Sleight of Hand Tricks With Pencils – Detailed Guide with Pictures

Sleight of hand magic is the purest, most eye-popping visual type of magic there is. The most amazing magic tricks require good sleight of hand.

I have spent over 25 years practicing different sleights (moves). Here you will learn some ultra visual magic using a pencil.

I will teach you, step by step, everything you need to know to practice and perform these incredible sleight of hand tricks.

What is Sleight of Hand?

Sleight of hand, which is meant to be a secret move, is any kind of skillful deception using your hands. Learning and perfecting a sleight takes patience and practice. When a magician has good sleight of hand it means you cannot even detect when he performs a move.

Sleight of hand requires well choreographed, smoothly executed moves, that take coordination & practice to create and master.

I am right handed. If you are lefty switch hands.

Sleight of Hand with Pencils

Pencils are a great magic prop.

• Pencils are bright and easy to see.
• Pencils are common and recognizable.
• Pencils are long.
• Pencils are solid.
• Pencils are easy to conceal.
• Pencils are cool.

Sleight of Hand Pencil Routine

1. Sleight of Hand Pencil Production

Produce a pencil at your fingertips in a super visual way.

Right Hand Starting Position

Hold the pencil against your right wrist with your right thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers curled naturally. I prefer the eraser-end at my fingers.

Relax your arm at your side and stand with the back of your right hand toward the audience so the pencil is hidden. Keep your fingers together so you have no windows.

Left Hand Starting Position

Hold your left hand palm up with your fingers curled naturally, ready to grip the pencil. Rub your thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers together drawing attention to your hand.  

How to Do It

Bring your right hand up and over your left hand in a waving motion. Grip the pencil in the middle between your left thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers. Immediately spread your right hand wide open and continue moving upward in a waving motion. 

Move your right hand out of the frame and back to your side after you wave over the pencil. Wiggle and rotate the pencil slightly and display it at your left fingertips.

Pro Tips

You can use a straw, a pen, a magic wand, etc. for this amazing production. Make sure you have your spectator’s attention before you produce the pencil, or they will miss it.

Go slow! Your spectators are not expecting anything, there is no heat or pressure on you.

The reason to wiggle the pencil after you produce it is so attention is drawn to the pencil and your spectators see it. You don’t want the unmoving pencil to blend in with the design on your shirt.

Always keep the back of your hand with the concealed pencil toward your audience. I like to rotate my body to the left so it is natural.

Spend some time in front of a mirror so you can understand your angles and your spectator’s perspective.

You must get used to & comfortable with “holding out.” Holding out is when you have an object concealed in your hand. This is an important part of sleight of hand magic.

To practice, conceal the pencil in your hand and go about your normal daily activities. Watch a movie and hold out the pencil. Practice until you feel comfortable. Confidence is everything, nobody knows you are holding out a pencil.

2. Sleight of Hand Pencil Vanish

You make a pencil disappear visually. It looks like real magic.

How to Do It

1. Display the pencil between your thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers.
2. Press the pencil forward with your thumbs creating tension.
3. In one motion sharply rotate your hands palm down.
4. Snap the pencil off your left thumb.
5. With your right 2nd finger press the pencil into starting position.
6. Let your arms fall naturally to your sides.
7. Slightly turn left so the back of your hands are toward the audience.

Pro Tips

This vanish happens quickly. It is sort of like a snap, and the pencil vanishes. Any noise adds to the illusion.

I prefer the eraser side be in my right hand. It is soft and less abrasive.

First learn and perfect the move of snapping the pencil from a display position into your hand. You need to be able to do this instantaneously, smoothly, and reliably.

Spend an hour practicing. Your thumb may hurt from all the snapping.

When you get the move down spend some time in front of the mirror doing the move plus bringing your arms and hands down to your sides naturally.

When you drop your arms to your sides let them swing a little bit before they stop moving completely. This is what your arms naturally do.

Good sleight of hand takes into account naturalness and normal movements. These small points add up.

3. Sleight of Hand Elbow Production

Produce the pencil from behind your elbow.

How to Do It

1. Lift up your left arm and look at your left elbow.
2. Move your right hand under your elbow.
3. Keep the back of your right hand toward the audience.
4. With your thumb, 1st, and 2nd pivot the pencil out of your hand.
5. Slowly bring the pencil into view from behind your elbow.

