In this article, we introduce magic tricks that use drawings and illustrations on paper! There are lots of fun ideas, like pictures becoming real, transforming into something else, or even moving.
Picture-based magic is easy to understand, so it’s great for kids’ events like birthday parties.
Many ideas require some preparation in advance, but once you set them up, you can use them repeatedly, making them beginner-friendly.
There are also videos explaining how to perform the tricks, so be sure to check them out and give them a try!
- [Childcare Magic] Easy! A special feature on magic tricks you’ll want to show kids
- Simple Magic! Fun Tricks Kids Can Do & Revealed Secrets!
- Simple magic tricks that delight kids: surprising to watch and make you want to try them yourself.
- Hilarious magic! Crowd-pleasing tricks perfect for parties and performances
- [Magic] Crowd-Pleasers for Elementary Schools! A Collection of Magic Trick Ideas Perfect for Fun Parties
- Magic using flowers: tricks that liven up parties and performances
- Animal-themed magic. Cute tricks that children will love.
- With Explanations: Easy Magic Tricks for Lower-Grade Elementary School Children — How to Do Simple Tricks
- Easy! Magic tricks that liven up a Christmas party. Simple tricks and their secrets revealed.
- [Surprising] A collection of body-based magic tricks [for parties and performances]
- Magic that excites crowds at cultural and school festivals
- Magic using drawings and illustrations. Recommended tricks for parties and performances.
- Simple magic tricks using stationery: recommended tricks for parties and performances
Magic using drawings and illustrations. Recommended tricks for parties and performances (1–10)
A magic trick that guesses the picture you drew
A magic trick where you guess a picture drawn by a spectator! It may seem like a mentalist’s skill, but in reality, you simply turn your back to the audience and secretly peek at the drawing by reflecting it on the tip of a spoon hidden in your hand.
The key to pulling off this trick is to know in advance the position where the drawing will be visible.
If it doesn’t reflect, you’ll be forced to guess, so be sure to confirm the exact visible angle before performing.
And whatever you do, make sure the hidden spoon isn’t spotted!
The magic of moving pictures
It’s a magic trick that makes drawings start to move—bringing an otherworldly situation to life.
The trick unfolds like a picture-story show.
The first page is an illustration of a chicken laying an egg, and the second is of a chick hatching from the egg.
Then, the newly hatched chick moves around within the illustration.
In fact, the chick is drawn on a separate sheet of drawing paper, cut out, and a magnet is attached to the back so it can be manipulated from behind the illustration.
Using the same method, you could animate all sorts of characters.
Magic that stretches the face in an illustration
This is a perfect magic trick for kids’ groups and birthday parties where a face in a drawing on paper stretches.
Draw popular characters like Anpanman or Doraemon and amaze the children with this trick! Hold the illustration in one hand and pull with the other, making the character’s face appear to stretch.
Prepare separate facial expression parts different from the main face, and create a slot to insert them.
After setting it up with the parts hidden behind the illustration, switch hands and insert the parts into the paper.
While supporting the back with your hand, slowly pull to make the face appear to stretch.
A magic trick where the candle flame in the picture goes out
First, you show a page with a drawing of a lit candle, then you close the notebook.
After chanting a magic spell, you pull out the page and… the candle’s flame is out.
It’s a trick that makes people go “Wow, how mysterious!” because it happens in an instant, but the secret is very simple.
On the page right after the one with the lit candle, there’s a drawing of the candle with the flame out, and you simply pull that page out and show it.
Practice so you can perform naturally and smoothly without letting the audience catch on to the method.
Anywhere Door
It’s a piece of magic that recreates the world of anime: a Anywhere Door trick.
First, a door made of paper appears.
This is the “Anywhere Door.” When you open the door, you can see the back side of the paper.
But if you flip it over and open it, Doraemon appears from the other side of the door.
The mechanism is simple: the illustrations of the door and Doraemon are connected by a string.
When you flip it, the illustration that was hanging down gets pulled up and ends up behind the door.
A moving stick figure drawn with a pen
Magic with drawings will capture your audience’s hearts.
It’s astonishing to see a stick figure drawn on paper start moving as if it were alive.
Just by adding a special liquid, the stick figure sways and wriggles, then starts dancing to the beat.
The method is simple, anyone can perform it, and it’s sure to get cheers from kids.
There’s also an easy-to-follow video tutorial, so give it a try.
With this captivating trick, you can bring smiles and a warm, cozy feeling to your viewers.
The picture changes when it’s put in water.
It’s a fun magic trick everyone can enjoy, where the picture changes when you put it in water.
First, prepare a blank card and draw any illustration you like.
When you’re done, place it in a perfectly sized plastic bag, then draw a different picture on the outside of the bag.
When you immerse it in water, the drawing on the card seems to disappear, and only the illustration drawn on the plastic bag appears.
This happens due to light refraction.
For example, you could make it look like the flame of a candle goes out.
Try drawing your own illustrations and give it a go with everyone!