Designing Film Titles: Netfins & Chill

Watch Madelyn Farris and Joe Carabeo's newest film collaboration "Netfins & Chill" at www.astrayproductions.com/netfinsandchill for a limited time. The story of two young DC lobbyists and their fishy secret! I designed the film titles -- here is my initial sketch above the film title still with the vector graphic.

To view more film titles that I started designing last year, check out this post: Designing Film Titles: Process, Rough, Daisy

Designing Film Titles: Process, Rough, Daisy

Last Tuesday, October 16, 2018 we celebrated two award nominations for the Joe Carabeo film "Process" during Pitch To Screen at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. I had a great time hanging out with true creatives and storytellers from screen and stage.

So far this year I've designed the film titles for three short films: Process, Rough, and Daisy. I've worked on designing prop items for films in the past as well, but film titles is new for me this year -- I've been having a blast with typography and handwritten elements. It so fun to experiment with the short film's message and style and show that through the title design.

You can see "Process" for a limited time here: http://www.joecarabeo.com/process

Below are examples of the title designs I've created. You can view more of my work at www.CarolynBelefski.com.

The Making of Carolyn Belefski's White House Cartoons

A lot of people have been asking about the work I recently did for The White House, which was released this week on their social media platforms. Since I posted process and the concept sketch of the comic book cover I did for Cartoon Network's Adventure Time comic this past summer, I thought many artists and creative types would get a kick out of this project showcasing the Affordable Care Act. I enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes, but the final product is always what the public will see. Here you will get a glimpse behind the curtain.

The White House Office of Digital Strategy approached me with the concept of creating health care comics. They provided the personas (athletic, hipster, caregiver, etc.) and I developed sketches of the character designs for approval. Above you will see the first and only attempt of the character designs. Stage one complete!

At this time I also provided three layout options on how tell the story best on social media. The White House provided me with dimensions that were possible for the project. As you can see in the top right, we selected the character head in the center and the text surrounding that area so it would not get cropped on certain sites (like Twitter) in preview. 

To clarify, yes, it would get cropped, but the text would not get cut off. The image above shows how we considered how the crop would look like. This was the first one I completed, and once that was approved, I completed the other comics for each character. They provided me with a script and did allow me to contribute to the story. It was a total collaboration!

I must also correct myself, in an interview with Jen Sorensen posted earlier today, I mentioned there were no art edits, but I was mistaken because I remembered (while writing this blog) that there was one change. I originally drew the guy at the gym working out without a shirt and showing his nipples. They asked me not to show the nipples in the preview section (area viewed in social, the non black area above), but I decided to put a shirt on him instead of redrawing the whole image. I only had to erase the nipples, add sleeves, and color in the shirt in Photoshop. This change only took five minutes and was easier to do than redraw the whole panel. Work smarter, not harder! Perhaps I forgot about this change because it didn't take long to alter. I would have liked to include the nipples because it's funny and I like to call them pepperonis, but I don't know if America can take another wardrobe malfunction. But hey, the Super Bowl is this Sunday so maybe Katy Perry is planning to stun us.

Regarding color palette we agreed to have a minimal flat color look and I selected the colors. After the first one was approved, I hit the ground running with the same look and colors to make each comic connect and work together as a system.

Yesterday First Lady posted the athletic cartoon I illustrated for ‪#‎GetCovered‬ on her Instagram and Twitter accounts. Right now it has received 16,041 likes on Instagram. It feels good to have Michelle Obama and the rest of the world see my art. 

I know the health care debate is rough from all angles. Because of these illustrations, I've read people's comments calling me a sell out and telling me how to draw. I've also seen other media sites say this is The White House's attempt to make Obamacare seem cool. I take that as a compliment because my cartoons are cool! Another site called it childish. I have some news for them: Cartoons can be all-ages. Adults can enjoy them too. You can be "grown-up" and contribute to society, read comics, watch animation, or draw. I pay my mortgage, car bill, buy groceries, and commute to work every day. I can enjoy cartoons. Don't call us childish. Call us childlike. There is a difference.

