Wizard Character Ideas

Press New wizard for a schooling, a first spell, a best trick, a possession, a cost and an unfinished question.

Wizard Character Ideas: 30 wizards

Studied on the road, from whoever would trade a lesson. First spell: made a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise. Best at sending moths elsewhere, politely. Keeps a staff too tall for doorways, carried sideways. It cost the chance to teach a younger brother to fish. Still working on how to reverse a spell without reciting it in reverse.

Padlock: keep a part. Arrows: change only that part.

Studiedon the road, from whoever would trade a lesson
First spellmade a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise
Best atsending moths elsewhere, politely
Keepsa staff too tall for doorways, carried sideways
It costthe chance to teach a younger brother to fish
Still working onhow to reverse a spell without reciting it in reverse

History (0)

Every wizard you make is kept here, newest first, up to the last 20. The list stays in this browser.

Wizard of the day

Studied on the road, from whoever would trade a lesson. First spell: made a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise. Best at sending moths elsewhere, politely. Keeps a staff too tall for doorways, carried sideways. It cost the chance to teach a younger brother to fish. Still working on how to reverse a spell without reciting it in reverse.
Studied as a bottle washer for an alchemist. First spell: coaxed a drop of jam back onto its spoon. Best at making fog thin out along one garden path. Keeps a frog once thought to be a prince, and just a frog. It cost a youth spent on one old language after another. Still working on how to make a spell that works for people in a hurry.
Studied from a cookbook that turned out not to be one. First spell: had one witness, who has told it differently ever since. Best at finding the missing rhyme for a stuck poet. Keeps a record of every spell that failed, in three volumes. It cost a rival's friendship, which might have been worth more. Still working on a way to make Monday optional.
Studied in a clock tower, timing each lesson by the chimes. First spell: took nine years and lasted four seconds. Best at getting a snail to finish a race. Keeps a blackboard on wheels, never fully wiped. It cost a dog that went to live with someone who walked it. Still working on a spell to unsay one sentence a day.
Studied between travelers at a quiet toll gate. First spell: made a pea roll uphill the length of a table. Best at reading a sealed letter by holding it to one ear. Keeps a set of brass compasses for drawing circles. It cost candles, by the crate. Still working on a spell for remembering names at parties.
Studied as a reader to a wizard who had lost his spectacles. First spell: made a feather fall upward, once. Best at finding the middle of anything without measuring. Keeps a pointed hat on a stand, worn once. It cost certainty about anything at all. Still working on how to build a door that admits only good news.
Studied in a rented room, because the upstairs was taken. First spell: peeled one grape without touching it. Best at unspilling milk, if asked within the minute. Keeps a goldfish that swims toward the correct answer. It cost a best friend who stopped knocking. Still working on an alphabet of gestures, stuck at the letter G.
Studied in secret, in a family of blacksmiths. First spell: balanced a walnut on a windowsill in a gale. Best at darning socks from across the room. Keeps a raven with a better memory than theirs. It cost the one summer the comet came, spent reading. Still working on a history of magic, embarrassing chapters included.
Studied from an encyclopedia, volumes A to M only. First spell: made the youngest sister stop mid-sentence. Best at getting a snail to finish a race. Keeps a floor plan of their rooms with the cold spots marked. It cost the knack of dancing, never acquired. Still working on why dust settles in the shape of the last diagram drawn.
Studied on the road, from whoever would trade a lesson. First spell: turned a glass of water faintly pink. Best at addressing a letter to wherever its reader is now. Keeps a book whose bookmark wanders between chapters. It cost any chance of a tidy desk. Still working on a spell that tells a joke properly.
Studied from a dictionary of a language used only for spells. First spell: was taken for a card trick by the whole front row. Best at kindling a lamp from six paces away. Keeps a toad that keeps the inkwell from wandering. It cost a great many summers, seen mostly from a page. Still working on how to reverse a spell without reciting it in reverse.
Studied under a master who slept through most lessons. First spell: was missed by everyone present, who were watching a wasp. Best at arguing a shower into waiting until after lunch. Keeps a rooster kept for telling the time, badly. It cost a youth spent on one old language after another. Still working on why the same spell tastes of pepper on Thursdays.
Studied at a summer course that somehow lasted nine years. First spell: made a ladder two rungs taller and no steadier. Best at finding a way through a maze by asking the hedge. Keeps a hazel twig in a velvet-lined box. It cost half a lifetime, by a reasonable estimate. Still working on how to write a spell short enough to remember.
