Society of Drawn Weapons

A secret society of cartoonists and illustrators based in Providence, Rhode Island.

[societyofdrawnweapons]

Book of Hours is the second publication by The Society of Drawn Weapons, featuring new comics and illustrations about rites and rituals by almost thirty young artists. In this issue, we present to you horror, tragedy, and raging fury – counterbalanced always with lightheartedness and goodwill, and maybe a demon or two. For an optimal reading experience, wait until the dead of night and light a single candle. Copies are now available here.

(Above: Bestiary by @noveltysockdragon)

[societyofdrawnweapons]

Hey everyone! We are bursting with excitement to announce the official release of our second issue. In this issue, we present comics and illustrations from nearly thirty young artists about rituals (the occult sort and otherwise), taking visual cues from medieval illuminated manuscripts. 

Copies are available for purchase on our BigCartel shop!

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Our new icon! A fresh update to our insignia courtesy of @noveltysockdragon -keeping with our medieval theme for Issue 2.

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occult rituals at art school be like...

spots by @tender-tender for issue 2~

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Issue 2: Rites and Rituals makes its debut this weekend! Find us at RISD Unbound!

[societyofdrawnweapons]

Our second issue is here at last! This issue, heavily inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts, features comics and illustrations about rites and rituals by almost thirty artists. Grab a copy at Unbound 2018 Art Book Fair this Saturday or order one on our Bigcartel next week! 👁👁👁

[societyofdrawnweapons]

WHAT IS A “BOOK OF HOURS”?

We’ve been receiving a few questions about the theme of our upcoming anthology, so here’s a little historical context about Books of Hours that may be helpful in coming up with ideas for submissions:

Books of hours were a special type of illuminated manuscript possessed by citizens of elite upper-class Europe containing a set of prayers to be recited at several specific times (or “hours”) each day.  One of the coolest parts of these books, of course, were the intricate and often humorous illustrations that accompanied these prayers, depicting mostly religious imagery.  These books were painstakingly hand-crafted by monks, who seem to have possessed a pretty twisted sense of humor.  In between lovingly-detailed miniature paintings of, say, the Virgin Mary or Saint Michael, one might discover a drawing of, like, a guy sticking a finger in his butt, or a tree that grows giant penises.  Take note as well the paintings of demons eating children, which there seem to be a lot of.  Just amazing!

We welcome all styles and subject matter in our anthology, but if you’re looking for some inspiration, or just a good laugh, here are a few of my favorite pages I had saved on my computer and a link to Catherine of Cleves’ book of hours, scanned in its entirety!

[zine-scene]

BOOK OF HOURS: A Collection of Rites and Rituals

The Society of Drawn Weapons. Strange rituals, coded messages, and secret meetings under the cover of darkness – hallmarks of any decent secret society. What defines this particular group, however, is a shared devotion to the craft…the craft of making comics.

We are back and spookier than ever! This spring, we will be launching our second anthology publication and we are officially on the hunt for submissions. Please submit comics and illustrations about RITUALS, the occult sort or otherwise. Here are some guidelines for submissions: 👁 Please email high resolution, black and white images in 6x9” format to [email protected]. 👁 All styles and genres are welcome, but explicit gore/sexual content will not be accepted. 👁 If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] 👁 Submission deadline: JANUARY 20TH! The anthology will be printed in perfect-bound, trade paperback book format. Each contributor is entitled to receive one comp copy. For sample images of our previous publication, check out our tumblr @societyofdrawnweapons!  Upon publication, copies will be sold to the public (pricing TBD) – HOWEVER, this is only with the intention of making up printing costs. In the event of a profit, a group decision will be made as to what should be done with it (perhaps a charity donation). This society is, of course, to be regarded with the utmost secrecy – but also please help us spread the word and pass this on to anyone who makes comics and may be interested in submitting work ! ! ! 

[societyofdrawnweapons]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!!!!!

The Society of Drawn Weapons is back and spookier than ever!! This spring, we will be launching our second anthology publication, Book of Hours: A Collection of Rites and Rituals. Please submit comics and illustrations about RITUALS, the occult sort or otherwise. Here are some guidelines for submissions: 👁 Please email high resolution, black and white images in 6x9” format to [email protected]. 👁 All styles and genres are welcome, but explicit gore/sexual content will not be accepted. 👁 If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] 👁 Submission deadline: JANUARY 20TH! The anthology will be printed through a company in Georgia called Booklogix in perfect-bound, trade paperback book format. Each contributor is entitled to receive one comp copy. For sample images of our previous publication, please follow the link at the bottom of this description box. Upon publication, copies will be sold to the public (pricing TBD) – HOWEVER, this is only with the intention of making up printing costs. In the event of a profit, a group decision will be made as to what should be done with it (perhaps a charity donation). This society is, of course, to be regarded with the utmost secrecy – but also please INVITE anyone and everyone who makes comics and may be interested in submitting work ! ! ! You can find us on facebook @drawnweapons . 

[theyounghag]

here’s a /scary/ comic i did for an anthology my friends put together. it’s available here, and there’s tons of other amazing work by my buddies. check it out!

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Here’s a very incredible and very intense new comic by @clooro featured in our first issue! Check it out and give her a follow!

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Another secret sticker design from our new sticker packs.

Get it here

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*~ NEW STICKER DESIGNS ~*

Find one of these in our assorted sticker packs, available on our Bigcartel!

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Holding a ritual for the new book. [x]

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Our BigCartel store is officially open for business! Come on and snag some books and sticker packs >:)

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Pop-up shop tomorrow at RISD Craft! We’ll be selling limited-edition sticker packs to celebrate our book release :-)

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Our first anthology, Keep This a Secret!, is officially available for purchase! The book features a ton of new work from eighteen cartoonists and illustrators at Rhode Island School of Design. 

Copies are available for $12 each ($10 for the book + $2 shipping and handling) and 10% of proceeds will go towards Puerto Rico hurricane relief. You can order a copy here.

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TELUM EST ARTIS / ART IS THE WEAPON.