Quarantine Warding Contest
Hey all. The world is pretty weird these days. Some of us, particularly those with small children and/or jobs that have ramped up due to the pandemic, are busier than ever. Others, due to a loss of business or isolating alone, have more time on their hands than they know what to do with.
All of us need to let off a little steam, and want to feel safer in a time of uncertainty.
In the Demon Cycle, humans find safety and defense in wards, the magical symbols that protect against demonkind, and offer a way to fight back against a threat that seems unbeatable.
So let’s ward some stuff. The contest is simple:
Step 1: Ward something. Anything. You can use as many or as few of the symbols as you like. You can draw the wards yourself or use the digital files. You can also carve, etch, paint, tattoo, brand, stencil, cut, silkscreen, henna, airbrush, etc. Any medium. Any object.
I don’t want to overtax anyone, so the bar is low. You can draw an impact ward on your hand with a sharpie, sew a wind ward onto your face mask, make one out of Play Doh during kiddie art time, incorporate them into a piece of fan art or cosplay, whatever. Work with what you’ve got and have fun with it.
Step 2: Send a picture of said warded thing to contest@www.petervbrett.com, along with a comment on your favorite Demon Cycle moment, scene or character.
Step 3: I’ll repost pictures on social media so everyone can enjoy them, and tell you you’re awesome.
Step 4: Prizes! Normally these consist of signed books or other goodies, but with the NYC postal system overtaxed and the post offices vectors for contagion, I’ve decided to keep the rewards digital this time.
I’ve commissioned several drawings from the amazing Dominik Broniek, who has been illustrating Demon Cycle books with me since the beginning—first with the Polish editions, then with the Barren novella and the Painted Man 10th Anniversary Special Edition. With much of publishing on hold, assignments have slowed, so this has the added benefit of giving business to an artist who has been a huge support to me over the years.
Every Friday, starting this week on April 10, I will pick a winner from the total pool of entries, and have Dominik illustrate the scene you chose, including at least one in the likeness of the winner (more details to come). I’ll post it in hires on social media so everyone can enjoy it.
Contest will continue until something approaching normalcy returns to our lives.
You can find the official grimoire of wards (designed by Lauren K. Cannon) in downloadable hires images, along with descriptions, in this facebook album.
If you don’t use facebook, you can also find hires images here on my site.
Good luck and stay safe.