Another point I want to make is that I have worked for conservative and liberal clients. You may have conservative and liberal friends. Or friends who are environmental. Or libertarian. Or friends who like pizza crust or don't (for the record, I'm not friends with those people). I am an equal opportunity artist and I work with people who want to work with me.

Part of why I took this gig on was because I was extremely pleased that The White House was interested in publishing comics and trying something different. Reaching out to new audiences who are visual learners or experimenting with Instagram is not a bad thing. I know how politics work, but please -- attacking art as a medium is an all-time low. Anyone remember prehistoric cave paintings? This is history. Art is history.

I also took on this assignment because it is important to take care of yourself and know what your options are. I like how many of the characters in this series are aiming to be the best version of themselves they can be. The images showcase healthy eating and exercising, which are important to me. Taking care of yourself and your body shows self respect and I wish more Americans and humans overall showed that initiative.

Not all the comics have been posted on their social media accounts at this time, but you can view them all by visiting WhiteHouse.gov or by looking below. The caregiver cartoon has been animated and is on The White House Instagram account.

Thank you to The White House for this opportunity and thank you to so many people online who have "liked" and commented and reposted. If you enjoyed these cartoons, please read my comic strip Curls and the other fun things I create to make others smile. I really do enjoy being Cartoonist for America.

Available for Freelance Work
If you are interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email Carolyn Belefski at info@curls-studio.com. View my portfolio: http://www.carolynbelefski.com

The Making of Carolyn Belefski's Adventure Time Cover

Check it out! I did an exclusive comic cover for Cartoon Network's Adventure Time #29 published by Boom! Studios. It's a limited edition Cards, Comics, and Collectibles cover. Thank you for the opportunity.

Here is a rare glimpse at my thumbnail concept sketch. I provided five concepts to select from and they went with the underwater cover.

It feels good to say I am one of the talented Adventure Time artists. I'll have the covers at my table for Baltimore Comic-Con, SPX, and New York Comic Con (Curls Studio be at Small Press, booth 1162). See you then!

Magic Bullet #7 Cover and Contributor List

I am delighted to present to you the cover of Magic Bullet #7. Magic Bullet is Washington, D.C.’s free comics newspaper published by 
D.C. Conspiracy, a comics creators’ collective in the capital region.

Steve Conley was tapped to illustrate the cover art and Matt Dembicki contributed the color center spread. Thanks to El Jefe Design for the design of our masthead, which we started using in Magic Bullet #6. This issue is Halloween themed and has a print run of 5,000. It will be hitting the streets shortly. Be sure to look for it around town and pick up this free publication.

Here are the contributors who made the final cut for print publication in Magic Bullet #7:

Sara Lindo

Rafer Roberts

S.G. Artley

Steve Loya

Mike Brace

John Shine

Anthony Jackson

Viga Gadson

Eric Gordon

Charles Brubaker

William Brown

Joshua Daniel

Jason E. Axtell

Joe Sutliff

Rob Anderson, Dafu Yu, E.T. Dollman, Paul Allor

Matt Dembicki

R.M. Rhodes, Evan Keeling

Art Hondros

Adam McGovern, Diana Leto

T.R. Logan

Troy-Jeffrey Allen, Matt Rawson

Andrew Cohen

Michael Cowgill

Kevin Panetta, Mike Short

David and Jon Milstein

Dale Rawlings

Rachel Scheer

Daniel Rosa, Jose Mazariegos

Paul Zdepski

Sean Fahey, Ben Passmore, Kel Nuttall

Nick Liappis, Brooke A. Allen

Zarmina Sulaiman, Jacob Warrenfeltz

Joe Carabeo, Carolyn Belefski

Thank you to all who submitted and we urge you to submit your comics to be considered in future editions.

