Drawing duplication usually depends on one of the following methods:
• Secretly peeking the object drawn
• Forcing the object to be drawn
• Pre-show work to obtain the object to be drawn
Christopher Rawlins has created a method that does not depend on any of the 3 methods mentioned. This would make drawing duplication look like real magic.
It does! Simply watch the performance in the trailer.
In effect, a spectator is asked to draw a simple, yet definite object – it can really be any object at all. She draws on a blank piece of business-card provided by the performer. She then folds the card into quarters, hiding the drawing inside. There is absolutely no way the performer can see what has been drawn on the card. The performer takes a blank business-card himself and draws on it. It is then buried in the middle of a stack of blank business-cards. The stack is held for safekeeping by the spectator. The performer unfolds the spectator’s card and sees the object drawn. Without any funny moves, the stack of business cards is taken from the spectator and spread. Somewhere in the center of the stack is a card drawn by the performer earlier. It has a close resemblance to the drawing made by the spectator!
Obviously, if there are no restrictions at all to the object to be drawn, then there must be outs and there cannot be a hundred percent direct hit every-time. Surely, the method itself cannot be simple and must require heavy memorization. This last statement is not correct while the first statement is true.
Chris Rawlins has come out with an interesting method which does not require you to memorise anything, and it is easy to perform. The interesting thing about Chris’ method is that it grows on your performances. Every time you perform I.D.D., you get to refine and customize your own gimmick/method.
What you receive is a DVD, with no props.
In the DVD, Chris describes the props you need. You require a stack of blank business-cards, and Chris will tell you how to prepare the cards. You also need marker-pens and how to prepare one of them. Once prepared, the props can be reused in every performance. There will be no need to construct new props each time you perform I.D.D., unless you refine and customize your method.
Included in the DVD is a pdf file giving you a 26-page written instructions of I.D.D. Here Chris goes into more details in preparing and performing the effect.
Not included in the pdf instructions (but provided in the DVD) is a discussion by Luke Jermay on his thoughts of performing I.D.D. By using index-cards instead of business-cards, the effect can be performed on stage, involving about 10 spectators. Luke also provides a different premise for performing I.D.D. Instead of drawing duplication, it can be presented as a psychic demonstration.
Many performers will shy away from effects that end up near-miss, for they require convincing presentations to pull it through. I.D.D. is recommended, even for these performers, because:
• The effect is ultra-clean. Those near-misses are covered very well by the clever method developed by Chris. At times, the duplication can be strikingly close to the original drawing. You can increase the possibility of this happening by refining the method yourself.
• Easy to perform – no memorizing, and no new props to prepare for each performance.
• Affordable – $10 is a very small investment for an important work that took Chris years to develop. (9/10 star rating.)