Please join us for the second Fairfax Comic Con at Dulles Expo Center on August 24-25, 2019. Curls Studio will be at Table W16 selling original art and comics. Two exclusive prints featuring the show mascot (Fairfax Fox) will be available.
Here is more about the show from their website:
Fairfax Comic Con is a new annual comic convention brought to you by Tidewater Comicon and the diehard comic fans of Fairfax County, Virginia. We want to be a family friendly event that brings fans from far and wide for two fun filled days in Fairfax. Ok, admittedly we tried to put as many F’s in that last sentence as we could. Fantastic!
Children age 10 and under are free! Get your passes and find out more information in advance here: www.fairfaxcomiccon.com
Earlier this month I attended the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards weekend (May 17-19). This was my forth Reubens appearance — and my first that included attending the board member meeting. I had previously been to Pittsburgh in 2013, Washington, DC in 2015, and last year’s in Philadelphia (2018 recap here). The event is known as “the Oscars of Cartooning” and took place in Huntington Beach, CA this year.
Part of my duties serving on the Board of Directors for National Cartoonists Society includes gathering items for our goody bags at the Reuben Weekend and NCSFest. I worked with Evellyn and Chelsea at Passion Planner and they were able to donate planners for our bag. Thanks also to Sakura for the art supplies!
I arrived early on Wednesday, May 15 to attend to board duties and the first thing I did was visit the 90 Years of Popeye exhibit at the Huntington Beach Art Center. If you live nearby, hopefully you get a chance to see it within the next few days because it closes on June 2. Look for my “Spin-Itch” art up on the wall! I believe the art will be auctioned off after the exhibit, so stay ‘tooned for that information if you’d like to own some cool original art.
After visiting the art center, I ate lunch at Wahoo’s Fish Taco. I went back two days later to give them some Curls stickers, so now the Curls “Cartoonist Never Die” sticker is immortalized at Wahoo’s Downtown Huntington Beach — please take some pictures if you find it in the wild. The restaurant also gave me some cool Wahoo’s stickers as an exchange.
Other early activities included going to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County for the NCS “Cartooning For Kids” program on Thursday, May 16. I helped by arranging goody bags as well as sketching for the patients. The goody bags were stuffed with a sketchbook, crayons, and shirt. 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. Then later that evening we had a free two-hour live signing at the hotel with boatloads of amazing creators.
On Friday, May 17 I walked to the pier and had breakfast at Ruby’s Diner, which is located at the end of the pier. I walked upstairs to check out Jan & Dean’s Tiki Lounge after the meal. I attended some of the panels back at the hotel. There were four rooms with overlapping panels, so I dropped in and out of some to get the most out of it. I meet Floyd Norman, an animator who worked directly with Walt Disney. Check out “Floyd Norman: An Animated Life” documentary on Netflix if you want to learn more about him and his life. He was the first African-American animator at Disney and worked on classics like Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmatians, and The Sword in the Stone. That evening our dinner was provided at the hotel and they had excellent Popeye themed food complete with a spinach bar, hamburgers, and delicious waffle fries.
Saturday and Sunday was the launch of NCSFest comic arts festival. After the business meeting and chapter chair meetings, I got to set-up at a tent outside on Main Street, which was very close to the pier. It was nice to be outside and exhibit at my first west coast comics event. I often joke that I’ve sold comics at venues like a bowling alley, fire department, churches, outdoor marketplaces, nightclubs, etc. I’ve even sold them by the Atlantic Ocean (Asbury Park Convention Hall) and now I hove sold them by the Pacific Ocean (Huntington Beach)… so Curls Studio comics are COAST TO COAST! I think that’s phenomenal for sure.
As part of the festivities, NCS created the opportunity to be a part of a group beach towel, which was for sale to the general public. I created Curls art for it and also used the art to create prints.
On Saturday I got to meet a creator who has inspired me since I discovered her Charm School comics in college. Elizabeth Watasin visited my booth and we chatted for quite a bit. I honestly don’t know the next time I’ll be back on the west coast, but we did talk about SDCC, as it is probably the best reason to be back — although I think I’ll only go if asked to be a guest in the future. It was a personal highlight of even making the journey out to California to see her as an extra bonus. I appreciate her taking the time to hang out with me at the booth — everyone go check out her stuff!