I plan to bring several bundles to Bmore Into Comics next Saturday, August 24, 2013. We will also be distributing Magic Bullet to local establishments in DC, MD, and VA (places like book stores, restaurants, theaters, tattoo parlors, record shops, etc.).

D.C. Conspiracy members will be showcasing original Magic Bullet art at Artisphere in Arlington, VA from August 21 thru November 3 in the Works in Progress Gallery. There will be a meet and greet on September 21 from 6 PM to 8 PM where you will be able to connect with many of us in-person. Major props to Matt Dembicki and Evan Keeling for being instrumental in organizing the exhibit.

Magic Bullet contributors will be distributing the newspaper for free at many of their convention appearances in 2013. We will certainly have Magic Bullet #7 at Baltimore Comic-Con, Small Press Expo, New York Comic Con, and more!

Stay 'tooned for more information about distribution of Magic Bullet #7 as well as details about advertising and comic submission for the next issue. If you are interested in advertising and comic submission guidelines, connecting with us, or attending our meetings, visit magicbulletcomics.com for information.

It has been either a trick-or-treat editing this edition of Magic Bullet. I'll let you decide witch!

Your Pal,

Carolyn Belefski

Magic Bullet #6 Hitting the Streets

Magic Bullet #6 (Washington, D.C.'s free comics newspaper, published by D.C. Conspiracy) went to print last Tuesday. Big thanks to Joe Carabeo who picked up all 5,000 direct from the printer in Maryland last Wednesday.

Joe commented, "who needs to be able to see behind them when they drive?" As you can see, the vehicle was loaded with bullets, Magic Bullet that is.

Currently the newspaper has been distributed with good coverage in Virginia. There will be more locations to come. I plan on meeting up with a bunch of folks at Asbury Park Comic Con in New Jersey (March 30) and they will help distribute at MoCCA Arts Festival in New York (April 6-7) and at more locations up north. A handful of Magic Bullet #6 contributors will be attending SPACE in Columbus, Ohio (April 13-14) and they plan to bring the issue there.

Don't forget, on Free Comic Book Day (May 4) we will be scattered at nine different locations in three states, plus the District of Columbia. This will be our big day everyone attending the event can meet in-person.

You can see the complete listing of where you can pick up a free issue of Magic Bullet #6 here at the bottom right column.

We are urging people to send photos or Instagram images of Magic Bullet #6 found in its natural habitat. Here are a few examples:

Our contributors will be hitting the streets hard to make it more widely distributed. If you are a shop owner or venue and want Magic Bullet #6 in your store, please reach out to us. It doesn't cost a thing to help distribute Magic Bullet #6.

Thanks,

Carolyn

Magic Bullet #6 Cover and Contributor List

I am pleased to present to you the cover of Magic Bullet #6. Magic Bullet is Washington, D.C.’s free comics newspaper published by 
D.C. Conspiracy, a comics creators’ collective in the capital region. 

Art Hondros illustrated the cover art and El Jefe Design was tapped to create our new nameplate/masthead. S. G. Artley did the color center spread. The issue is schedule to go to print tomorrow with a run of 5,000 and will be hitting the streets shortly. Be sure to look for it around town and pick up this free publication.

Here are the contributors who made the final cut for print publication in Magic Bullet #6:

Henry and Jacob Warrenfeltz
Jason E. Axtell
Adam McGovern, Diana Leto
Nick Liappis
Rob Anderson, Dafu Yu, E.T. Collman, Paul Allor
Matt Rawson, Derek Scarzella, Troy-Jeffrey Allen
Michael Brace
R.M. Rhodes, Evan Keeling
Rafer Roberts
Arsia Rozegar
Kevin Panetta, Mike Short
Eric Gordon
Matt Dembicki
Dale Rawlings
John Shine
S. G. Artley
Jeff McClelland, Kurt Belcher, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, Tom Ziuko
Andrew Cohen
Josh Kramer
Joe Sutliff
JTW
M. Jacob Alvarez
Sean Fahey, Ben Passmore, Kel Nuttall
Lauren Silberman
Michael Cowgill
William Brown
Joe Carabeo, Carolyn Belefski

We received many submissions and had to fit advertising along with a budgeted page count. Thank you to all who submitted and we urge you to submit your comics to be considered in future editions.

