How to Paint a Wizard Miniature

Intermediate~75 min

Wizards and sorcerers are character models that reward patience and technique. Flowing robes offer large surfaces for smooth layering, a magical staff invites object-source lighting effects, and the face and beard demand careful detail work. This guide takes you through painting a classic robed spellcaster with a glowing staff.

Supplies Needed

•Grey spray primer
•Deep robe color (dark blue, dark purple, or dark red)
•Mid-tone of your robe color
•Light highlight version of your robe color
•Flesh tone paint for skin
•White or light grey for beard and hair
•Bright magical glow color (bright blue, green, or orange)
•Dark wash matching your robe color

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prime in Grey

Apply a thin, even coat of grey primer. Grey primer is the best choice for wizards because it works well under both the dark robes and the lighter skin tones. Let it cure fully before painting.

Basecoat the Robes

Apply your darkest robe color over all cloth surfaces -- the main robe, sleeves, hood, and any cloak or sash. Two thin coats for solid coverage. Wizards are mostly robes, so this is the largest area on the model and sets the overall color impression.

Tip: Choose a rich, saturated dark color for the robes. Dark blue reads as scholarly, dark purple as mystical, dark red as sinister. The color you pick tells a story about the character.

Layer the Robe Mid-Tones

Mix your dark robe color with the mid-tone to create a transition shade. Apply this to the raised folds of the robes, leaving the darkest color in the recesses. Then apply the pure mid-tone on the highest ridges of each fold. Work methodically from the bottom of each fold upward, building smooth transitions.

Tip: Thin your paint more than usual for layering. Four or five very thin layers build a smoother transition than two thicker ones.

Highlight the Robe Peaks

Apply your lightest robe shade to only the very tops of the most prominent folds -- the crest of each draped section, the sharp edges of the sleeve openings, and the peak of the hood. Keep these highlights tight and precise. They create the focal points that draw the eye across the flowing fabric.

Paint the Skin

Apply flesh tone to the face, hands, and any other exposed skin. Two thin coats for smooth coverage. Wash the skin with a thin brown wash to define the nose, eye sockets, and knuckles. Once dry, reapply flesh tone to the raised areas -- cheekbones, nose tip, brow, and the backs of the hands.

Paint the Beard and Hair

Apply a mid-grey or off-white base to the beard and hair. Wash with a thin grey or brown wash to add depth between individual strands. Once dry, drybrush with pure white to catch the raised hair texture. For a longer beard, highlight the front-facing strands more heavily to create volume.

Paint the Staff and Add the Glow

Paint the staff shaft in dark brown with a lighter brown drybrush for wood grain. For the magical element at the top -- a crystal, orb, or rune -- apply your bright glow color in multiple thin coats, building from dark at the edges to pure bright color at the center. Add a dot of white at the very brightest point.

Tip: To sell the glow effect, apply very thin glazes of your glow color to the surfaces closest to the light source -- the wizard's hand, the top of the staff, and nearby folds of robe.

Object-Source Lighting on Nearby Surfaces

If you want to push the magical effect further, mix your glow color with your robe color and apply thin glazes to the robe folds nearest the staff. The effect should be strongest closest to the light source and fade with distance. This makes the magical glow look like it's actually casting light on the wizard.

Details, Base, and Finish

Pick out belt buckles, potion bottles, scroll cases, and book covers with appropriate colors. Paint the eyes if they're visible (a simple white dot with a dark pupil works at this scale). Base the model to match the character -- flagstone for a dungeon wizard, earth and grass for a traveling sorcerer. Paint the rim black.

Pro Tips

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Robes are the best surface for practicing layering. The large, smooth folds give you room to work without the precision pressure of tiny armor plates.
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Object-source lighting is more about subtlety than brightness. A hint of glow color on nearby surfaces is more convincing than painting half the model in the glow color.
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Thin your paints more than you think you need to for layering and glazing. You can always add more layers, but you can't easily remove thick, opaque ones.
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The face is the focal point of any character model. Even a simple wash-and-highlight on the face makes the whole model look dramatically better.
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Contrast the magical glow against the robe color for maximum impact. Blue glow on purple robes, green glow on dark blue robes, or orange glow on black robes all create striking effects.

Related Techniques

Layering Glazing Object Source Lighting

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