Studied at a college with more staircases than students. First spell: grew a rose from a broom handle, thorns first. Best at keeping one room at the temperature of May. Keeps a staff with a notch for every examination passed. It cost visits home, which shrank to one a year. Still working on a spell to unsay one sentence a day.
Studied under a hedge wizard who was paid in eggs. First spell: silenced a doubting uncle for a full minute. Best at keeping one room at the temperature of May. Keeps a pocket book of spells too small to be useful. It cost the knack of dancing, never acquired. Still working on a theory that all spells are one spell, said badly.
Studied under a retired court wizard who had forgotten half of it. First spell: changed the smell of a room to oranges. Best at getting a mule to consider it. Keeps a recipe book rewritten as spells, or the reverse. It cost a post at court, declined for the sake of one footnote. Still working on a calendar that agrees with both the tides and the baker.
Studied as a porter at the gate of a wizards' college. First spell: doubled a loaf and halved its flavor. Best at finding the middle of anything without measuring. Keeps a doorstop carved as a sleeping dragon. It cost first place, lost by one mispronounced vowel. Still working on a rebuttal to a rival's pamphlet of thirty years ago.
Studied under a wizard who had only ever learned four spells. First spell: moved a period to the end of another sentence. Best at growing a quill back to full length. Keeps a cat asleep in the sleeve of the spare robe. It cost a perfectly good career in bread. Still working on a spell that makes toast exactly right.
Studied from a dictionary of a language used only for spells. First spell: worked on the morning the library wanted its book. Best at calling lost keys by name. Keeps a grimoire chained to the desk, for the desk's sake. It cost years of cold feet under a desk. Still working on how to teach it in less than a decade.
Studied under a retired court wizard who had forgotten half of it. First spell: made a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise. Best at waking a window box in February. Keeps an atlas of places that have since moved. It cost most of their twenties and one good chair. Still working on how to translate a spell without changing the weather.
Studied under a master who set an examination every full moon. First spell: raised a wind that blew in one ear only. Best at tracing a noise to the room it started in. Keeps a certificate with the seal upside down. It cost a horse they never learned to ride. Still working on why the left sleeve always fills with chalk.
Studied at a charity school for seventh children. First spell: silenced a doubting uncle for a full minute. Best at getting a snail to finish a race. Keeps a glowworm employed to light the small print. It cost the year they meant to travel. Still working on a catalog of colors seen only at dusk.
Studied under a master who answered only written questions. First spell: happened in an empty hall, to a row of coats. Best at finding a way through a maze by asking the hedge. Keeps a robe with stitched constellations, pale from laundering. It cost a best friend who stopped knocking. Still working on how to shrink a library and still find things.
Studied under a master who set an examination every full moon. First spell: turned lead into slightly heavier lead. Best at straightening bent nails. Keeps a hat with old report cards sewn into the band. It cost a seat at the family table, kept but dusty. Still working on why shadows weigh more in winter.
Studied from the back row of lectures meant for others. First spell: made a ladder two rungs taller and no steadier. Best at keeping tea hot until the conversation ends. Keeps a mortar and pestle used mostly for pepper. It cost any pleasure in a stage magician's act. Still working on a perfect apology, for general use.
Studied in a clock tower, timing each lesson by the chimes. First spell: was noted in a diary between two lost mittens. Best at airing a damp cupboard by opening a book in it. Keeps a blackboard pointer, promoted to wand. It cost most of their twenties and one good chair. Still working on why a spell copied in haste improves.
Studied under a traveling wizard, one lesson per milestone. First spell: made a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise. Best at finding a way through a maze by asking the hedge. Keeps a recipe book rewritten as spells, or the reverse. It cost an ear for music, traded for an ear for vowels. Still working on why the same spell tastes of pepper on Thursdays.
Studied under a wizard who taught the alphabet for three years. First spell: doubled a loaf and halved its flavor. Best at finding a way through a maze by asking the hedge. Keeps a paperweight holding down nothing in particular. It cost a walking companion, who found a faster walker. Still working on a pocket that always has the right change.
Studied from the correction slips in a hundred textbooks. First spell: boiled an egg in a cold pan, almost. Best at airing a damp cupboard by opening a book in it. Keeps a shoehorn for easing long words into short lines. It cost a best friend who stopped knocking. Still working on how to write a spell short enough to remember.
Studied in the waiting room of a very slow oracle. First spell: worked while explaining why it never would. Best at reading a sealed letter by holding it to one ear. Keeps a frog once thought to be a prince, and just a frog. It cost the good opinion of two practical aunts. Still working on how to get scorch marks out of velvet.