More information will be released soon about the digital download, which will be available for $0.99.

I plan to bring several bundles with me to Asbury Park Comic Con on March 30. We will also be distributing Magic Bullet to local establishments in DC, MD, and VA (places like book stores, restaurants, theaters, tattoo parlors, record shops, etc.).

May 4, 2013 is Free Comic Book Day and Magic Bullet #6 contributors are scheduled to appear at many local comic shops. Be sure to stop by and meet us in-person. Please refer to the graphic above to see who will be appear and the nine locations we'll be at.

I will also be promoting Magic Bullet at Capicons on June 16 (Father's Day) at the Dunn Loring Volunteer Fire Department. We'll be distributing Magic Bullet #6 for free at all Curls Studio tour stops in 2013.

Stay 'tooned for more information about distribution of Magic Bullet #6 as well as details about advertising and comic submission for the next issue. If you are interested in advertising and comic submission guidelines, connecting with us, or attending our meetings, visit magicbulletcomics.com for information.

It has been a pleasure editing this edition of Magic Bullet. I hope you get the opportunity to find it and enjoy reading it. May the hunt begin!

XOXO,
Carolyn

Magic Bullet #6 Announcement

Here's some news I haven't shared publicly on this blog. I am now the editor of Magic Bullet, starting with the upcoming Magic Bullet #6. Magic Bullet is Washington, DC’s free comics newspaper published by the DC Conspiracy, a comics creators’ collective in the capital region established in 2005. The publication is primarily distributed in the DC area, but with many of our contributing artists attending various shows across the country, Magic Bullet has a growing readership, as well as a growing print run of 5,000. 

I will be bringing Magic Bullet #6 to all shows I'll be attending in 2013, so be sure to pick up your free physical copy. We are also working on a downloadable issue, available for a small fee online. The Magic Bullet #6 newspaper will be hitting streets this spring. We are also arranging our contributors to appear at several locations during Free Comic Book Day on May 4. Stay 'tooned for more info about the downloadable issues and FCBD events.

For the past few months, I've been working hard to attract advertisers to pay for the upgraded print run of 5,000 and am excited to say we have achieved our goal. At the time of this writing, some of the advertisers include: Indie Comics Magazine, Jason E. Axtell, Franks and Beans, ComicsDC, Steve Artley, SPX, Society of Illustrators/MoCCA, Graphic Illusions Comics, St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (thanks to Art Hondros for securing the ad), ANS Sci-Fi & Comic Con, Shoff Promotions, Awesome Con DC, Matt Dembicki, Jim Coon, American Physical Society, Big Planet Comics (thanks to Matt Dembicki for securing the ad), Beyond Comics (thanks to Rafer Roberts for securing the ad), and more to come!

Thanks to the advertisers who have made this project possible and thanks to Rafer Roberts and Matt Dembicki for their input and guidance as former editors.

There is still time to contribute your comic to Magic Bullet #6. The due date for your one page comic submission is March 1, 2013. Please review our requirements and specs here: http://magicbulletcomics.blogspot.com/p/submissions.html

We look forward to your stories!

Thanks,

Carolyn

Commissioned Illustration for Child's Playroom

I was asked by a family to illustrate a young girl named Sophia playing with her dog, Bully, for a wall graphic in Sophia's playroom.

Here is a process sketch. I was able to work from photos of the girl and the dog.

And here is the final 46" x 72" graphic. Currently, the walls of the playroom are lime green.

I really like the illustration with a sky blue background and provided the client with that option as well. I told her we could also use the image for birthday parties or greeting cards.

Here is the illustration the client cut and designed to fit a goodie bag for Sophia's birthday party. I would love to design more custom wall graphics or party items!