Pro Tips

When you make something disappear spectators will eventually look at your other hand. You need to have a plan. The elbow production is a good one.

Let the vanish sink in before you do the elbow production. Trust in the move, don’t rush it.

Practice in the mirror to make sure it looks natural.

While each of the above tricks can be performed as a stand-alone piece, I find it best to practice and perform them as a routine. Produce the pencil, vanish it, and produce it again.

Either use the pencil for your next trick or casually put it away.

Practice Your Sleight of Hand

It is important to practice on real people, not just in the mirror.

When you feel comfortable with the routine, go perform it for someone. Do it for the hostess at the restaurant, the guy at the Verizon store, or a someone on line at Starbucks.

You will catch them off guard and the magic will be very strong. Just make sure you have their attention.

Don’t worry if you mess up. Laugh it off and tell them you are working on it.

Coin Sleight – The Finger Palm Palm

You need to learn the finger palm for the routine below. Hold the coin at the base of your fingers, mostly on your 3rd finger, with it slightly overlapping your 2nd finger.

Curl your fingers naturally and hold the coin gently in place with your 3rd finger against the skin at the base of your hand. That is it, simple! The finger palm is an easy, practical, and effective move.

• Hold the coin lightly in place, there should be no tension in your hand.
• Keep your fingers together at all times so there are no windows. 
• Always relax your hand either at your side or on the table. 
• You can rotate your hand palm up, the coin will remain hidden. 
• You can still pick up and hold objects with your thumb, 1st, and 2nd finger. 

Pro Tips

Keep a coin in finger palm throughout the day and forget about it as you go about your normal activity. Get comfortable with the coin in your hand and recognize that nobody knows you are holding out a coin.

The finger palm is the easiest and most natural way of hiding a coin, the palm I use most often when performing coin tricks.

LEARN MORE: How to Roll a Coin Across Your Knuckles

Fake Take Coin Vanish

You wave a pencil over a coin and it disappears.

Start with a pencil on the table on your right. Display the coin on your palm up right hand in finger palm position. Push the coin up with your right fingers.

Left Hand Action

Come in from above with your palm down left hand and mime taking the coin. Turn your left palm toward you and slowly close it as if you are holding the coin.

Move your loosely closed fist up slightly and draw attention to it. Wiggle your thumb and fingers a little as if you are holding something in your hand. This is a strong convincer.

Right Hand Action

Rotate your right hand palm down, curl your fingers naturally, loosely grip the coin in finger palm, and pick up the pencil. Wave the pencil over your left fist.

Open your left hand quickly, palm up showing the coin has vanished. I like to make a whooshing sound when I open my hand, I think it adds to the illusion. Rotate your hands palm up in a gesturing motion showing they are empty.

Pro Tips

It is a fake take and should look exactly the same as if you really picked up the coin. Spend some time in the mirror practicing this.

To make a coin disappear completely you need good choreography. The pencil is very important for motivation. Look at the pencil and realize you need to pick it up.

Since it is on your right side it is only natural to reach for the pencil with your right hand.

Your left hand takes the coin to free up your right hand (do the fake take). Everything is motivated. Holding a pencil says your hand is empty, your audience will not suspect you have a coin in your hand.

The pencil acts as a magic wand which is a very strong sleight of hand tool.

LEARN MORE: Why Do Magicians Use Wands – The Real Reason

Casually drop your hands to your sides. Put the pencil away and dump the coin in your pocket as well. Try not to clink the coin against the pencil.

The fake take vanish is very easy to do and very natural. Do it loosely and nonchalantly. Your audience will look where you look so focus your attention on the hand that is supposed to have the coin.

Don’t rush it! Wait a few seconds, no longer than that, before making the coin vanish. Let your spectators believe you still have the coin up until the second you make it vanish.

This vanish is a tool, not a trick. It is a strong piece of sleight of hand that you can use in many different magic routines with any small object. Now you know how to make a piece of candy disappear.

Coin and Pencil Sleight of Hand Routine

You produce a pencil and a coin. They disappear, reappear, and switch places in some ultra visual ways.

Pencil Production

“Watch! This is a trick with a pencil…”

Start with the coin in left finger palm. Place the pencil in right hand starting position (as taught above) held against your right wrist with your right thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers curled naturally. Eraser side against your fingers.

