SPS Magic

Sketch-O-Magic Routine
By Dave Mayer
The Sketch Book has transformed the age-old coloring book routine for me. It has taken the ordinary coloring book routine that every childrens performer is doing and put it into the "adult head turner" miracle class. Quite often in a family setting, adults will come up and ask me to divulge the secret: "How do you do that?"
To reveal the selected picture in a prediction envelope is good. But, I wanted to do a routine where the audience apparently selected the composite picture of a kid who calls himself "Robin Hood" (Sketch-O-Magic II) and then colors it magically with a personal message from "Robin Hood" using the participant girl's name as her take-home gift.
The props needed are: The Sketch Book, a coloring book, and the color changing scarf from black to multi-colors. Also needed, is some way of showing an 8 1/2 x 11 paper blank and later revealing it fully colored with a duplicate autographed picture of Robin Hood (or Little Joe the Beanie Kid, if using the original Sketch-O-Magic)and personalized with the participant girl's name.
I personally use a prop called "Two-Faced", a nice cardboard picture frame that works like a Himber wallet enabling you to show a blank paper and later reveal the chosen colored autographed picture.
To do this you will need to duplicate copies of your "forced picture" in the vertical format. This is easliy done by cutting out the boy and pasting it on blank paper. Below write in blue felt tip pen a personal message, ie: 
To My Special Friend
with Magical Good Cheer,
Robin Hood
At the venue meet several kids before the show begins. Remember one girl's name. Get the spelling right and go back to your table and write this girl's name just after the word "Friend" (where you have left enough space) with the same blue pen! Should you not have time to meet someone before the show, simply use her name anyway when you read the personal greeting to the girl at the magical moment. To the rest of the audience it will sound personalized. (Magicians stretch the truth alot!)
To outline the plot of the routine, invite a boy and the "chosen" girl on stage. Be sure and get the right girl!
1. Ask her if she would be a "friend" to the kid who is lonely and new in town? You have his picture here but when you open the frame you are horrified to discover a blank piece of paper. As you close the cardboard frame, place it in a 9x12 envelope reversed. "That's okay, perhaps we can paint a picture of a boy who also needs a friend using my sketch book of kids who have helped me in my shows."
2. Introduce the sketch book. Force the picture. Place it in view with open book so everyone can see.
3. Do your favorite painting routine with the coloring book, color changing scarf, Sammy's vanishing crayons, etc. Show coloring book colored!
4.Take "two-face" out of envelope girl is holding. Tell how you wanted to color a picture of this kid three people in the audience have chosen so that (say the girl's name) could take it home. But obviously that would be a miracle no one could perform!Impossible! You'd be embarrassed to show the smear of color on this picture that would make no sense to anyone. (In the course of talking you let a flap on the cover of the picture swing open enough so that a few see color and a glimpse of the picture.) You turn away to put it down, too embarrassed to show it. The kids in the audience errupt in bedlam: "No! Show it!" they scream.
5.When you reveal the picture, you read the personal note including the girl's name, from Robin Hood and the audience says: "Ooooooo and Ahhhhh."
Note: At birthday parties I reveal a second pictrure underneath Robin Hood that is a "Happy Birthday" picture with a birthday cake, a picture of my rabbit and me featuring the birthday child's name in big letters.
I guarantee both pictures are stunners for everyone!

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