Client Feedback
I loooooove it! It's great!!!

Available for Freelance Work
If you are interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email Carolyn Belefski at info@curls-studio.com.

Del Ray Baby Logo

Before we officially wrap up 2011, I wanted to post a logo identity I worked on back in August. It is for Del Ray Baby, an online community developed to support, inform, and engage the families with young children in the neighborhood of Del Ray in city of Alexandria, Virginia.


Above you can sneak a peek into my sketch process. I always like to draw with pen and paper before working on the computer. I wanted to create something that wasn't a typical baby thing (rattles, alphabet playing blocks, etc.). My inspirations were a sun and moon reference as a fresh take on the Ying and Yang symbolism.

Something that interested me was making sure it can be for boy or girl with a neutral color reference that evokes happiness in the cheerful, bright smile. Another great thing is that it can be viewed as one or two faces working together (if you have more than one child). This logo has global recognition and is an easy read.



The Del Ray Baby logo is now on merchandise such as onesies, shirts, water bottles, tote bags, and more.

It was a fun project and I hope I'll be able to do more freelance work in the future.

Available for Freelance Work
If you are are creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.

Art for Aardvark Art Bazaar

I recently teamed up with Anthony Dihle from Fire Studio to produce screenprinted posters for The Harbor School's Aardvark Art Bazaar event. (You might remember my recent blog about a visit to Anthony's studio at Pleasant Plains Workshop.)


The client originally wanted an aardvark wearing leg warmers with a letter "A" similar to an alphabet card. So I drew that in my sketch concepts above. I also came up with another idea to have the aardvark surfing on a artist palette, so I decided to present that was well... and I'm happy to say they went with that for the final. I love concepting! I hope seeing the above sketch will give you a glimpse of my first steps when I design or illustrate a project.







I did the illustration and Anthony did the design. Last weekend Anthony printed all the posters at his studio. I hope you enjoy the process photos he took. It's really a treat. He did an amazing job!

Anthony says: It's a "seven" color screenprint in three layers. The second layer is a split fountain (color fade) of five different inks. A plop of each color is dropped on the screen and mixed progressively with each squeegee pass. The challenge wasn't so much mixing the five colors on the screen, but mixing each color so that it would have a similar amount of transparency over the dark background color, so that no color band stands out as too bold. It's 13"x21", printed on 80 lb. Cougar Opaque white.

Friday, March 11 is the 1st annual Aardvark Art Bazaar from 11AM to 4PM at The Harbor School. A fun and funky art bazaar featuring local artisans, live music and a craft/activity corner for kids!

Available for Freelance Work
If you are are creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.

Holiday Greeting Card Illustration

A former co-worker of mine commissioned me to illustrate her family's 2010 Holiday Greeting Card. She provided me with photos of her two cats and one dog to work from.

Here is the process from original small sketch layout and more detailed sketch to inks to colors:




The client and her husband are really excited about the illustration and how their girls were portrayed, which makes me happy because I gave each animal a character and attitude as they have fun together sledding in the snow.

Available for Freelance Work
If you are a creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.

National Geographic: Great Migrations Illustrations

Recently I did freelance illustration and concept art for National Geographic and produced illustrations for their major television event Great Migrations and the show's CafePress merchandise store.



The two concepts they selected for final production are "Animal Prints" and "Turtle" and they are now available for purchase as Shirts, Ceramic Travel Mugs, Sigg Water Bottles, Messenger Bags, Mousepads, Gaiam Yoga Mats and more!


Above are some of the concept sketches I did that never made it to final, but I'm sharing with you because I'd like to invite you in on my process. I merged them all on a one-sheet for web viewing.

This project was very fun and freeing and I hope to do more work like this. Plus it feels good to know I did original illustrations for National Geographic.

Available for Freelance Work
If you are are creative director, art director or designer interested in my illustration and/or design skills, please email me at info@curls-studio.com.