Special Effects Drawing Board by Axtell

This board appears to look just like the Magic Drawing Board, but it functions entirely different. It was created for magicians who owned the Magic Drawing Board and wanted even more visual miracles, so presto, the SPECIAL EFFECTS DRAWING BOARD was born! Imagine drawing a hat, and a rabbit comes up slow or fast under your control! Then after the effect, you erase the whole picture - leaving you clean!

The Special Effects board can be opened to change the gimmick and produce your own custom tricks! With the four gimmicks we send you, you can do any of these routines:

We'll send you:
The SPECIAL EFFECTS BOARD
4 pre-made gimmicks (Card, Rabbit, Dino and Monster),
2 Expo2 Dry Erase Markers
Black wipe cloth
Fabric carry case
and illustrated instructions (which include Ed Harris trick drawing ideas
and David Ginn's blooming flower routine!).

IDEAS FOR F/X BOARD - Bill Jackson

1. You could use if for a kind of Forgetful Freddie routine. You erase one head and later it grows back. I thought of using this in a Library/Reading type program. In the same vein, you could do the "King Kong" routine by David Ginn.

2. For Halloween you could draw a haunted house and have a ghost appear in the window. You could play it like "Run Rabbit Run" or the Blooming Bouquet, where you don't see it.

3. You could present a "Sub trunk" routine. Draw the locked trunk silly assistant on top. Swipe the eraser and up appears Houdini. Maybe you could have a cut out of the assistant hooked on your back (since she can't be found in the trunk).

4. Use it to fill or "drink" a glass of juice or coffee.

How to use the Magic Drawing Board in the same show with the Special Effects Drawing Board....

From: Neale Bacon <nealeb@unix.dsoe.com>

Idea: Start with Magic Board and draw a picture of the one grumpy guy who always spoils the show by saying you can't do it right etc. He then comes to life and gives you a hard time. You then fool him by doing a card trick using the SFX board. Keep switching back and forth between board and make it a running gag.

AxNote - Cool idea using both boards at the same time. If you really want to develop this skill, you can do what other customers have done...order one Left Handed and one Right Handed!

From: Steve Axtell

Idea: Start by drawing a space ship on the SFX board and an alien keeps popping his head up, but you don't see him! The kids will be screaming. You erase the space ship and put the board away, but you keep talking to the screaming kids. What did he look like?  Big eyes? Big head? Let's draw a picture of him. Let me get the drawing board again. (Get the Magic Drawing board this time) you draw his head as the kids describe him. Then let him start looking around the room and finally he talks to you! You could have fun and learn scientific facts about a real planet from the routine. 

Bruce Hallam (The Plaster Pastor)

As I said before every plaster cast has their own story to tell (over 300 of them). Tommy Turtle tells about the advantages of being patience in growing up. Pony Tails shares about the value of friendships. Lazy Dog about the importance of the decisions we don't make and their lasting effect and The Unicorn Twins have a little story about obedience and the truth. In this story the unicorns bounce in and out of the trees and converse with a young girl who has ran away from home and lost her way after disobeying Mum. Your boards will make this story and many others really come alive.

The Plaster Pastor (Bruce Hallam)

I run a Christian based Mobile Plaster and Craft fun centre at markets, fairs and shows as an outreach downunder in Oz. I can make my plaster models come alive with the use of these boards with characters like Tommy Turtle, Pony Tails, Lazy Dog all sharing their own stories.

AxNote - Now that's what I call breaking out of the mold!

From: GHall57460@aol.com

Each year I have the privilege of teaching several Junior Missionary Conferences. These would be fun to challenge the children to be future missionaries.

AxNote - You could draw faces of different nationalities from around the world - changing accents as you erase and add costuming from one nation to another. Or...as you change the character - have it sing a song and change the language as you change nationalities. "Yes Jesus loves me...Si Christo..mi ama...." etc.

Kerry Williams

Great attention grabbers.. The special effects board could be used to get the attention as the routine unfolds with the magic drawing board. The special effects board could keep the attention by interrupting as you are preforming the drawing board to instruct the lesson or reinforces the lesson. Could you use the special effects board as a way to have the audience participate as to when to laugh or applause!? possible!

AxNote - Sure! A great way to warm up a crowd is by drawing the words "NO APPLAUSE" or "NO LAUGHING" on the SFX board in front of the audience. Since the Special Effects Board can be customized - you can open the Board and put a gimmick in it with the word "NO" on it. In the performance you say something like..."In today's show there will be times to laugh and times NOT to laugh, and times to applaud, and times NOT to applaud. It's easy to pretend to draw the word "no" because it's a small word and easily covered by your hand holding the marker...then you do actually write the word "applause" or "laughing" below it. (The audience thinks you've just written BOTH WORDS on the board). Then when you are not looking pull the word "NO" down so all that remains is the word "applause" or "laughing". The jokers in the audience will start it off and soon everyone will join in either laughing or applauding whenever the word "NO" disappears!  You can have a lot of fun with ideas like this.

Maggie Murray

I would use both boards in teaching the 6 Pilars of Character Counts to schools, churches and other groups interested in Character Counts. I'd draw a pilar on one board which would tell the audience what the Pilar of the month was, and the second special effects board would periodically pop up the Pilar (word: respect) every now and then to get everyone's attention.

AxNote - What are the 6 Pilars?

1. Caring 2. Citizenship 3. Fairness 4. Respect 5. Responsibility 6. Trustworthiness

Sometimes I draw a pilar with the word above the pilar, and sometimes I draw a boy or a girl...the Special Effects board would be fun to have as a companion board. I met Michael Josephson, the man who created Character Counts and my boss is also one of the big sponsors for Character Counts - He's Senator Pete Domenici...you might say, I'm a moonlighting congressional aide who talks for two! Maybe three?