Then Saturday was the Reuben Awards Banquet. I had a great time, despite people questioning me if I was a wife at the event. Sometimes this industry can be difficult to navigate as a woman, when people don’t take you seriously as a cartoonist. I’ve had episodes of this even tabling at conventions where people think I’m the girlfriend or a booth babe, so it’s nothing new. It just shows me that I have to work even harder and make better comics to let people know who I am and what I do.
Even after attending the black tie ceremony for the past three years, I somehow never had a red carpet photo, so I made effort to take one this year. This year’s ceremony was very fun and the speeches were great. It was nice to see most of the winners in attendance instead of not being present. Those that were unable to make it had thank you videos and that was great to see instead of blank space when the winner is a no-show. Congratulations to Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), winner of the 2018 Reuben Award for Cartoonist of the Year.
On Sunday morning I gave a Pechakucha presentation. It was my first time speaking in the format of 20 slides timed at 20 seconds each and I was a little sporadic and excited. My topic was “First Aid for Cartoonists” and I think it went over well because I had a many folks come up to me later and discussions arose from the topic. Overall, we need to take better basic care of ourselves, mostly from sitting all day. After my presentation, I went back to Main Street for the second day of NCSFest. It had rained in the morning and the crowd was lighter than Saturday. The after party was BBQ at Old Crow Smokehouse.
On Monday I had some time in Huntington Beach because my flight was later in the day, so I did a beach walk to feel the sand in my toes and ate lunch at Bear Flag Fish Co.
Although it was my biggest journey and investment to attend to in the name of comics and my career at this moment, I had a great time and hung out with talented people at both NCSFest and Reubens Weekend. I made effort to meet as many new faces as I could and that was a success to me. Having the opportunity to sell comics to the public was helpful to cut the cost of flight and hotel and it was a refreshing environment to be in outside of the typical convention space. Thank you Bill Morrison, Steve McGarry, the board, and everyone who is a participant in National Cartoonists Society for hosting wonderful programming during this year’s events.
You can see more photos on my Instagram (@CarolynBelefski). I also plan on doing a day where I show my adventures via the Instagram story feature, so follow along and hopefully you will catch it because the stories only stay up for 24 hours. Hope to see you on the ‘gram!
I will be making my first west coast comics appearance at The National Cartoonists Society’s inaugural NCSFest, a celebration of comics and cartoon art from all over the world. Based on the comic art festivals that are hugely popular in Europe, the festival will be held over the weekend of May 17-19, 2019 in the city of Huntington Beach, California.
NCSFest kicks off with a free preview signing event this Thursday, May 16 at The Hyatt Regency on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach with your chance to meet the creators of some of the most beloved comics of all time – including Zits, Baby Blues, The Family Circus, The Walking Dead and more! Join us from 5PM to 7PM in The Mariners Ballroom to get sketches and signatures and meet and greet these superstar artists.
Then on Saturday and Sunday, I will be exhibiting at Block 1 — Booth A17 at theMain Street Marketplace which features 100 stalls. More than 150 artists, publishers and comic art organizations turn Main Street into a free buzzing, bustling comic art outdoor market.
Saturday, May 18 — Noon-6PM
Sunday, May 19 — 11:30AM-4:30PM
On Sunday, May 19 join us at 10:30AM for Pechakucha — meaning “chit chat” in Japanese, Pechakucha is a quickfire format that allows a presenter to show 20 images and describe them in 20 seconds each. It’s a great way to showcase creators who each want to take 7 minutes of your time to show you something new and tell you something you didn’t know! NCS President Bill Morrison, of The Simpsons and Yellow Submarine fame, kicks off the proceedings and then introduces a panoply of cartoonists, including Brian Walker, Martin Rowson, Johnny Sampson, Andrea Beizer, Steve Barr, Jim Horwitz, Carolyn Belefski, Chuck Whelon, Shaenon Garrity, Graham Dury, and Simon Thorp. This is a ticketed event at The Hyatt Regency Fountain Room.
10.30: Bill Morrison
10.45: Martin Rowson 11.00: Carolyn Belefski
11.15: Johnny Sampson
11.30: VIZ
11.45: Brian Walker
12.00: Chuck Whelon
12.15: Andrea Beizer
12.30: Jim Horwitz
12.45: Shaenon Garrity
1.00: Steve Barr
In addition, I have art in the 90 Years of Popeye exhibit (showcasing art and artifacts from nearly a century of the beloved sailor man) at the Huntington Beach Art Center located at 538 Main Street. Gallery Hours are Tuesday–Thursday: Noon–8PM, Friday: Noon–6PM, Saturday: Noon–5PM.