Next step Deal a sorcerer, born with it Design the robe and the hat

Studied: all 60 schoolings

Under one teacher 12

under a godmother who denied being a wizard at all A woman knitting, while the wool winds itself behind her chair.
under a hedge wizard who was paid in eggs A basket on the arm and a lesson held over a garden gate.
under a master who answered only written questions A slate passed back and forth across a wide desk.
under a master who set an examination every full moon A desk carried outdoors, with a round white disc over the roofline.
under a master who slept through most lessons A figure snoring in an armchair, and a pupil reading the board alone.
under a retired court wizard who had forgotten half of it An old man in a faded sash, searching the ceiling for the next word.
under a traveling wizard, one lesson per milestone A stone marker at a roadside, with two figures sitting against it.
under a tutor hired by mistake for arithmetic An abacus on the desk, pushed to one side.
under a weather witch who charged by the cloud A price list chalked on a barn door, with small cloud shapes beside the sums.
under a wizard who had only ever learned four spells Four framed diagrams on an otherwise bare wall.
under a wizard who taught the alphabet for three years A wall of letter cards, each one drawn larger than a head.
under two masters who disagreed about everything A pupil on a stool between two pointing arms.

At a school 12

at a charity school for seventh children Seven pegs in a row, with seven small cloaks.
at a college famous mainly for its soup A long refectory table, with a tureen bigger than the lectern.
at a college with more staircases than students Stairs crossing at every angle, and one small figure on a landing.
at a night school above a cheese shop A lit upper window, and a row of round cheeses in the dark one below.
at a school that met in a different barn each term Benches carried on a cart, and a blackboard roped on top.
at a school where each library shelf had to be earned A ladder against tall shelves, with a ribbon tied across the upper rows.
at a summer course that somehow lasted nine years A sun-faded banner over a gate, patched and hung again.
at a tower school, starting on the ground floor A cutaway tower with a class on every level, the pupils older toward the top.
at a university's smallest department, in the basement A door under the stairs with a very long nameplate.
at an academy that expelled and readmitted them twice A trunk on the front step, packed, with the door opening again.
by mail, one lesson a month, some of them lost A stack of numbered envelopes with gaps in the numbers.
from the back row of lectures meant for others The backs of forty heads, and a notebook balanced on one knee.

While working for wizards 12

as a bookbinder's apprentice who read the offcuts Strips of printed paper sorted into piles on a workbench.
as a bottle washer for an alchemist A sink of odd-shaped glass, and a brush on a long wire.
as a clerk who filed spells by the wrong system A wall of pigeonholes, with labels crossed out and rewritten.
as a cook who noticed what the recipes had in common A ladle in one hand and a pencil behind the ear.
as a copyist forbidden to read what was copied A sloping desk, with a card held over all but one line.
as a ferry hand who rowed wizards and listened Two oars, a flat boat, and passengers arguing in the stern.
as a floor sweeper in an observatory A broom leaning on a telescope mount under an open dome.
as a gardener who weeded under the lecture window A face at a window, with a rake held forgotten in both hands.
as a model for an illustrated book of gestures An arm held out stiffly, while an artist draws the fingers.
as a porter at the gate of a wizards' college A lodge window by a big gate, and a book hidden under the visitors' ledger.
as a reader to a wizard who had lost his spectacles A tall stool beside a deep armchair, and a book held at arm's length.
as a window cleaner for a tower of wizards A bucket on a rope, and a figure peering in at every floor.

From books alone 12

from a child's primer, the only copy within reach A big-lettered page, held by a grown reader on a low chair.
from a cookbook that turned out not to be one A splashed page on a kitchen stand, and a pot behaving oddly.
from a dictionary of a language used only for spells A thick book with a ribbon marker and a pronunciation guide in the lid.
from a library inherited with all its mistakes Crates of books in a hallway, each with someone else's bookplate.
from a spell book translated twice, badly Two dictionaries propped open on either side of a third book.
from an encyclopedia, volumes A to M only A shelf that stops halfway along, with a bookend where N would be.
from lecture notes found in a coat at a rummage sale A folded wad of paper, pulled from an inside pocket.
from library loans, each handed back a week late A pile by the door with a paper slip standing in every one.
from one book, read forty times A book gone round at the corners, with its spine taped in three places.
from scribbles in the margins of used textbooks A page with more handwriting around the edge than print in the middle.
from the correction slips in a hundred textbooks Small printed strips pasted into an album, row on row.
from the footnotes, skipping the chapters A finger running along the bottom inch of a page.

Somewhere unlikely 12

at a kitchen table, after the day's work A cleared corner among the dishes, and sleeves still rolled.
between travelers at a quiet toll gate A booth with a striped pole, and a book face down on the sill.
in a clock tower, timing each lesson by the chimes Huge gear teeth behind a small desk, and a hand held over one ear.
in a greenhouse, with diagrams sown in cress A seed tray with a green circle and a triangle sprouting in it.
in a hayloft, with the ladder pulled up behind A trapdoor, the ladder lying beside it, and straw in the hair.
in a lighthouse, by the light of the lamp itself A round room with a desk built to the curve of the wall.
in a rented room, because the upstairs was taken A table under a street-level window, with passing boots outside.
in an attic, from notes a past tenant pinned to the rafters Slips of paper overhead, and a reader standing on a chair.
in secret, in a family of blacksmiths A book hidden behind the bellows, with a thumb for a marker.
in the waiting room of a very slow oracle A bench, a numbered ticket, and a satchel of books worn at the strap.
on a slow barge, a chapter for every lock A book open on a cabin roof, and a lock gate closing behind.
on the road, from whoever would trade a lesson A walker reading on the move, with a pack on one shoulder and dust on the boots.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. A wizard here is someone who learned magic from teachers and books; nothing is inborn and nothing is bargained for. No game, book, film or show is named. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

First spell: all 60 first spells

Small and exact 15

balanced a walnut on a windowsill in a gale A walnut on its point, with the curtains blown flat out.
boiled an egg in a cold pan, almost A pan with no flame under it and one thin thread of steam.
changed the smell of a room to oranges Noses lifted all around a table, and nothing else different.
coaxed a drop of jam back onto its spoon A red bead rising from a tablecloth, with a thin tail behind it.
froze a single raindrop on the window One bead of ice among streaks of running water on the glass.
got a top to spin the other way without falling A wooden top with two sets of motion lines, one of them crossed out.
made a feather fall upward, once A feather near the ceiling, and a pair of raised eyebrows below.
made a pea roll uphill the length of a table A tilted tabletop, and a small green dot near its top edge.
made a pin stand on its point for a minute A pin upright on a bare table, and a face level with it, not breathing.
moved a period to the end of another sentence A page seen close, with one dot caught in mid-hop between two lines.
peeled one grape without touching it A grape skin lying open like a small coat, and two hands held well clear of it.
stopped a marble on the seam between two floorboards A marble resting on the crack, with a ruler laid beside it as proof.
summoned a lost thimble from under the floor A thimble rising through a gap between two boards.
threaded a needle from across the room A long sag of thread through the air, ending in a bright eye of steel.
turned a glass of water faintly pink A tumbler held up to a window, with the tint only just showing.

