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.
Saturday, September 29 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 30 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Visit Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con in the Kids Love Comics section at Table 3014. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. We will have the Curls book collection available, the "Toast of the Town" hard enamel pin, and the new "Cartoonists Draw Blood: Monsters" anthology available for purchase. We'll also have a panel about Cartoonists Draw Blood on Sunday.
Sunday, September 30 -- 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Room 347-348 – CARTOONISTS DRAW BLOOD
Join artists from “Cartoonists Draw Blood” and National Cartoonists Society as they discuss our partnership with the American Red Cross. Since 2013, Carolyn Belefski has organized several of the finest cartoonists in the Washington, DC area to devote their time and talents to sketch for blood donors annually. The reason is simple: it’s a great opportunity for cartoonists to serve their community while showcasing their art skills and encouraging blood donation – a single donation has the potential to save as many as three lives! The “Cartoonists Draw Blood” crew has expanded their activities beyond the drive by exhibiting work in gallery shows and producing anthology books. Learn about how they create their projects and how you have the potential to create comics for good.
Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!
Last month I attended the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards weekend (May 25-27). This was my third Reubens appearance -- and my first as a national board member. I had previously been to Pittsburgh (2013 recap here) and Washington, DC (2015 recap here). The event is known as "the Oscars of Cartooning."
On Friday I had the honor of drawing for patients and their families at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the NCS "Cartooning For Kids" program. National Cartoonists Society Foundation also arranged several goody bags stuffed with sketchbooks, coloring books, comics, and more. We've done a few hospital appearances in the DC area too. It is very gratifying to draw at the hospital and the children loved it. Thanks to Molly Stromoski for taking photos and to Rick Stromoski for organizing. Rick said the administrators of the hospital said it was their most successful event they've ever had.
Back at the host hotel there were several panels spread on all three days and I attended all of them: Exaggerating Caricature, The Family Circus Tree, John Hambrock: Walking the Tightrope, Spotlight on Will Henry's Wallace the Brave, From Comics to Animated Series and Beyond, Women Pioneers of Cartoon Art, The Golden Age of Cartooning in Connecticut, Reinventing Rube Goldberg, Salute to MAD Magazine
The Women Pioneers of Cartoon Art panel featured Cathy Guisewite, Lynn Johnston, Barbara Dale, Sandra Bell-Lundy, and Jan Eliot -- moderated by Ann Telnaes. After the panel, all the female cartoonists in attendance gathered together to take a photo. Thanks to Amy Sancetta (retired Associated Press staff photographer) for the photo. I also enjoy the back photo showing great camaraderie.
At the Reuben Awards Banquet I had a good time with Francis, Kristen, Ali, and the gang. I should have taken photos, but I didn't take any after the awards show. Thanks to Francis for visual proof that we were there. It felt nice to be around other cartoonists and meet several new ones.
On Sunday, we had a public signing at Philadelphia Free Library called Cartoonapalooza! Flip through the gallery of images on my Instagram post above. If you aren't following me on Instagram yet, I'm @CarolynBelefski (same handle on Twitter as well).
I didn't have much time to explore the city, but I did see Love Park, many statues, and the outside of the Masonic Temple. Food wise, I enjoyed a pretzel, an alligator sausage breakfast po' boy sandwich, and cinnamon ice cream at Reading Terminal Market.
Here is Toast (from the Curls comic strip) spreading jelly joy in the city of brotherly love.
We closed out the weekend with a "Philadelphia Freedom" Farewell Party that included a quiz about cartoons and a make-your-own cheesesteak station (there were also vegetarian options). Hummm, now I wish I had that second helping of cheesesteak!
Huge thanks to NCS for inviting me in be a part of their cartooning family. Thanks to the board and Bill Morrison for leadership and their devotion to cartoons, illustration, and storytelling.
Saturday, September 23 -- 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday, September 24 -- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Stop by to see Curls Studio at Baltimore Comic-Con. We will be located in the Kids Love Comics pavilion at Table 3028. Click on the map image above to see a large map of where to find us. We will have the Curls book collection available for purchase and we will premiere the "Toast of the Town" hard enamel pin. I will be doing sketch commissions and we'll have some other surprises up our sleeves!
