A well done fan, a simple spring - even a ribbon spread and turn over - can be incredibly "magical" moments for real people. Excellent point and very true. I started doing the Houdin Shrinking Fan and then the vanishing pips last year. We all know it, but to real people, it's a jaw dropper.
As to Sybil cuts. I learned from Kenner's book way back when. Did it (5 faces) very slowly and got good reactions when I would demo it. Then I saw one of the "flourish guys" do his sybil thing at a convention. (I won't say his name, but he is not associated with this forum.) He was doing it SO fast it really looked like he was just lifting up one packet and wiggling it up and down. You could not tell what he was doing and I left thinking - idiot. I am sure he spent hours getting it that fast, but the end result was worthless.
People enjoy seeing anything done well. But there is an art to it - an aesthetic. Japanese calligraphy can be very simple. But it is the sheer artistry in the single stroke that makes it beautiful. Far better to do a simple thing with beauty than a hard thing with nothing.
Brad Henderson
As to Sybil cuts. I learned from Kenner's book way back when. Did it (5 faces) very slowly and got good reactions when I would demo it. Then I saw one of the "flourish guys" do his sybil thing at a convention. (I won't say his name, but he is not associated with this forum.) He was doing it SO fast it really looked like he was just lifting up one packet and wiggling it up and down. You could not tell what he was doing and I left thinking - idiot. I am sure he spent hours getting it that fast, but the end result was worthless.
People enjoy seeing anything done well. But there is an art to it - an aesthetic. Japanese calligraphy can be very simple. But it is the sheer artistry in the single stroke that makes it beautiful. Far better to do a simple thing with beauty than a hard thing with nothing.
Brad Henderson