Not quite as written 15

called for a pen and received a goose A startled goose on a desk, and one feather drifting down.
doubled a loaf and halved its flavor Two identical loaves on a board, and a disappointed chewer.
grew a rose from a broom handle, thorns first A broom leaning in a corner, with one bud partway up the handle.
lit the neighbor's stove through two walls A cold grate in front, and smoke rising from the neighbor's chimney.
made a ladder two rungs taller and no steadier A ladder swaying well above a wall, with a climber gripping hard.
made the spell book louder, not lighter A book held at arm's length, with the pupil's free hand over one ear.
mended a plate into a slightly different plate A whole plate, with the painted pattern on the wrong side of the rim.
raised a wind that blew in one ear only The hair on one side streaming flat, and the other side neat.
shrank a boot until it fitted a thumb A tiny laced boot worn on a thumb, held up for inspection.
summoned every left shoe in the building A heap of single shoes at a doorway, and puzzled people in stockings.
translated a shopping list into a language nobody knows A page of neat, confident, wholly unfamiliar script.
turned lead into slightly heavier lead A gray ingot on a balance, with the pan sunk a hair lower.
turned the miller's beard a hopeful green A long beard the color of spring grass, and a very calm face above it.
unlocked the wrong trunk, three rooms away A lid springing open down a corridor, with a padlock still closed in the hand.
vanished a stain and the tablecloth around it A bare table with a set place, and a cloth-shaped patch of clean wood.

After a very long time 15

took nine years and lasted four seconds A small hourglass, nearly empty already, and a huge grin.
worked after copying it out by hand until the pen wore down A stack of filled sheets, and a cramped hand being shaken loose.
worked as soon as it was whispered, not shouted A hand cupped beside the mouth, close to the table.
worked as soon as they forgot to be nervous A relaxed slouch at a desk, and a small glow only just noticed.
worked at dawn, after they had given up at midnight A slumped figure asleep at a desk, and something small glowing beside one elbow.
worked for a younger cousin first, which stung Two stools side by side, and applause at the wrong one.
worked in a dream first, and awake the week after A sleeper smiling, with a notebook waiting open on the blanket.
worked on the morning the library wanted its book A book under one arm at a library desk, with a small glow between the pages.
worked on the two-hundredth try, of an evening A wall of tally marks in fives, with the last one circled.
worked once a misprint was spotted in line three A magnifying glass over one word, with a pencil correction above it.
worked once they swapped which hand did the pointing One hand tucked in a pocket and the other held out, a little unsure.
worked the instant the porridge caught A smoking pot behind, ignored, and both arms thrown up in joy.
worked the moment the last onlooker left An empty room, a door just closing, and a pupil staring down at both hands.
worked when read backward by mistake A book held upside down, and a surprised look over the top of it.
worked while explaining why it never would A finger raised in mid-lecture, and a jaw beginning to drop.

In front of someone 15

drew applause from one window across the lane A pair of clapping hands at an upper casement, seen through the pupil's own window.
earned a week excused from the dishes A dishcloth handed ceremonially to somebody else.
had one witness, who has told it differently ever since A figure in a doorway with arms spread wide, as if measuring a fish.
happened in an empty hall, to a row of coats Coats on pegs, with their sleeves hanging like a seated audience.
impressed nobody but a passing goose A goose stopped in a doorway with its neck stretched, and an empty yard behind.
made a passing tinker set down his pack A pack lowered to the road, and a hat pushed back for a better look.
made a stern landlady say "hm", which was praise One raised eyebrow over a stack of clean sheets.
made the youngest sister stop mid-sentence A small girl with her mouth open and one finger still raised.
silenced a doubting uncle for a full minute A man with his mouth open and a pocket watch counting in his hand.
startled the cat and delighted the kitchen boy A cat in mid-leap off a chair, and a boy clapping from the scullery door.
was blamed on the plumbing by everyone present A row of people looking down at the pipes, away from the pupil.
was done for a grandmother, who asked for it again An old woman in a chair, holding up one finger for an encore.
was missed by everyone present, who were watching a wasp Every head turned to a window, and one arm raised in triumph behind them.
was noted in a diary between two lost mittens A diary page with three lines of handwriting, the middle one underlined.
was taken for a card trick by the whole front row A row of politely clapping hands, and not a card anywhere in the picture.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list. Each is a learned spell that worked at last, small and harmless, never an inborn accident; no game, book, film or show is named. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Best at: all 60 knacks

Mending and tidying 12

darning socks from across the room A needle working by itself over a wooden darning egg.
making a wobbly table stand level A table with three legs on the floor, and the fourth lengthening to meet it.
mending crockery so that the plate rings true again A plate held by the rim and tapped with a spoon, with one small sound mark.
persuading knots to let go A tangle of cord falling straight, and two fingers just withdrawn.
putting the fizz back into flat lemonade A glass with a fresh column of bubbles, and a finger tapping its rim.
reuniting odd gloves Two gloves of one pair, crawling toward each other along a shelf.
sharpening a blunt pencil for exactly one sentence A long sharp point, and a single line of writing ending in a stub.
straightening bent nails A row of nails on a bench, crooked at one end and true at the other.
sweeping a floor with one word and a nod A neat heap of dust in the middle of the boards, and no broom.
taking the squeak out of anything A hinge, a wheel and a shoe in a row, each with a small crossed-out sound mark.
uncreasing maps A sheet going flat under a passing palm, with the folds fading behind it.
unspilling milk, if asked within the minute A white arc rising from the floor back into a pitcher.