Here are some "Curls Studio Visits..." Convention Films, produced by Astray Productions, to get you in the mood!
Small Press Expo 2014 was a fun time for us! When we drove into the hotel parking lot, I noticed a Farmer's Market at the adjacent parking lot, so after setting up our table we headed over to get our food supply for the day. I purchased a chocolate croissant and and baguette with leaf shapes from Fresh Baguette and at another vendor I got two peaches and a nectarine. Even though our lunch wasn't a full meal, it felt good to not go out during the event or eat fast food. I did notice the hotel got smart and had sandwiches and salads for sale near the event registration, but we figured we'd wait until dinner.
We spent most of the time at our table and were happy to see many people year after year. One of the great additions this year were giant balloons with letters to show each island of tables so attendees can find specific vendors easier. After you go to SPX for about three years you start to see the same faces and then SPX becomes a reunion – not only of comic creators, but also readers. A pal from high school and college who we had not seen in over a decade stopped by with his wife. I also saw friends who I know from AIGA and school. Early on Saturday I was able to cruise the outer parameter of the show floor and say hi to other creators. We distributed Magic Bullet #9 and also had several bundles out on the free table – which we kept refreshing because they went fast!
Animal Chronicles: Book Two was our new product at SPX. It is a series based on the aftermath of a solar flare barely passing by Earth causing animals to fuse with objects in their vicinity during the catastrophic event. Panel Patter did a spotlight on Animal Chronicles the week before SPX to showcase new publications.
I was able to sign my Adventure Time cover, Curls in the Team Cul de Sac book, The Legettes, and more for fans.
As always, SPX is great to discover comics you won't ordinarily see in your local comic store. I noticed many names in the program guide from people on Twitter or other online outlets – only to confirm the great influence of the internet and webcomics. Here is my Vine from SPX: https://vine.co/v/Oavu2BWwdpX Thanks to everyone who visited our table! The next time you can catch us will be New York Comic Con on October 9-12, 2014 at Comic Pavilion Table 1162 on the show floor.
This year New York Comic Con took place October 11-14, 2012. Curls Studio drove up on Thursday morning to be set-up and ready for the crowds at the Javits Center. The Thursday morning is my favorite time during NYCC, because once we arrange our table, we go to the main floor to witness the huge displays being put up for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Lego, and more. At this time, no one is around and we can use of exhibitor passes to get in and experience the set-up process and not be engulfed by crowds. By being behind-the-scenes you can observe a lot and by having this access it also helps to see where everything is and have a game plan with what you want to visit during this calm-before-the-storm. We were lucky to have Brian Sarvis with us for all four days of the convention because whenever we stepped away, he could handle the table. Lauren Jaslow also helped on Friday and it was her first NYCC experience.
Our table was W13 in Artist Alley. Leading up to the start of the convention, all I could hear were mumblings of other creators who were skeptical of the placement of Artist Alley. The location had moved away from the main floor, where it had been in previous years, and was now located in Javits North (if you were at NYCC in 2011, this was the area where the celebrity wing was). To get there, you have to walk a ramp going away from the main floor. Exhibitors were concerned traffic would not come because of this further location and thinking that Artist Alley would be away from the action. At this time, I had already accepted the fact that Artist Alley had moved and all I could hope for is that people would know where to find us and that NYCC had proper signage to guide attendees. I had already written a blog that included maps clearly marked, so I tried my best to prepare the Curls Studio fan base beforehand. In my opinion, there was no problem with the Artist Alley placement in the North Pavilion. First of all, this was the largest Artist Alley in history. More space leads to more exhibitors and more breathing room to take it all in. Also in previous years, Artist Alley had been placed near loud video game competitions. We were competing with all this noise and action going around us. We had to step away from our table to do a couple of interviews last year due to poor sound quality. This year, I felt like we could talk to the attendees and not feel rushed. We could actually focus and have conversations about what we do and not have to sacrifice communication for being next to noise and other distractions. Artist Alley was it's own large room and we had it to ourselves. Also attendees who enjoy Artist Alley would not miss us - they still knew where to find us - and I felt even attendees who were not familiar with comic conventions still discovered the Artist Alley section as a break from the more hectic main hall. As you can see in the first photo above, the crowds did come to Artist Alley!
