In January we kicked off the year with a Make 100 Kickstarter project for Total Solar Eclipse Enamel Pin to celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse that visited North America on April 8. I got to view it from inside the path of totality in-person at Niagara Falls. I also got to visit Canada for a few hours (my first time going out of the country).
At Awesome Con I got to take part in the panel “The Other Side of the Table: Lessons from Creators” with Maria Laura Sanapo, Chris Mariano, and Marc Gaffen. Joe Carabeo presented the Awesome Con Short Film Fest.
To expand the crowdfunding opportunities, I took part in “Pintopia 2” from BackerKit by designing a Peach Fuzz Enamel Pin for my Pantone Color of the Year project (which I have been doing for the past five years). I also ran a Kickstarter for the Cicada design that was created in 2021, but I introduced a new colorway in 2024 to represent the green Annual Cicada.
A highlight of being in New York during the time of New York Comic Con was visiting Philippe Labaune Gallery for the Mike Mignola exhibit and getting to meet the artist himself! I also got to eat at Katz’s Delicatessen and attend the Harvey Awards. Ay NYCC Curls Studio had a collaboration with Cakes with Character by Jean Schapowal in which we offered a large complementary pinback button if you visited both of our booths.
We continued to exhibit at comic conventions and events. Here is our 2024 Tour list:
March 8-10 • Awesome Con
May 19 • Comic Logic Spring Lot Con
June 23 • STORYBOX Comics Fair
August 17-18 • Fairfax Comic Con
September 14-15 • Small Press Expo
September 20-22 • Baltimore Comic-Con
October 17-20 • New York Comic Con
October 25 • McKay Used Books Book-or-Treat
October 27 • Comic Logic Fall Lot Con
Overall, I did a good amount of freelance work this year with design and illustrations and that is where a lot of my time went toward as well as networking to gain clients. Curls Studio is looking forward to 2025 with a goal of creating more comics and storytelling!