Finding 12

calling lost keys by name A key ring sliding out from under a cushion toward an open hand.
fetching spectacles from the top of the wearer's head A pair of glasses sliding down a forehead onto the nose.
finding a seat on a full coach One gap on a crowded bench that was not there a moment ago.
finding a way through a maze by asking the hedge A hand flat on the leaves and a head tilted to listen.
finding the end of a ball of string A loose end standing up from the ball, like a raised hand.
finding the lid that fits the pot A stack of lids, with one lifting itself out of the middle.
finding the middle of anything without measuring A finger laid on a plank, exactly halfway, and a ruler confirming it.
finding the one ripe pear on a tree A whole tree of green fruit and a single yellow one, already reached for.
locating a draft with a ribbon and patience A ribbon held up near a door frame, fluttering toward the room.
recovering the word on the tip of anyone's tongue A speech balloon with a gap in it, and the missing piece handed over.
recovering whatever was stowed away for safekeeping An arm deep in a tall vase, and a pleased face.
tracing a noise to the room it started in An ear in profile, following a faint dotted line along a corridor.

Light, weather and warmth 12

airing a damp cupboard by opening a book in it An open book on a low shelf, with pages lifting in a small private wind.
arguing a shower into waiting until after lunch A dark cloud paused over a picnic, with a finger wagged up at it.
bending moonlight around a corner to read by A pale beam that turns at a right angle onto an open page.
holding a sunbeam still on a page A bright patch on a book that stays put while the window's shadow moves on.
keeping one room at the temperature of May Frost flowers on the outside of a window, and a rolled-up sleeve inside.
keeping snow off one doorstep A clean dry square of stone in a street of white.
keeping tea hot until the conversation ends Two cups, both still steaming, and a clock showing a late hour.
kindling a lamp from six paces away A pointed finger at one end of the picture and a new flame at the other.
making a small cloud for shade, the size of a doormat A round gray puff just above the head, with a neat shadow under it.
making fog thin out along one garden path A clear lane through gray, exactly one person wide.
thawing a frozen pump without a kettle A pump handle with icicles dripping, and two bare hands held near it.
warming a bed before anyone gets in Turned-back sheets, with a faint shimmer of heat above them.

Words and paper 12

addressing a letter to wherever its reader is now An envelope with one address fading and a new one writing itself beneath.
copying a page by pressing a blank sheet to it Two sheets being peeled apart, the second a faint mirror of the first.
correcting the spelling on signs as they pass A painted shop sign with one letter quietly changing places.
erasing a single word from a whole page A full page of writing with one clean gap in the middle.
finding the missing rhyme for a stuck poet A crumpled heap of drafts, and one word offered on a slip.
growing a quill back to full length A stub of a feather pen, lengthening from the top.
making a blot shrink back into the pen A dark spot on the page growing smaller, with the nib held over it.
making a book fall open at the right place A book in mid-fall, with the pages already fanning to one spot.
making any handwriting legible, their own included A scrawl sharpening into copybook letters under a moving fingertip.
reading a sealed letter by holding it to one ear An envelope pressed flat against the side of the head, with the eyes shut.
turning birdsong into rough notes on paper A bird on a sill, and a pencil making small marks that rise and fall.
whispering a message into an envelope Lips at the open flap, and the paper bulging a little.

Plants and animals 12

calming a horse by humming its own hoofbeat A horse's lowered head beside a shoulder, with both sets of eyes half shut.
coaxing a seed up in an afternoon A pot with a sprout, and the same pot drawn smaller beside it, bare, an hour before.
getting a mule to consider it A mule with one ear turned back toward a patient speaker.
getting a snail to finish a race A chalk line on a path, and a snail an inch from it with its horns out.
ripening one tomato a day through the winter A plant on an indoor sill, with one red fruit among green ones.
sending moths elsewhere, politely A wardrobe door held open, and a line of moths filing out.
settling a broody hen A hen fluffed out on a nest, with its eyes just closing.
talking a goat down from a roof A goat on a thatched ridge, looking down with interest at an upturned face.
teaching a parrot to forget one word A parrot with its beak shut and a guilty look, and a relieved host beside it.
teaching ivy to grow in the shape of letters A wall with green capitals climbing up it, the last one unfinished.
telling the age of a tree with one palm on the bark A hand flat on a wide trunk, and lips counting.
waking a window box in February Snow on the sill, and three green shoots through it.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list: small, deliberate magic that can be drawn. Nothing harms anyone, and no game, book, film or show is named. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Keeps: all 60 possessions

