Creator and artist Carolyn Belefski self produces the web comic Curls about an adventurous girl going about her everyday life with a group of animal friends. Carolyn’s web comic is filled with humor and wit that can plant a smile on your face. She spoke with CBI publisher John Michael Helmer about her career in comics and her web comic curls…
JMH: Where were you born and raised?
CAROLYN: I was born and raised in Northern Virginia, the suburbs of Washington,DC. I still continue to live there, but spent four years in Richmond, the state capitol of Virginia, during college. Some of my reasons for sticking around include my family and job. Also there are a lot of cool comic conventions like Baltimore Comic-Con, SPX, Capicons and DC Comicon nearby. Plus it helps to know where everything is!
JMH: Tell CBI about yourself…
CAROLYN: I am the creator of the Curls webcomic, which updates every Monday and Thursday at www.curls-studio.com/curls and I work with writer Joe Carabeo to publish the comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes. Each Tuesday Joe and I have a podcast called The Carolyn & Joe Show where we discuss comics, movies, pop culture, wrestling and anything else that will offend and/or entertain. During the day I work as a designer at an advertising agency, but at night and on the weekends I work on Curls Studio activities or do freelance design and illustration projects. Myillustrations have been published byUSAWEEKEND Magazine, National Geographic, Virginia Living Magazine, Magic Bullet, The Pulse onComicon.com and more. We will be exhibiting our creations in 2011 at the upcoming Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con (August 14), Baltimore Comic-Con (August 20-21), Small Press Expo (September 10-11), Intervention (September 16-18) and New York Comic Con in Artist Alley (October 13-16). We hope to be able to meet you at one of our East Coast tour stops.
JMH: How long have you been drawing comics?
CAROLYN: As with many other cartoonists, I started drawing at a young age. I was inspired by Chuck Jones and the character of Bugs Bunny immediately. The earliest I remember drawing characters and comic strips was in fourth grade, but I never fully considered it a career until college. The years in between were spent studying fine art and graphic design. In college, I saw an ad in the school paper that said they were looking for cartoonists. I drew up a handful of strips and went to the journalism office to submit
and they offered me the opportunity for the next two years, when I graduated. After college, I solidified my career as a designer and continue to create the Curls comic strips as a web comic, every Monday and Thursday.
JMH: How did you break into the industry drawing comic books?
CAROLYN: After attending Small Press Expo for two years as a volunteer, I investigated the scene, talked to other creators and realized I wanted to take comics to higher level. I began working intensely with writer and co-creator Joe Carabeo on the comic books Kid Roxy, Black Magic Tales and The Legettes. I applied to many local comic conventions in theWashington,DCarea including Baltimore Comic-Con, SPX and DC Counter Culture Festival and we got to exhibit our work in front of other professionals while building our fan base. We’ve been touring for about four years and try to create something new for each show we are at. One of my latest projects is the Curls feature in Indie Comics Magazine, which is currently scheduled for preorder in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2011 Previews catalog.
JMH: Do you have any formal art training?
CAROLYN: My parents funded a handful of extracurricular art classes when I was in elementary school. In high school I started taking all the art classes I could including computer graphics, art history and advanced art classes. I knew I wanted to do something with art in college and as a career at this point. I graduated fromVirginiaCommonwealthUniversityand in the first year of their art program the freshmen go though Art Foundation, which is like a boot camp and then you apply to a targeted discipline. They really weed though a lot of people during that year. When it came time to decided a major, I selected Communication Design because I feel in the times we live in now it is most practical to be a designer to make a sustainable living. I also took electives that included other aspects of art including illustration, art direction, sound design and animation so my work could have versatility.
JMH: Who are your artistic influences?
CAROLYN: Chuck Jones, Walt Disney, Jeff Smith, Judd Apatow, Paul Feig, Elizabeth Watasin, Lauren Faust, Raina Telgemeier, Amanda Conner, Will Eisner, Rafael Navarro, Bruce Timm, Vincent van Gogh and Marc Chagall are all people I consider to be artistic influences. In their own way they are dreamers, inventors and visual storytellers.
JMH: How do you focus when drawing?
CAROLYN: Listening to talk radio or podcasts helps me to focus a lot when I’m working because I hear a conversation and it feels like someone is in the room with me, so I’m not lonely and I don’t have to talk back so I can get work done! Sometimes I tune in and out or I’m only half listening and the voices become white noise. The shows I listen to include SModcast Internet Radio, Coast to Coast AM, Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling and Don Geronimo. Other times I like to work in silence or with jazz music. I also get focused by trying to concentrate on only the project at hand and not getting too distracted by other things.
JMH: What types of technology do you use to draw?
CAROLYN: I like to use just regular pen and paper to draw, then scan in the art into the computer and color using Photoshop. With my Sketch Before Sleep project, I did a digital sketch with a tablet each day for one year. Soon I’ll be launching a Kickstarter campaign to produce a 365 book of all the sketches. The project has already been approved by Kickstarter and I will be working with Astray Productions to film a fundraising video before the pledge drive goes live. All the digital sketches can be viewed at
www.curls-studio.com/sketchbeforesleep.
JMH: What was the first comic book you ever read?
