Last month, Magic: The Gathering’s Secret Lair celebrated its fourth ‘Secretversary’ and among the combinations of more than a half dozen drops is a very special set of cards, wrapped up nicely with a bow. Gift-Wrapped by Jesse LeDoux takes the spirit of five different Magic cards and distills them down into their purest essence – reimagining their ethos into gift wrap that’s just in time for the holidays. I had to know more, and was able to catch up with the artist to see exactly how these new artworks came together.
Introduction
Donny Caltrider: Who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?
Image: Jesse LeDoux on Wescover
Jesse LeDoux: My name is Jesse LeDoux. I grew up in Portland, OR. Then I moved to Seattle. I spent a few years in Providence, RI, then a year in Tokyo, and I’m now back in Seattle. I do a lot of things, but drawing pictures is probably the one you’re most interested in.
DC: You nailed it, but first let’s start with the name of your site, LeDouxville. Where did it come from?
JL: I like the escapist quality of creating worlds. It’s a way of finding personal joy and meaning from within. So when I needed a working name for my business, it made sense to approach it like I was creating my own little world. Take my last name and tack on ‘ville’ which is a common suffix for a place, and you have LeDouxville.
DC: I dig it. How did you begin your art career?
JL: Despite drawing all through my childhood, I abandoned it for a few years when I went away to college. There, I was deep into the music scene going on at the time. That led to me designing record covers and posters for local Seattle bands. As my work grew, I began drawing again and incorporating more and more illustration into my design work to the point where I was doing more art and illustration work than design.
DC: Before Magic, are there any other projects have you worked on we might recognize (you Grammy nominee, you)?
JL: The Shins “Chutes too Narrow” album art is probably the one. I’ve done a lot of work for Starbucks, including the holiday cups a few years back. I had even seen those a half year later, crumpled up and lying alongside the road. There is a mural in the Louvre that I did in 2018. And some animations for the kids show Yo Gabba Gabba. I love working on a wide variety of projects. I’m a very curious person and it’s always fun to learn about a new process, industry, or subculture.
DC: A wide-variety indeed! And what a fit you’ve become for Magic; let’s get right into that next!
Secret Lair- Gift Wrapped
DC: The Gift-Wrapped Secret Lair is unlike anything we’ve ever seen on a Magic card. Take us through your process.
JL: The work is composed of two primary components: the shapes and the linework. For the shapes, there is a limited amount of shapes I allow myself to use–squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, half & quarter circles, arches, and half arches. Those are created very improvisationally; trying to create a balance and rhythm to the composition. Once those are finished, the linework goes down. I attempt to embed meaning about each specific card’s traits into every element in the art. The result is a structured yet loose image, full of meaning and purpose, but at a glance appears rather abstract.
DC: Did Art Director Jacob Covey give any specific direction, or did they want you to run wild in this style?
JL: Jacob actually gave me a specific direction TO run wild in this style! My work can go in several directions. He specifically noted this direction because of its ability to be crammed with meaning. Plus, it really looks nothing like a traditional Magic card and we wanted to push the boundaries of what a Magic card can look like.
DC: What’s something we wouldn’t know just by looking at these cards?
JL: Even though they look nothing alike, the art on traditional Magic cards was actually a huge inspiration when I was creating these.
DC: Were there any particular challenges or triumphs you’d like to share?
JL: Getting the colors right proved to be a bit tricky. I wanted each card to be immediately recognizable as a specific color. Yet I also wanted to make sure the shapes that make up the composition were distinct from each other. This meant finding colors that worked well with the “card color” yet had enough contrast to be unique.
DC: Before we go – what would you wrap up inside each of these this holiday season?
JL: It would be SO FUN for this art to become a series of full-blown gift wrap. Imagine a pile of gifts, all wrapped in each of these images… colorful, yet with the black linework unifying them all. To any gift wrap art directors out there reading this, hit me up!
Wrapping Up
DC: How does it feel to be an official Magic artist?
JL: Pretty surreal, to be honest! Magic is such an institution. And so different from what my work is about. I love the collision of disparate worlds – such fun and unexpected results can come of it.
DC: Do you have anything else exciting in the works, with Magic or otherwise?
JL: I’ve found that anytime I’ve talked about something I’m working on before it’s out in the world, it jinxes it somehow. So all I’m going to say is maaaayyyyybeeee?
DC: Hah, that’s fair enough. Where can we find you online to follow your work?
JL: My website in desperate need of an update is ledouxville.com. My Instagram in desperate need of new posts is @ledouxville.
DC: Jesse, thanks so much for pulling back the wrapping paper a bit on this set. It is indeed like nothing we’ve seen before, or likely will see again, and that is what makes Secret Lair so special. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays!
JL: Thanks for asking me to be a part of this!!
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That’s all for today folks. Secret Lair Secretversary 2023 is available for two more weeks over on the Secret Lair website. Thanks again for having me here at Star City Games in 2023, have a wonderful holiday season, and I’ll hopefully see you next year!