Books 15

a book that dozes off unless spoken to An open book with its pages drooping, like eyelids.
a book that opens only on odd-numbered days A calendar hung beside a clasped book, with the even dates crossed out.
a book whose bookmark wanders between chapters A ribbon lying across a page at a slant, in mid-crawl.
a diary that corrects their grammar A handwritten page with small red marks that nobody added.
a dictionary that sighs when opened A heavy book on a stand, with a small puff of dust from its pages.
a first copybook, its margins full of a child's drawings Ruled lines of practice letters, with stick figures marching along the edges.
a grimoire chained to the desk, for the desk's sake A short chain from a book's spine to a ring in the wood.
a notebook for every year, shelved by color A rainbow of narrow spines, a few of them much fatter than the rest.
a pocket book of spells too small to be useful A book the size of a postage stamp on an open palm.
a recipe book rewritten as spells, or the reverse A page with ingredients in one hand and diagrams in another.
a record of every spell that failed, in three volumes Three matching books, the third with slips of paper sticking out.
a scroll so thick that it travels by wheelbarrow A paper cylinder as thick as a log, with one end trailing.
a spell book buckled closed with a leather belt A thick book with a buckled strap, bulging between the covers.
an atlas of places that have since moved A map with a town inked in, crossed out and inked in again further along.
an index to a book that was never written A thin volume of nothing but page numbers.

Staffs and tools 15

a blackboard on wheels, never fully wiped Ghosts of old diagrams under the newest one.
a blackboard pointer, promoted to wand A thin cane with a brass ferrule and chalk dust on its tip.
a broom that was a staff until a broom was needed A carved, important-looking handle ending in ordinary bristles.
a hat with old report cards sewn into the band A tall hat turned over, with a paper slip showing inside it.
a hazel twig in a velvet-lined box A plain forked twig laid out like a jewel.
a metronome for pacing long spells A small pyramid with a ticking arm, set on a pile of papers.
a mortar and pestle used mostly for pepper A stone bowl with a round-ended grinder standing in it.
a set of brass compasses for drawing circles Two hinged legs, one with a point and one holding a stub of chalk.
a shoehorn for easing long words into short lines A curved horn slipped under one word on a page, with the line bulging around it.
a slide rule for spells with numbers in them A ruler in three strips, the middle one pulled halfway out.
a staff cut down to a cane, and the rest of it to a ruler A short stick ending in a fresh saw cut, and a length of the same wood marked off in inches.
a staff too tall for doorways, carried sideways A figure turning in a door frame with a long pole across the body.
a staff with a notch for every examination passed A row of small cuts down one side, and a long gap before the last.
a staff worn smooth where three masters held it Three pale grip marks at three different heights.
a wand that lives in a pencil box A slim hinged box open on a desk, with a plain rod among the pencils.

Familiars 15

a bat that hangs from the curtain rail A small folded shape upside down at the top of a window.
a cat asleep in the sleeve of the spare robe A robe on a hook, with one sleeve bulging and a tail hanging out of the cuff.
a frog once thought to be a prince, and just a frog A frog on a small velvet cushion, wholly unconcerned.
a glowworm employed to light the small print A point of light hovering over one line of a page.
a goldfish that swims toward the correct answer A bowl between two cards, and a fish nosing the glass on one side.
a hare that runs errands, eventually A hare sitting up with a note in its mouth, in no hurry at all.
a hedgehog that patrols the baseboards at night A small spined shape trotting along the foot of a wall, past a row of boots.
a jackdaw that returns everything it takes A bird laying a teaspoon back in a drawer.
a mouse that sorts the pen nibs by size A mouse dragging one steel nib toward a row of others.
a raven with a better memory than theirs A raven tapping one line of a list with its beak.
a rooster kept for telling the time, badly A rooster on a desk beside a clock, with its beak open at the wrong hour.
a spider trusted with the tidying of cobwebs One perfect web in a corner of an otherwise dusted room.
a toad that keeps the inkwell from wandering A toad with one foot resting on the base of an ink bottle.
a tortoise older than anyone can vouch for A domed shell with a date painted on it, much repainted.
an owl that sits on the highest shelf and judges An owl on top of a bookcase, with one eye open.

On the shelf 15

a calendar with one extra day, kept blank A page of numbered squares with an unnumbered one at the end.
a cauldron now used for umbrellas A three-legged pot by the door, bristling with handles.
a certificate with the seal upside down A framed sheet of fine lettering, hung a little apologetically.
a chessboard, mid-game against nobody in particular A board with one side's pieces in a neat row and the other side's in disarray.
a clockwork model of the planets, wound once a year A brass sun with small planets on wire arms, and a winding key in the base.
a doorstop carved as a sleeping dragon A wooden wedge under a door, with a curled tail and one carved eyelid.
a floor plan of their rooms with the cold spots marked A floor plan with small blue crosses, most of them near windows.
a globe of a world slightly different from this one A globe with one coastline that is not quite right.
a pair of library steps that double as a seat Three steps with a hinged back, and a cushion tied to the top one.
a paperweight holding down nothing in particular A glass dome on a bare patch of desk, with papers drifting everywhere else.
a pointed hat on a stand, worn once A hat under a glass dome, with a moth hole in the brim.
a robe with stitched constellations, pale from laundering A dark gown on a peg, with dots and thin joining lines barely showing.
a telescope pointed permanently at one star A brass tube on a stand, with a chalk mark under each foot.
a tin of chalk ends, sorted by length A tray of white stubs laid out like organ pipes.
an armchair that remembers who sat in it last A cushion dented in the shape of someone much larger.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list: a book, a staff or tool, an animal that keeps the wizard company, or one thing from the shelf. Read beside the keepsake, token, burden, sign and kit lists of the other members of this family so that none says the same thing. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