Please come out for this event if you are close enough because I don’t get out to the west coast as often as I should and would enjoy meeting some new folks and presenting them with my comics and illustrations, as well as representing comics by serving on the NCS Board of Directors. Hope to meet you in Huntington Beach!
Saturday, May 4, 2019 is free Comic Book Day! Curls Studio will be appearing at The Amazing Comic Shop in Fairfax, VA (near George Mason University). As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops give away selected comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May each year.
This year Curls Studio will be extending our $10 Bundle Deals (see previous posts about the bundles in our Awesome Con posts). Meet us at the comic shop!
As I write this, it’s the day after Awesome Con… and I’m exhausted from all the AWESOME events that happened at Awesome Con! Before the show started, it was exciting to read the press coverage. The Washington Post gave a shoutout to my kids workshop and Joe got mentioned in a WTOP article.
This year Joe Carabeo (Astray Productions) and Becky Mezzanotte-Blizard (Programming Manager) presented the Awesome Con Short Film Fest on all three days, expanding it one extra day compared to the previous year. They divided each day based on genres — Friday was Horror, Action, Sci-Fi — Saturday was Drama, Comedy — and Sunday was Documentary and More. Both Friday and Saturday crowds were filled to capacity in seats, then became standing room only with people standing around the walls. From what I’m hearing, feedback was excellent and people are already talking about next year.
On Saturday, I made the effort to walk down to the celebrity area and catch a glimpse of Riverdale actors KJ Apa (Archie) and Cole Sprouse (Jughead). In honor of them being at the show, I made art prints for their characters. This was the first time I’ve ever made something special directed at the comic convention specifically. These prints are now added to the store at www.carolynbelefski.com/storewww.carolynbelefski.com/store in case you are interested in purchasing.
We also got to produce new Toast (character from Curls) Dolls, which we will have a few of at upcoming conventions. I don’t know if they will ever be made again so if you are interested in owning you very own slice of happiness with a jelly smile, please reach out to me.
Another “new” item we have is the “Hello My Name Is Curls” book, which is a collection of the most recent strips with additional illustrations. This item is a convention exclusive and will only be available in-person.
I enjoyed briefly walking through the Batman 80 Years Exhibit, which featured costumes and props from all the Batman films. It was very cool to see Heath Ledger’s Joker outfit and card set. Most of the time I spent at the Curls Studio table so I didn’t get to see very much. Sometimes that can be the flip-side of becoming a creator because you don’t get to be a fan as much at conventions. I feel like I missed out on a few things at this show: making time to say hi to Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner, and catching a glimpse of Creed from The Office. Regrets, I’ve had a few.
Sunday was a busy day because I had a kids workshop and a panel. I started to lose my voice late Saturday afternoon, so having a bit of rest helped. I also tried to drink more water and brought snacks, but unfortunately didn’t have a full meal until after the convention. Taking care of myself at conventions should be a better priority for me, but I don’t like to leave the show and miss out on people that visit the table (especially at NYCC when it takes over an hour away when you leave to go to the restroom, so I end up not drinking much water and holding it until the show day ends).
The kids workshop I led was called “Design Your Own Superhero Symbol with Carolyn Belefski” and the benefit was the outcome! Several of the children came by my booth after to show me their final art and even gift the art to me. They were very creative and it was interesting to see them “open their shells” because at first some of them were shy to talk to me about their personal superhero symbol. By the end of the seminar the children talked on and on about their powers and what their logo symbolized. It was rewarding to see that growth in just a 45 minute session!
Then shortly after I had “The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators” panel with Mark Mariano and Laura Lee Gulledge. We gave great advice about the process of becoming an exhibiting comic creator and our history of getting involved doing shows. Audio of the event will soon be up on the Carolyn and Joe Show podcast.
After the show we grabbed a bite to eat and then watched Game of Thrones. It was a busy and eventful past few days (including the days leading up to the show in prepping mode) and I’m thankful to be a part of Awesome Con — we have been there since the beginning and it’s been quite the experience seeing this show grow in leaps and bounds. Thank you to the Awesome Con staff, volunteers, fellow exhibitors, guests, and attendees for an AWESOME event.
You can catch us this coming Saturday at The Amazing Comic Shop in Fairfax, VA (near George Mason University) for Free Comic Book Day.