Here you will do the sleight of hand pencil production taught above. Nothing changes with a coin in your hand, everything is the same. Remember, nobody knows you have a coin hidden in your hand.

Coin Production

Grip the pencil at the end with your right thumb and 1st finger. Close your palm up left hand into a loose fist flipping the coin onto your palm. Wave the pencil over your left hand. Open revealing the coin.

“…and a coin.”

Coin Vanish

“Just a wave, and the coin is gone.”

Put the pencil in your left armpit, sticking out. Take the coin with your right thumb, 1st, and 2nd fingers, and flip it in the air. It is kind of a flourish and more importantly justifies switching hands.

Move the coin into right finger palm position. Display it and do the Fake Take Coin Vanish taught above.

Reach for the pencil and wave it over your closed left hand to make the coin vanish. Place the pencil back under your armpit.

Using the tips of your right 2nd and 3rd fingers, press the coin into classic palm as you drop your right hand naturally to your side. While pressing the coin into place keep the tip of your thumb against the tip of your 1st finger so you do not stick out your thumb. That is a very common bad habit.

LEARN MORE: Magic Tricks With Coins You Should Be Performing

Coin Transfer – Wiped Clean

This is a casual transfer of the coin, in the act of brushing your hands, and shows your hands to be empty. I learned this move from The Magic of Michael Ammar.

• Turn your left hand palm up and flash it empty.
• Place the tips of your right fingers on the palm of your left hand.
• Brush your right hand down to the fingertips of your left hand.
• Cover the coin with your closed left fingertips and turn your right hand palm up.
• Slide the coin down your right hand in a brushing motion.
• Grip the coin in left finger palm and slide off your right fingertips.
• Drop your left hand, with the coin, naturally to your side.

Coin Production 2

Take the pencil with your right thumb and 1st finger. Wave the pencil over your palm up loose left fist. Open your hand revealing the coin.

“Luckily, I can bring it back.”

Coin to Pencil

Turn your body slightly to the left. Display the coin at chest level between your left thumb and 1st finger. Pivot the pencil into right hand starting position as you apparently place it in your left armpit.

“Watch the coin…”

Push your right 1st finger up into your armpit to give the illusion of putting the pencil there. Press your left armpit against your body as if you are holding the pencil, and relax your right hand. Focus your attention on the coin.

In a wiping motion move your right hand to the left so it is in front of the coin. Relax your left hand grip on the coin so it pivots down, parallel with the floor. Grip the coin between your right 2nd and 3rd fingers.

Grip the pencil in the middle between your left thumb and 1st finger. Move your right hand back to the right in a wiping motion, as if peeling back a curtain, to reveal the coin.

Run your right 1st finger along the pencil as it comes into view. Display the pencil.

“…switch places with the pencil.”

Reach up to your armpit and produce the coin. Drop the coin onto your palm up left hand.

Pencil to Coin

With your right hand place the pencil under your left armpit. Display the coin on your palm up left hand. Do the fake take of the coin with your palm down right hand.

“The coin goes in my pocket.”

With the coin finger palmed, turn your left hand palm down and drop it naturally to your side. Mime placing the coin in your right hand into your right pocket. Bring out your right hand and flash it empty.

“Watch the pencil, switch places with the coin.”

Grip the end of the pencil from below with your right thumb, 1st, and 2nd finger, so you can easily pivot it into right hand starting position. Hold the pencil in front of you and bring your curled left hand palm down on the pencil to take it. Touch the side of your left 1st finger against the tip of your right 1st finger.

Snap the pencil into starting position in your right hand.

Close your left hand into a fist as if you grabbed the pencil. Turn your left fist palm up and open showing the coin. When you produce the coin move it so it catches the light and can be seen.

Drop your right hand naturally to your side. Pivot the pencil down and bring your right hand up as if you are pulling the pencil out of your pocket.

Strike Vanish

Stand head on with your spectators. Hold the pencil firmly with the tip of your right thumb and 1st finger. Tap the tip of the pencil on the coin. On the 2nd tap bring your hands close together and quickly toss the coin into your right hand.

Catch the coin with your right 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers. Bring the tip of the pencil down on your empty hand where the coin was.

“For the big finish, I tap the coin, and it disappears.”

I learned this move from the great David Williamson.

