What is the Omni Pen? The clear Sharpie explained

TL;DR: The Omni Pen is a clear acrylic marker built to match a standard Sharpie, sold with three routines by Spencer Wood, Mathew Youngs and Craig Petty. Its job is to give the Omni Deck ending a second beat: the deck turns clear, then the pen does too. It is a fun extra, not a trick on its own, and the honest verdict from published reviews is mixed.

Why would anyone want a pen that turns clear?

If you have seen the Omni Deck, you know the moment: a deck that has just been shuffled, signed and handled suddenly becomes a solid, see-through block. It is one of the strongest visual endings in card magic. The trouble with a great ending is that people keep looking for the next one. The Omni Pen is one answer to that: if the cards can turn clear, why not the pen that signed them?

It is worth understanding before you chase it, because “Omni” props have become a whole family, and not every member earns its place in your pocket.

What is the Omni Pen?

The makers describe it as a perfectly clear pen moulded from acrylic, designed to be interchangeable with a normal Sharpie, so a standard Sharpie cap fits it and its cap fits a Sharpie. In performance, the audience sees an ordinary marker in use and then, at the end, that marker is completely transparent.

It came with three routines from three performers:

• Spencer Wood, “Omni Pen”: a spectator signs a card, the deck goes clear, then the pen they signed with goes clear too.
• Mathew Youngs, “Re-Captivated”: the pen top vanishes and turns up in the spectator’s hand, the body vanishes and returns, and the cap becomes clear.
• Craig Petty, “Sharp Reloaded”: a Sharpie routine credited as inspired by Greg Wilson, using the clear pen as a second kicker alongside the Omni Deck.

Please note: we don’t currently stock the Omni Pen, so this is an explainer rather than a product page.

How does an Omni Pen work?

We keep this one at the level the makers themselves publish, because it is a named commercial product and its handling belongs to the people who sell it. What is public is the category idea: an “Omni” prop is a solid, clear version of an everyday object, and the effect is that the real object seems to change into it. The Omni Deck by Jerry Andrus and Danny Korem set the template, and later props applied the same idea to pens, coins, phones and more.

Two practical points are public and matter if you are deciding whether to buy one. First, the pen is made to match a Sharpie, so you need the real marker to go with it. Second, the routines lean on the Omni Deck, so it is most useful if you already own and perform that.

When should you use it?

The Omni Pen makes most sense in three spots:

• As a kicker after an Omni Deck ending. This is what it was designed for. The deck change is the climax, and the pen is a small, surprising aftershock.
• In a signed-card routine. Any routine where the spectator signs something already puts the marker in their hands, which gives the pen a natural reason to be noticed.
• In a stand-alone Sharpie routine. Mathew Youngs’ routine shows it can live without the deck, with the pen itself as the subject.

It is less suited to walk-around sets where you need a quick reset and few extra props, because it is one more specialist object to carry and track.

How to learn and practise it

Start with the routine you would actually perform, not all three. If you already do an Ambitious Card into an Omni Deck, learn Spencer Wood’s routine first, because it sits on top of what you already know.

• Practise the deck routine until it is boring for you. The pen only works if everything before it is smooth.
• Rehearse the ending in slow motion, then at speed. Film yourself from the spectator’s side and watch where your eyes and theirs go.
• Script the pause. After the deck turns clear, give the audience time to react before you draw attention to the pen.

Honest difficulty: the prop does the visual work, but the handling around it still needs rehearsal. If you are new to card magic, learn the Ambitious Card and a good double lift first; our guide to the double lift is a sensible starting point, and how to practise magic covers building a daily routine.

Products that help

• Ambitious Card Omnibus by Daryl and Stephen Minch: a book devoted to the Ambitious Card, including the double turnover, the double lift and “Four Finales”. The Omni Deck is usually sold as an ending for this plot, so this is where the real work starts.
• Spectrum Sharpie by Craig Petty: three specially designed Sharpies that change their logos from black to red, swap between markers and morph into a multicoloured finish. Instant reset, no pocket space and the markers actually write.
• Omni Butterfly by Hyde Ren and Bacon Magic: an Omni-style ending where the deck becomes a clear acrylic block with a butterfly apparently preserved inside. It works with poker-sized cards and fits your existing Omni routine.

For the deck that started it all, read our Omni Deck explainer.

Common mistakes

• Stacking kickers too quickly. One published review argued the routines move so fast that the audience has no time to react to the deck before the pen changes. Let each moment land.
• Treating the pen as the climax. A clear deck is a bigger change than a clear pen. Build to the deck, then let the pen be a bonus.
• Ignoring wear. A reviewer reported scratches on their copy. A scuffed clear prop looks less like magic and more like plastic, so store it carefully.
• Buying it before the Omni Deck. The routines assume you have the deck. Without it, you are buying a kicker with nothing to kick.

Sources: My Lovely Assistant review of Omni Pen, Vanishing Inc. Magic, Omni Pen, Penguin Magic, Omni Pen, Vanishing Inc. Magic, Omni Deck, magicshow.tips on Omni props.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Omni Pen a trick on its own?

Mostly no. It was designed as an extra ending after the Omni Deck, though one of its three routines uses the pen by itself.

Do I need an Omni Deck to use the Omni Pen?

For two of the three routines, yes. The pen was built as a second surprise after the deck turns clear, so it makes most sense if you already perform the Omni Deck.

Is the Omni Pen hard to learn?

The prop does the visual work, but the routines still need rehearsal and solid card handling. Learn the Ambitious Card and a clean double lift first.

Does The Online Magic Store sell the Omni Pen?

Not at the moment. We stock other Omni-style and Sharpie effects, such as Omni Butterfly and Spectrum Sharpie.