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!

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).

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)

To read the full WSJ article click here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/pantone-picks-a-color-of-the-year-so-does-everybody-else-11639068306?st=dpm4kvuruxw5adr&reflink=desktopwebshare_twitter

The article is also in today's WSJ print addition.