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panlives Inner circle 2087 Posts |
Hi All,
When performing the Cups & Balls, what is your favorite/preferred color mix? Please comment on all elements, such as close-up pad, cup, ball, final load, drawstring sack – perhaps even your choice of clothing. I am enjoying a casino-green pad from Pattrick, Donnie Buckley’s fantastic Classic Cups (Aluminum, Satin Finish), Donnie’s Parakeet balls, final load yellow smiley face balls I picked up at a dollar store and a red faux felt drawstring sack. Clothes – all black. And you?
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." "The dog did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes. |
Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
Red close up mat
Johnson brass or Owen copper cups black or dark attire: dark sport jacket and black shirt off white color balls three limes and a small lemon or orange small wooden wand by Levit |
afinemesh Inner circle Senseless gibberish that amounts to 2621 Posts |
Black close-up mat
Wand I made at home from a 1/2in. dowel (black with white tips) Old set of Paul Fox cups I got used for 20.00 Dark green 1in. mesh balls. Two different "hackysac" balls, a juggler's ball, and a multi-colored rubber ball. Levi's and a Hawaiian shirt! J.
"I've always been mental, I'm sure of it" Boris Pocus
"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny". . .Bruce Springsteen |
Mark Ross Loyal user Batavia, NY 236 Posts |
Burgundy mat from Pattrick
Mendoza satin copper cups RNT 2 parakeet blue balls tomato, turnip and potato as final load (Ammar Fab Fruit) Moonlight Bloodwood/Ebony-tipped wand most often a grey suit Mark |
panlives Inner circle 2087 Posts |
How silly of me to have omitted the wand!
My current passion is a Lignum Vitae Magician's Street Wand, from Alivan’s. Quote:
On 2010-09-16 14:40, Mark Ross wrote: Wow! What a mental picture! These colors really splash the canvass!
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." "The dog did nothing in the night-time." "That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes. |
afinemesh Inner circle Senseless gibberish that amounts to 2621 Posts |
It's not my favorite color contrast, it's simply the only one I have
"I've always been mental, I'm sure of it" Boris Pocus
"Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny". . .Bruce Springsteen |
Bapu Regular user with a paltry 161 Posts |
I think this black/white combo is classy, and timeless:
BLACK TUX w/ white pocket handkerchief BLACK PAD SILVER COLORED CUPS RED CROCHET BALLS matching LARGE RED CROCHET BALLS for load BLACK VELVET SACK with red or white cord SIMPLE BLACK WAND WITH WHITE TIPS The idea is simple. It is a basic three color scheme, to wit: black, white and red. Black and white are basically neutral while the red provides punch. More than three colors are visually distracting. The black tux and pad visually blend to provide a backdrop for the performance. They form a visual sweep, or "mini stage" if you will, for the small drama that is unfolding in front of you. Needless to say, the tux, handkerchief, and pad should be clean, pressed and lint free. The contrasting red balls (which look smashing against the black) keep the attention focused where it should be...on the balls. The load balls are identical except for size. The change in size is astonishing enough in my opinion. A color or texture change is not necessary. Silver colored cups are basically neutral in this scheme. Anything else introduces an unnecessary fourth color. If a wand is used, a simple black one with white tips is enough. The performance is about the balls after all, not the wand. However, regarding the final loads, I think oranges or tangerines look great even though they violate my three color principal. Both look good against the black, and for some reason I just find them appealing. Maybe because they don't look like "props" and you can toss them out to the spectators to enjoy. Finally, <a href="http://www.coolbikerstuff.com/clothing/tanktops/crownroyalbikinib.jpg" target="_blank">Crown Royal bags</a> make great looking containers for all sorts of things, so maybe you don't need to make a special one for your gear.
Bapu practices law and conjuring in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
Black and white are neutral, as you mention, and actually should not be counted as "colors" per se. However, the red balls are really good in this situation.
Metallic colors, when they are part of the metal, and not painted on the props, are basically neutral as well, as are wood tones. Still, it is much better theatrically to keep the colors to a minimum. I wouldn't use a black wand in this context. It will blend in with the close-up mat.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Bapu Regular user with a paltry 161 Posts |
I believe that, within the context of "panlives" original question, we can consider both black and white to be colors, since there are "perceived" to be so. Hence black, white, and red are the components of this three "color" scheme.
I think that "silver" cups work better with the scheme than do "bronze". But white cups would do nicely too. As for the black and white wand, I think it goes well with the tux, etc. A glossy black wand should not blend in with a felt or velvet mat due to the textural difference. But honestly, considering the purpose of the wand, I wouldn't care if it did. Now that we have beat that to death, I would like to add that the color scheme thing is completely relative anyway. So much depends on context. My suggested color scheme would look good in many venues, but would be just plain boring in others such as a carnival sideshow, or a steampunk event. I was so eager to post my suggestion I only skimmed "panlives" description of his setup. I just now re-read it and realized that I didn't really know what "Donnie Buckley’s fantastic Classic Cups and Parakeet balls" were. So I googled 'em, and got led back to a post on this site (of course!) and saw a set (http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=355052&forum=115&36). My God, they're gorgeous! I bet they look super against the soft green of the Pattricks mat. I'm just not sure about those smiley face tennis balls though. Your cups and balls are so chic looking. Do the tennis balls go with that look? Here I must humbly defer to the learned Mr. Palmer, who has infinitely more experience in these realms than I. What say you Mr. Palmer, if you're still following this thread, what final load would you suggest for "panlives" most elegant cups and balls setup?
Bapu practices law and conjuring in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.
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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
I've already posted about this at least a half dozen times. It's a fairly frequent topic.
It's unfortunate that the search function has been disabled, because there is a lot of great information about color combinations. The whole thing is a matter of performing context. Tennis balls are, by their almost universal nature, an excellent load. I don't normally use them, because they are too light for my setup. I require a fairly heavy load ball. Once the loads make their appearance, the small balls should be off the table. At the point that the last small ball leaves, from a color standpoint, you can substitute another color. From a theatrical standpoint you can substitute another color, as well. However, contextually, your colors should be chosen, IMHO, for visibility if for no other reason. The most visible color contrasts are black and yellow. This is one of the reasons that schoolbuses are almost always yellow with black lettering. Black and white are the second strongest sets of contrasts, with red and black being roughly the third one. For my chop cup routine, I use yellow balls, and I normally perform with a black close-up mat. I'm usually wearing black for this kind of performance, so it's a good color scheme. The final loads are a red billiard ball, a cue ball and an eight ball. Because of its size, the red billiard ball produces a very strong reaction of surprise. For a three cup routine, I use red balls which are the third best visual contrast. I have a set of load balls that are a matching red crochet. As far as panlives' choice of load balls, I would not find them a problem at all. People know the Smiley face. Some people think it is corny. If it's handled right, it can add an unexpected layer of humor to the routine. When I perform for the kids at the hospitals, if I don't do the chop cup routine I alluded to earlier, I use a smaller cup and produce two Smiley face balls at the end of the routine. It always brings a smile to their faces, and for me, bringing cheer to the kids in those situations is the most important part of all of it. If any performer considers himself too elegant to have humor of some sort in his act, I would really find watching him to be quite tedious.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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