CAROLYN: When I was two years old, my dad let me select a Christmas ornament at a department store and I picked a miniature Spider-man comic book ornament. I believe that could be the first comic book I read. I also read Archie and Disney comics and had a subscription to Barbie Fashion when I was young.
JMH: Do you read any of the new comic books that are being published today? If so, which ones?
CAROLYN: Yes, the current books I read include Skottie Young’s Oz series for Marvel, Reed Gunter, Beasts of Burden,UmbrellaAcademyand Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers. I also check out anything new from Raina Telgemeier, Roger Langridge or Scott Morse.
JMH: Print vs. Digital. Your thoughts…
CAROLYN: At this time I do not own and iPad, so I currently only purchase print books. Obviously many things are gravitating towards digital. It’s inexpensive to publish and in some ways more accessible to access, plus I see some inventive things coming regarding animation and sound in upcoming digital books. It’s a matter of personal choice depending on the viewer whether that want to read their books on a screen or on paper, however there will always be a need for print books. As our society goes paperless, printed books will become rare and maybe a hundred years from now only the most esteemed, classic, or best-selling books will be printed. But I think in our lifetime, print will be around. I am not against digital, but I don’t like the idea of sitting in bed reading before sleep in front of a screen. It doesn’t seem very relaxing. Also there is a time and place for both print and digital. If you’re on the go or at work, it might be easier to have a tablet and not lug around books. I like the idea of having a lot of collected material on one device, but then again a physical bookshelf is nice if you have the space for all your favorite books to cuddle up with. Reading a print book is better for treasury collections or lounge reading. The way I view it is not as a competition, but more as a choice of format.
JMH: What sources do you use for a cover image?
CAROLYN: When I’m working on a cover, I select a moment in the story that will showcase the characters without revealing too much of the plot. I want to bring people in without giving too much of the story away. With covers it is also important that it is a clear and quick read to convey information in a few seconds or a quick glance. Some good resources include studying poster design because the message must be delivered to the viewer quickly. Imagine the cover as if you are driving past a billboard. You might only get two seconds to make an iconic impression and stick with the viewer.
JMH: What other mediums or genres have you drawn for?
CAROLYN: Besides comic books and comic strips, I have drawn spot art for several magazines, publications, posters and presentation displays. Some of these illustrations have hints of my comic style, yet others I have done with watercolor or digitally as vector illustrations. I have also worked on branding campaigns and logo identities in my graphic design career.
JMH: What is Curls?
CAROLYN: Curls is my web comic about a gal named Curls, who has mitten hands. She gets into adventurous situations while going about her everyday life with a group of animals and a life-sized slice of toast named Toast of the Town. She lives with a turtle who wears turtlenecks named Turtle Neck, a Siamese fighting fish who is a water weight boxing champion named Applause, and a penguin waiter named Pitter Patter. Some of her past adventures have included being dragged into a lake during a fishing expedition, becoming a mad scientist while inventing the Printable Brain and meeting guitarist Dave Navarro from the band Jane’s Addiction. Curls updates twice a week at:
JMH: What other projects are you currently working on at now?
CAROLYN: Right now I am working on a scary storyline for Curls involving a mysterious creature of the dark named MASER. I am also working on a Christmas story for Black Magic Tales involving career criminals Roxy Monroe and Dean Casanova. In addition, we are preparing for the upcoming fall conventions.
JMH: What future projects do you have in the works?
CAROLYN: I have three commissions and a pin-up for an upcoming creator-owned project lined up. In the future, Curls Studio is planning on completing Kid Roxy #3 in 2012. We also hope to have more stories for The Legettes and hope to publish the Sketch Before Sleep book shortly. It would be great to have a new anthology in 2012. The first anthology we did, called Carnival, was released in 2010 and featured work by Kenneth Rocafort (Action Comics, Madame Mirage), Rafael Navarro (Sonambulo), Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm), Jim Coon (Last Dollar Comics) and others. Carnival Anthology is available for purchase at:
http://curls-studio.com/carnival.html
JMH: Do you have any words for aspiring artists?
CAROLYN: I would encourage aspiring artists to draw everyday and carry a sketchbook with them at all times. Write down any creative ideas you have because even if you don’t use them immediately, you can come back to them later. Pin-ups and covers are great, but it also helps to showcase sequential art. So also think about storytelling in addition to being able to draw well. I would also advise aspiring artists to study backgrounds and atmosphere. This is something I am currently studying to give my art more definition and feature places in addition to characters. The most important thing is to draw everyday. It’s like working out. Work out the drawing muscle.
JMH: CBI appreciates your time. ALL the best.
CAROLYN: Thanks to Comic Book Interviews for this opportunity. I really appreciate the work you do to give creators more visibility. I hope everyone checks out curls-studio.com to see what we are making for the world.
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About the interviewer –
John Michael Helmer is the Publisher and CEO of Red Leaf Media, LLC. Red Leaf Media operates: www.ComicBookInterviews.com & www.RedLeafComics.com.
John’s creator-owned properties include: The Leaf, Canada’s Greatest Hero, Sky Watcher, G.I.s versus Zombies, The Armor Guardians, The Huskie, Dune, Master Spy!, and many others.
John can be reached at: jhelmer@comicbookinterviews.com and redleafcomics@gmail.com