I might add that Shari Lewis is also on our list of supporters...so this is really a great program and I'm very proud to be a part of it. (also Barney, Tom Selleck, and Colin Powell)

From: "ACTS 17:17/EAGLE P'CRAFT" <hallam@zip.com.au>

I run a Christian based Mobile Plaster and Craft fun centre at markets, fairs and shows as an outreach downunder in Oz. I would use both boards to promote gospel stories and our product range in fun ways.

Steve: I actually have one magic board already and I'm a big hit in Santa Fe - this is a wonderful, wonderful item!!! I was inducted as an Honorary Member of one of the local Rotary Clubs because of my work with the Magic Board and Character Counts! Thanks again - Without this wonderful board, I don't think I would have been inducted - in fact, I accused them of wanting to induct the board and not me!!

AxNote - Hey in Rotary you may become Chairman of the Board!

From: GHall57460@aol.com

I would use the boards along with my friend in teaching Bible Lessons to the children in many, many classes and also to the adults!

AxNote - Ahh...Being presented by 2 performers at the same time could be interesting!

Carl "Will Rejoice" *¿*

Take the SFX board to your next business meeting. You draw a graph showing projected sales figures, and the figures keep going UP when your not looking. Then draw a picture of your new product, which comes alive and talks about itself

AxNote - Yup! And the sale graph can come down again to illustrate what happens when the salesmen aren't doing their jobs!

Dianna Hale

I would use these boards with my puppet shows and clown ministry. I would draw a clown face, have child use colored silks to color nose, and collar and then have then make it animated.

AxNote - Dianna, sounds interesting.  Tell us more about how you would do this.

From: "Joseph A. Owens" <vwidiot@dimensional.com>

I would use them to make a snake dance out of a basket (yes I can play a recorder with one hand)

AxNote - Cool Joe! Can you blow it with one lip?  The Special Effects board can make the snake rise up from your hand drawn basket. Could you incorporate the Magic Drawing Board in this routine? Perhaps draw a Hindu type character with a turban or a close up of the snake and make it talk or hiss?

Carl "Will Rejoice" *¿*

Christmas Idea: In my program, "The search for the perfect Christmas tree." We are looking for the perfect Christmas tree (good idea and it goes with the title Ü). I draw a picture of the tree I want and the tree comes to life (a la the Magic Drawing Board). At the end of the program I bring the same picture of the tree out (but on the SFX Board) and realize that I forgot to draw a tree topper. My assistant "magically" produces a real tree topper, while I "magically" produce the drawn tree topper. And of course before the program started we would use the ungimmicked board to write down the names of all the good boys and girls (BOTH OF THEM Ü).

AxNote - Thanks for sharing your tested routine!

From: GHall57460@aol.com

I would use these boards to teach a number of Bible Lessons in my Teacher Training Classes and to the boys and girls!

AxNote - There are some good Gospel ideas on our Magic Drawing Board Idea page to read about.

Name: Daniel Jay

Idea : I would use the Special Effects Drawing board first to produce a forced card. Then switch after a short routine, to the Magic Drawing Board and draw a picture of a magician that produced the card. Wella, he comes to life!!

AxNote - Great idea! This really incorporates both boards in a show. You can also use the Ungimmicked board in the show by passing it around to have people draw on it in the crowd. They can examine it.

From: Scott Stark <scostark@dns1.famvid.com>

I would use both together having the drawing board character perform a magic trick by using the other board. How cool would it be to transport the drawing board character into the magic board or vice versa. Now that would be cool.

AxNote - A cool way to transport it is with the wipecloth. After you talk with the guy on the MDB, you erase him and he ends up in the cloth. You can still talk with the cloth while you put the board away. Just wiggle your finger inside the cloth an it will animate while it speaks. Then grab the sfx board and draw something like a house with a window. You can flick the cloth at that drawn house and up pops the character in the window!  Play a little "look but don't see" and you have a great finish!

From: "Patricia Robinson" <patdave@c3net.net>

I would use Board buddy for the holidays , at Christmas he would be a Tree, sing and talking to the kids. Then have one of the kids draw a face, and then you make it come to life. patdave@c3net.net

AxNote - What is "Board Buddy"? Is that a name you've given it?  Cute!

Jim Moon - moon@innerx.net

I perform Run-Run Rabbit with a lot of by-play in Reggie the Rabbit sneaking over to see his girl friend LuLu Belle next door. When Reggie finally disappears I look all over the place but cannot find him. I then use the SFX board to begin the next “illusion” but Reggie is already there in the hat peeking out as the kids start yelling and screaming that they see him but I don’t until the finish of course.

AxNote - Jim thanks for sharing your routine with us. You could end by drawing his big rabbit face on the Magic Drawing Board and talking with him. (Watch his buck teeth though!)

I have owned this (SFX Board) for about a year and just starting experimenting with it and have come up with a funny quick routine that lasts about 10 minutes, what is great about this act is if your audiences know the talking board, which they do in my act, when I draw something totally different, it catches them off guard and keeps them wondering what is going to happen, I will share with you my routine, with it I use a trick I got from fellow Atlantan David Ginn, the magician, he sells this great $15 routine called Hocus Pocus Hare, it is a picture that with different twists of the picture frame, the rabbit disappears, I then go into the drawing board and try to make the rabbit appear, nothing happens from my side, however without knowing, the rabbit goes up and down, I do a skit with the audience and board that just kills, after this act, it enables me to go into my hand
rabbit routine that just brings the house down, so if you have this board, use it, with a bit of imagination, it will be another great routine to add to your show
which in turns means more money.

Bob Abdou/Mr.Puppet

www.mrpuppet.com