It cost: all 60 costs

Years 15

a great many summers, seen mostly from a page A bent head, and a bright landscape going by unnoticed behind it.
a thousand afternoons of copying A writing callus on one finger, drawn large and proud.
a youth spent on one old language after another Copybooks in five different scripts, piled on a child's desk.
the age at which they could still be called promising A gray head bent over a small tarnished cup, engraved Most Promising.
every evening between sixteen and thirty A stack of candle stubs sorted into years.
every fair that came through town Bunting and a wheel seen far off, through a gap in a pile of books.
half a lifetime, by a reasonable estimate A beard or a braid long enough to be tucked into the belt.
more sunrises than they like to count, all seen by accident A bleary face at a window, turning pink with the sky.
most of their twenties and one good chair A chair with the seat worn through to the webbing.
the spring they were supposed to learn to swim A riverbank with other children in the water, and a towel still folded.
their own fiftieth birthday, noticed twelve days after A cake under a cover with one slice gone, and a note leaned against it.
the time it takes an oak to reach the eaves A tree outside a study window, drawn at three heights.
the whole of one decade, they forget which A wall calendar ten pages thick, with nothing written on it.
the year they meant to travel A packed bag under the bed, grown dusty.
years of cold feet under a desk Two pairs of socks, a foot warmer and a blanket over the knees.

Habits and comforts 15

a good singing voice, gone to muttering Lips moving in a choir stall, well behind everyone else.
a steady hand at pouring tea, lost to gesturing A teapot in mid-wave, and a ring of spilled drops on the cloth.
a taste for novels, which now seem under-footnoted A storybook put down open, with a pencil mark in its margin.
the ability to walk past a bookshop A figure halted in mid-stride, already turning toward a window.
an ear for music, traded for an ear for vowels A hand cupped at one ear, and a frown at a perfectly good tune.
any chance of a tidy desk A desk as a landscape: hills of paper, and a valley for one elbow.
any interest in news that is not on the syllabus A town crier in full cry outside a window, and a reader with their back to it.
candles, by the crate A crate of new candles beside a bucket of stubs.
clean fingers, inked beyond the help of soap Blue-black fingertips held up beside a spotless white cuff.
every coat elbow they ever owned A leather patch sewn over an older leather patch.
the habit of going to bed before midnight A bed still made, and a lamp burning in the next room.
hot dinners, since books and gravy do not mix A plate gone cold at the far edge of a table, behind an open book.
the knack of small talk A party, and one guest explaining a diagram to a potted plant.
the pleasure of a shelf they have not read A long bookcase, with a finger running along spines and finding nothing new.
the use of the kitchen, now a second study A stove with books stacked on it, and a kettle balanced on a pile of notebooks.

People 15

a best friend who stopped knocking A door seen from inside, with a knocker and a quiet hallway.
a brother's graduation, in a town two days off An empty chair with a ribbon on it, in a row of proud relatives.
a dog that went to live with someone who walked it A leash on a hook, and a dog's bed with a book left in it.
a rival's friendship, which might have been worth more Two desks back to back, and one glance over a shoulder.
a seat at the family table, kept but dusty A place set at the end of a long table, with the napkin still folded.
a walking companion, who found a faster walker Two walking sticks by a door, and a peg where a third used to hang.
the chance to teach a younger brother to fish Two rods in a corner, one of them much shorter, both with dust on them.
every friend's birthday for a decade A row of late cards, each with a hasty apology.
the family trade, handed to a cousin A shop sign with a new first name painted over an old one.
the good opinion of two practical aunts Two folded pairs of arms at a garden fence.
invitations, which stopped arriving around year six A mantelpiece with one old card propped on it.
the knack of dancing, never acquired A figure at the wall of a dance, counting steps on the fingers.
their standing with the neighbors, who heard the bangs Shutters opening along a street, and a smoking window among them.
three landlords and one ceiling A patch of new plaster overhead, and a notice pinned to the door.
visits home, which shrank to one a year A coat on a peg by the family door, with dust on its shoulders.

Chances not taken 15

a comfortable living as a notary A brass plate that was never put up, kept in a drawer.
a horse they never learned to ride A saddle on a rail, used as a bookshelf.
a perfectly good career in bread A baker's peel hung on a study wall like an oar.
a post at court, declined for the sake of one footnote A sealed letter used as a bookmark.
a promising start at the flute A flute in a case on a high shelf, with a book lying on top of it.
a winning streak at checkers, abandoned mid-season A checkers board under a layer of dust, with one piece still crowned.
an apprenticeship with a glazier, turned down twice A small square of colored glass, kept on the windowsill.
an early ambition to keep bees A straw hive in a corner of the study, used as a hat stand.
any pleasure in a stage magician's act An audience leaning forward, and one member checking under the seat.
the best harvest in living memory, missed entirely A postcard of a hay cart, propped against an inkwell.
certainty about anything at all A signpost with every arm blank, and a figure quite content beneath it.
first place, lost by one mispronounced vowel A second-place ribbon pinned inside a cupboard door.
the house the book money might have bought A shelf of leather spines with a tiny painted house standing among them.
the one summer the comet came, spent reading A streak across the sky in a window, and a head bent over a page below it.
the right to say they do not believe in magic A small shrug, with something floating quietly in the background.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list: time, comforts, company and chances that long study uses up. None is an injury or an illness, and none is a price paid to anyone. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

