recap: Curls Studio's Year of 2020

I almost wasn't going to write about 2020, but after a week passing into 2021, I felt like it was still a year and some stuff happened, so it shouldn't be overlooked or ignored or acting like it never happened. As we all know, Coronavirus disease has globally affected our lives. Because of Covid-19, we were unable to attend any comic conventions. All the shows we were expected to be at were canceled. Curls Studio usually spends about 16-20 days a year behind a table, plus several appearance at schools and other events.

The year started off well with a successful Blue Rose hard enamel pin Kickstarter as part of their Make 100 incentive. The project went so well that we had pledges for all 100 pins and started a 2.0 version of the same design with a different colorway. The project ended up surpassing my goal and becoming 516% funded. If you are interested, I still have Blue Rose 2.0 pins available for purchase in the store.

In February I designed typography and animated film titles for the Joe Carabeo film, DELETE.

The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, CA asked me to contribute original art for "A Boy and His Tiger: A Tribute to Bill Watterson" as homage to Bill Watterson and his comic strip creation Calvin and Hobbes.

By the time March came around, we were under lockdown and outlook didn't look good for any of the upcoming events and conventions. So on March 21, 2020 I quickly started #CarolynsCreativeChallenge to encourage everyone to be creative at home using everyday supplies and materials. I did over 50 days of prompted projects including sock puppets, a fizzy lemonade recipe, creating a comic strip, cut paper, food necklaces, toilet paper roll character designs, melting crayons, marbleizing paper, food art, and many more. You can still join in the activities anytime at www.carolynbelefski.com/ccc.

A big disappointment this year is missing out on having an in-person National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards weekend. I was organizing cartoonist appearances at the children's hospital in Kansas City, MO and had a lot of fun stuff planned, including a printed NCS Activity Book to debut at the hospital event. Because this was unable to happen in-person this year, the NCS Activity Book became pay-what-you-can downloadable PDF to raise money for future events. I organized 50 artists to each contribute a page (mazes, search & find, connect the dots, tic-tac-toe, spot the difference, word search, crossword, coloring and drawing games, and more) to the book and worked on the phone with Sergio Aragonés for the cover, which he asked me to color. I had a great time conceiving and producing the Activity Book for the NCS.

The closest thing to events in 2020 were three virtual programs I was asked to be a part of. On Astray Live "We Make Movies" I talked about designing film titles, Baltimore Comic-Con asked me to do "Creative Crafts Challenges" on the Kids Love Comics channel, and WOM CON was a one-day WOMen run comics pop-up where I shared a glimpse of my studio and process.

2020 was year unlike any other! A year we might not want to remember, but will never forget. For me, like so many others, a big change is working from home -- new routines, keeping a balance, maintaining health, and lowering certain expectations.

I've already started 2021 with a new Kickstarter, raising funds to produce at least 100 Banana Bandanas -- which I will post about in the next blog entry. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021!