Be careful not to get too much paint on the sponge, as you still want some of the lighter paint to show through, like on the original Elder Wand (reference images are key here). Using a sponge, gently dab small amounts of the darker paint in strategic areas on the wand, paying particular attention to the knots and the handle. I didn't have any around the house, so instead, I mixed some of the lighter brown paint with a little black until I got a colour I liked. (TIP: you may find it easier to use a smaller brush to get the paint into all the tiny dimples)įor the next coat you will need some dark brown acrylic paint. (Why not enjoy a refreshing glass of Butterbeer while you wait?) Remember to leave the section at the end of the handle white for the hieroglyphs to be added later on. Once this has dried, give the wand two coats of light brown acrylic paint, again, leaving plenty of drying time in between. The great thing about acrylics is that they dry relatively quickly, so you don't have to wait around for long. You should begin by giving the entire wand an undercoat of white acrylic paint. This is the part where your wand really starts to look like the Elder Wand! (TIP: if you live somewhere hot and humid, the clay may take longer to dry all the way through.) On pleasant days, I recommend hanging your wand on a washing line, in a shaded area, so that it may dry out quicker. You'll have to leave the clay overnight to dry fully (most brands recommend 24 hours per cm thickness), so put your wand in a well-ventilated area with plenty of air. The placement of these should be as random as possible.

Finally, use the blunt end of a cocktail stick to create the little 'dimples' in the clay.

You should start from the handle of the wand then work your way up to the tip, remembering that the balls should get smaller each time (remember to use reference pictures to help you out).There are many ways to do this, but I found that the easiest method is to roll a piece of clay into a ball that is roughly the correct size, then pierce a hole through the middle so that it can be pushed onto the dowel (almost like a bead).Finally, use a cocktail stick to create the grooves around the pommel - you should have 7 overall (TIP: I cut the sharp end off the cocktail stick to make the thicker lines).You can smooth out the clay afterwards with water (be careful not to soak the clay too much, otherwise it will take forever to dry) Then, begin to build up the shape of the pommel using small amounts of clay.To start off, I recommend you cutting a circle out of card, roughly 2.1 cm in diameter, and gluing it to the end of your wand to help keep the pommel the correct size.

This step is split into two parts: the 'pommel' and the 'knots'. I experimented with a couple of different methods for this part, before eventually settling on what I thought was the easiest and most accurate.

Dumbledore wand