Riffling off my last comic about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, here is a recipe for “Curls Reflecting Pool Ice Cream” with the secret ingredient — an algae that is actually blue — Blue Spirulina. If you make it, let me know how it goes. I have a photo of my ice cream on Instagram.
Thank you for reading Curls.
XOXO,
Carolyn
© Carolyn Belefski
The National Cartoonist Society is teaming up with the Billy Ireland Museum at Ohio State University for a Cartoonist Showcase sketching and signing event, open to the public. You can find me in the lobby on Saturday, August 8 from 1:00 to 5:30 PM.
Spotlight presentations from Colleen Doran and Cathy Guisewite are part of the festivities.
There will also be a ticketed event on the same day in the Mershon Auditorium featuring Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, Jim Benton, Jamar Nicholas, and Maria Scrivan from Scholastic’s Graphix imprint.
If you are near Columbus, Ohio it is a great way to meet talented cartoonists, illustrators, and authors! I’m looking forward to this event and hope to meet you there.
Details here: https://nationalcartoonists.com/showcase
NCS Exhibitors: Chuck Whelon, Joe Dator, Wayno®, Nate Fakes, Jerry Van Amerongen, Tom Stiglich, John and Anne Hambrock, Andrea Beizer, Colleen Doran, Dave Blazek, Pat Higgins, Jason Chatfield, Barbara Dale, John Rose, Richard Robert Pollak, Dee Fish, Dave Kellett, Polly Keener, Bill Morrison, Harold Buchholz, Joe Staton, Greg Cravens, Francis Bonnet, Carolyn Belefski, Thom Zahler, Milburn Taylor, Deon Parson, Tom Toro, Josh Ulrich, Mark Parisi, Dan Thompson, Wes Molebash, David Rickert, Norm Feuti, Lex Fajardo, Chuck Dillon, Ed Steckley, Dawn Griffin
I am selected to present at “Toon Talks” during National Cartoonists Society’s 80th Annual Reuben Awards and Conference in Ohio on August 7.
Five cartoonists. Five big ideas. Ten minutes each. Inspired by TED Talks, this fast-paced session features short, focused presentations on creative breakthroughs, business pivots, technical innovations, and career insights. Topics range from process to publishing, from style to strategy. After the presentations, join table conversations with speakers to dive deeper into the ideas that resonated with you.
Presenters: Carolyn Belefski (How Comics Shape Minds and Health), Deon Parson (Making Traditional Comics in a Digital World), Jonathan Lemon (How to Hack Your Deadlines), Sonya Saturday (So Anyway, I Saved a Dollar), Tom Gammill (How I Learned To Draw).
Registration link: https://ncs.glueup.com/event/80th-annual-ncs-conference-and-reuben-awards-173648
There will also be National Cartoonists Society Showcase on August 8 at The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum that I will be participating in (taking place after the conference). More details to come in the next blog post.
This past weekend Curls Studio had a fun time at Fredericksburg Comic Con with the Kids Love Comics crew. I got to meet fellow NCS member John Rose for the first time in-person. Joe got to unexpectedly meet writer Robert Venditti. I had a workshop “Emoji Comics with Carolyn Belefski” and drew this code to crack 🍍🍕👍. Reply where you stand on this controversial opinion. Thank you Incredible Conventions!
Fredericksburg Comic Con is July 11-12, 2026. There will be Kids Love Comics activities and workshops, arcade games, special guests (voice actors, wresters, and comic creators), artist alley, and exhibitors.
On Sunday at 1PM join us for Emoji Comics with Carolyn Belefski — We’ve used them in texts and social media, now cartoonist Carolyn Belefski shows you how to use emojis in comics. From designing these easy-to-draw icons to using them to tell a story, this workshop will surely play with your emotions.
This will be the first time Curls Studio will visit Fredericksburg Comic Con. Hope to see you there!
See Curls Studio this Sunday, May 17 for Spring Lot Con at Comic Logic in Ashburn, VA! The event runs from Noon to 4PM. Come meet special guest Phillip Kennedy Johnson and many members of our amazing comics community this Sunday.