Take the pencil with your left thumb, 1st, and 2nd and relax your right hand naturally to your side. Adjust the coin into right finger palm. Take the pencil between your right thumb and 1st. Rotate your hands palm giving a nice display gesturing “empty.” Relax your hands to your sides.

Pro Tips

This is an advanced routine. Slowly work on it and progress a little each day. Practicing these moves and sequences is fun. It is easy to carry a pencil and a coin so you can practice anywhere.

I have found it best to perform this routine for one or two people. If you learn and perfect this routine you will have a very nice sleight of hand trick in your arsenal.

LEARN MORE: Learn the Best Coin Magic Tricks – Detailed Instructions

Static Pencil Trick

A pencil mysteriously clings to your hand.

How to Do It

Hold your wrist with your thumb, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers. Extend your 1st finger on top of the pencil. From the front it looks good.

Pro Tips

This is a quick trick, not a blockbuster or a showstopper, just a little gag you might show and even teach to someone.

Sometimes it is good to have these types of tricks in your repertoire, especially when doing very strong visual magic like the other tricks found here.

Card on Pencil Trick

A selected card mysteriously appears on a pencil.

Write the name of a card on a pencil. I used a Sharpie marker.

You are going to “force” a card. This is when you know what card your spectator will pick before the trick and you cause them to pick the card. I will teach you the Hindu Force.

For completeness I will first teach you the Hindu Shuffle. If you want to learn all the best ways to shuffle cards check out How To Shuffle Cards – A Complete Guide.

Hindu Shuffle

Hold the deck from above with your right thumb and 2nd finger at the inner edge. Curl your right 1st naturally on top. From below take small packets off the top with your left thumb and 2nd finger. Let the packets fall into your left hand, which acts as a cradle.

Your right hand does all the moving. You can take off as many packets as you want. I recommend 4 or 5.

How to Get the Force Card to the Bottom

Start with your force card 2nd from the bottom (AH). When you are ready to have a card picked tell your spectator that you want this trick to be impossible so you will bury the top card and the bottom card.

Take the top card and place it into the center of the deck. Then take the bottom card and place it into the center of the deck. Your force card is now on bottom. Do the Hindu Force.

Hindu Force

Here you will learn a very basic yet effective card force. Start with the force card on the bottom of the deck. Execute the Hindu shuffle taking small packets into your hand. Tell your spectator to say stop.

When they say stop tap the right hand packet on the back of the cards in your left hand. Lift up the right packet and show the bottom card, your “force card.” Place the packet back onto the cards in your left hand. Place the deck down.

Revealing the Selected Card

Fail to find their card a few times. Then do the Pencil Production and show the card is written on the pencil.

If the pencil is already out you can spread the cards on the table and have them touch a card with the pencil. When it isn’t their card, show their card is written on the pencil.

Pro Tip

I like to string together a few effects using the same props. When using a pencil you might as well maximize the amount of magic you do with it.

Seated Pencil Vanish

You make a pencil vanish in mid air.

How to Do It

You have to be seated. You are going to lap the pencil in the act of picking it up. Lapping is when you drop it in your lap without your audience knowing.

Put a napkin in your lap or flip up the table cloth so the pencil falls flat on your lap and doesn’t fall on the floor. Play with this a little.

Start with the pencil on the table in front of you. Place both your hands in front of the pencil blocking it from view. Slide your hands back toward you. When the pencil gets to the edge let it fall in your lap and act as if you picked up the pencil.

Move your hands up to chest level and look at your hands. Make a whooshing sound and quickly open your hands palm outward for the vanish.

Pro Tips

A little acting goes a long way here. You must believe you picked up the pencil. You can make it disappear and leave it as a mystery. Or you can produce the pencil after the vanish.

To produce the pencil, casually relax your hands in your lap and grip the pencil in right hand starting position. Pause. Produce the pencil from your elbow.

Truthfully, I don’t perform much magic while seated. There are some rare occasions. This is a strong visual trick which is easy to do and good to have in your arsenal for those occasions.

Conclusion

Good sleight of hand takes choreography and tons of practice. Once you perfect a move, you will have it in your arsenal. The more sleights you know, the more amazing magic you will be able to perform.

Once you perfect a trick, go out and perform it. There will be performance stress and the trick will not feel as good as it did in front of the mirror. Work through this. With experience you will gain confidence.