I was at the table most of the time. The only other thing I did at NYCC that strayed far from the table was to see WWE Wrestling Superstar Dolph Ziggler for an autograph signing at the Mattel booth. This only took 30 minutes of my time, as I got a ticket to go early Saturday morning and later got in line at the scheduled time later in the day to meet him. I brought Toast with me to take a photo with him. We love his hair because it looks like spaghetti. From this one short experience of leaving the table, I realized how massive NYCC is on a Saturday. If you did not have a destination in mind of where to go, you could easily get lost in the shuffle.
I also saw the Team Cul de Sac book at the GoComics booth, which was exciting to be a part of that and see it come to life. On Saturday night we ate at Krolewski Jadio for Polish cuisine in Brooklyn. The building entrance is guarded with two men in armor and the place was dressed up for Halloween. We ordered the Polish Plate, pierogies, and more. The food tasted great and I highly recommend it. Back at NYCC on Sunday, I got to meet Juanjo Guarnido, the artist of Blacksad, one of my favorite graphic novels. I did not know he was going to be there, but luckily I was chatting with Rafer Roberts about Blacksad and he told me the artist was there. I got Juanjo Guarnido to sign my sketchbook and he drew a small head of Blacksad for me. It was certainly a highlight to meet him. I also briefly took a break to see Elmo at the Variant Stage for Kids Day.
At the table, I got to meet a lot of new people who were just discovering Curls Studio for the first time, by means of just walking around and exploring the scene. Also a few folks dropped by from previous years. It's pretty amazing how they were able to find the Curls Studio table again! We also were at the table when a handful of classmates we knew from VCU stopped by. It seemed like everyone was at NYCC! Here is a video from pugglesformuggles about her NYCC experience. Here is a video interview from glcorps2002 where I talk about the books that Curls Studio creates. A lot of people expressed interest in Kid Roxy this year, which was exciting to see. We hope to have a new Kid Roxy book out in 2013. I was also impressed with the quality of cosplay and the costumes this year. It seems like everyone overall stepped up their game. Also apparently female Loki is very popular.
On Sunday night after we fully packed and the convention was over, we ate dinner at La Taverna in Brooklyn. This restaurant served delicious Italian food and I had the grilled salmon. We got some rest to prepare us for our Monday as a "free" day in New York, since we were in town. We looked for the set of HBO's Boardwalk Empire, which we knew was in Brooklyn, and turned out it was very close by LaTaverna, where we had been the night before. The set was closed off and they were not filming, but we were able to see the top of some of the boardwalk buildings and small glimpses of the boardwalk wood. One of the billboards were tossed aside for "Adam's Black Jack Gum" and I took a photo with that. We then went to the new location of Forbidden Planet comic book store, which is next to the Strand bookstore. We went to Little Italy and ate at Sal's for brick oven pizza and then headed home. Thanks to my pal, Nadia, for letting us stay at her place. Also big thanks to Mike Negin who did an awesome job of coordinating Artist Alley. Thank to everyone we met and we hope to be back in 2013 for NYCC. Looks for more photos on the Curls Studio Facebook page and give us a "Like" too! Also check in with AstrayJ on Instrgram. He took a lot of photos documenting Curls Studio's experiences at NYCC.
On Saturday, May 12, 2012 Curls Studio journeyed to the land of Bam Bam Bigelow to exhibit at the first-ever Asbury Park Comic Con in New Jersey at Asbury Lanes, a bowling alley by day and rock club by night near the boardwalk. Since this was a new show, I wasn't sure what to expect: the venue seemed cool, but my main concern as an exhibitor was the audience and hopes that people would show up. My expectations were mid-level with an exploring mind to check this show out, but this show soared above my estimate! We had a great time, ate tater tots, met new people, enjoyed awesome music, took photos in a cool retro photo booth, and did very well in regards of making table and more.
Many of the people we met had NEVER been to a comic convention before and were open about different types of books in the comic medium. Customers were looking for all-ages books and Kid Roxy and Black Magic Tales did very well! I got a few comments from guys about how they enjoy my art style and that even if the content isn't 'up their alley' they respected the art. I take this as a compliment because my work is adorable and I understand if manly-men might not want to read it, but it's great that they told me they enjoy the art. I would also instruct them to check out The Legettes!
There was also a little girl who came by the table four times for different purchases. She is our top repeat customer. It was so nice to see her with a little purse picking out a Curls patch, a button, and the first issue of Kid Roxy. I also drew her a sketch of Roxy Monroe from Black Magic Tales in her notebook. I think it's awesome that kids read comics and can tell this segment of the comics industry will burst open soon. Many parents we talked to were enthusiastic to seek books and read with their children.
I think the show's success also had to do with the location being close in proximity to New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. This helped get a diverse amount of talent to appear at the show, including Evan Dorkin, who I got to sign my copy of the Beasts of Burden hardcover. Everyone at the show was happy to be there and we enjoyed meeting a new crowd.
A treasure we got to discover after the show as we walked the boardwalk was Joe pointing out where the dance scene in the film "The Wrestler" between Mickey Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood took place. At first I didn't believe him because it was such a random find, but the closer we got to the scene I realized Joe was correct. Another jewel to his film knowledge was presented! It is so great to stumble upon amazing landmarks like that. It reminded me of the time in 2009 at Pittsburgh Comicon where we saw the "Bean N Gone" in Monroeville, PA from Kevin Smith's "Zack and Miri Make a Porno."
Thanks to Cliff for organizing Asbury Park Comic Con! We hope to be back again. If you missed the show and want to pick up Curls Studio products online, check out the Curls Studio Etsy Shop.
We're going out tonight To kick out every light Take anything we want Take everything in sight We're goin’ til the world stops turning While we burn it to the ground at night
YES! YES! YES! Curls Studio will be at WWE Monday Night RAW Live tonight April 9, 2012 from Washington, DC. We have even made signs in advance with your favorite characters CURLS and TOAST from http://www.curls-studio.com/curls and took photos so you can spot us in the crowd (we are in the 5th row off to the side corner), so record the show and if you see us send us a screen capture for a free gift of comics goodness from us. Email info[at]curls-studio.com to get in contact with us! You can watch live on your TV at 9PM eastern on USA Network. Enjoy the show.
On Monday, October 17, 2011 Toast of the Town (character from the Curls comic strip) visited the city of New York after his appearance at New York Comic Con.
The first place he went to was Central Park. After his romantic time there, he headed to Occupy Wall Street for their one month anniversary.
Toast also showed his respects at the World Trade Center Memorial. He hopes to make another trip to New York next year.
Where would you like to see Toast? Email "info[at]curls-studio.com" and let us know.
Etsy Finds: The Limited One of the great things about handmade is that artisans are constantly playing with their designs, often resulting in mini boutique lines and limited editions. All year round I enjoy hunting these nifty little numbers in hopes of finding something extra special. For today's Etsy Finds, I have put together a collection of some of my favorite limited editions currently for sale on Etsy. If you see the perfect gift, or something you just have to have, get it while you can! These items are hot and won't be in stock much longer.
March 22 • CulpeperCon (Keynote Speaker)
April 4-6 • Awesome Con
May 18 • Comic Logic Spring Lot Con
June 28-29 • Tidewater Comicon
August 23-24 • Fairfax Comic Con
September 13-14 • Small Press Expo
October 9-12 • New York Comic Con
October 17-19 • Baltimore Comic-Con
October 26 • Comic Logic Fall Lot Con
November 15 • Local Author Book Festival
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