Still working on: all 60 questions

Why 15

why a spell copied in haste improves A neat page and a scrawled one, with a star on the scrawl.
why a spell fails when anyone says "watch this" A confident gesture, a small crowd, and nothing at all.
why dust settles in the shape of the last diagram drawn A tabletop with a faint gray circle and a triangle on it.
why echoes in the library arrive early A hand at an ear, and a mouth that has not opened yet.
why geese can tell a spell is coming A flock all looking the same way, a moment before anything happens.
why magic leaves a smell of struck matches A hand fanning the air in front of a wrinkled nose.
why no two wizards agree on what color a spell is Two paint swatches held side by side, both labeled the same.
why shadows weigh more in winter A kitchen scale by a window, with a shadow lying in the pan and the pan down.
why spilled salt always points north A scatter of white grains on a table, with a compass set beside it.
why the left sleeve always fills with chalk One white cuff and one clean one.
why the oldest spells are the shortest A huge old book open at a page with three words on it.
why the same spell tastes of pepper on Thursdays A tongue put out a little, and a calendar on the wall.
why the seventh try differs from the sixth Seven identical jars in a row, the last one a different color.
why the third wish in every tale goes wrong Three chalk check marks on a board, the last one crossed through.
why the word for open is so hard to close A door that will not quite shut, with a shoulder against it.

How to 15

how to build a door that admits only good news A messenger waiting on a step, with a hopeful telegram.
how to cast while carrying a week's groceries Two baskets, a raised elbow and a look of deep concentration.
how to get scorch marks out of velvet A sleeve held up to the light, with a brown patch the shape of a hand.
how to make a light that wakes nobody A dim blue glow under a cupped hand, in a dormitory.
how to make a spell last over a weekend A glow in a jar, and two days crossed off beside it.
how to make a spell that works for people in a hurry A figure running past with one arm outstretched.
how to pack a whole study into one trunk A trunk with a corner of carpet and a window frame sticking out.
how to reverse a spell without reciting it in reverse A page held up to a mirror.
how to say the long vowel without yawning A mouth wide open, with a hand hurrying to cover it.
how to send a reminder to last week A note held over a calendar, with a day already past circled on it.
how to shrink a library and still find things A bookcase the size of a matchbox, and a pair of tweezers.
how to store an hour for later A row of corked bottles, each labeled with a time of day.
how to teach it in less than a decade A pupil with a very long beard, sitting in the front row.
how to translate a spell without changing the weather A dictionary open under an umbrella, indoors.
how to write a spell short enough to remember A long page with all but one line struck out.

A proof or a book 15

a calendar that agrees with both the tides and the baker Two columns of dates joined by crooked lines.
a catalog of colors seen only at dusk A paint box open on a windowsill in fading light.
a census of creaking floorboards, by pitch A plan of a house with small musical notes written on the boards.
a grammar of the language spells are really in A table of verb endings, with a whole column left blank.
a history of magic, embarrassing chapters included A manuscript with several pages in plain brown wrappers.
a list of the things that cannot be summoned, so far A numbered scroll with an empty plate drawn beside each line.
a proof that the old masters were guessing A portrait gallery with small question marks penciled on the frames.
a proof that there are exactly seven kinds of knot Seven lengths of rope pinned to a board, and an eighth held behind the back.
a rebuttal to a rival's pamphlet of thirty years ago A yellowed leaflet full of angry underlining.
a single diagram with one line too many A large chalk figure, and an eraser hovering over one stroke.
a theory of where lost things go A notebook page of arrows that all lead behind one sofa.
a theory that all spells are one spell, said badly A blackboard with one long word, underlined in different places.
an alphabet of gestures, stuck at the letter G Six drawn hands in a row, and a seventh erased many times.
the correct pronunciation of a word found once A single word on a card, propped where it can be seen from the bed.
the fourth volume of a three-volume work A finished set on a shelf, and beside it a fat stack of loose pages tied with string.

One very small spell 15

a charm for waking one minute before the rooster An eye opening in a dark bedroom, and a bird outside still drawing breath.
a charm that stops a pen running dry mid-word A half-written word that ends in a faint scratch.
a charm to keep a place in line A pair of empty shoes standing in a line of people.
a perfect apology, for general use A much-folded sheet, with most of the lines crossed out and one left.
a pocket that always has the right change A hand drawn out of a coat, holding exactly three coins.
a spell for a hot dinner at the top of a mountain A summit cairn, and a covered dish steaming on it.
a spell for remembering names at parties A handshake, a frozen smile, and a name tag turned the wrong way.
a spell that lets a short person see a parade A row of backs, and one small figure with a clear, impossible view.
a spell that makes toast exactly right A toasting fork, and a color chart of browns.
a spell that tells a joke properly A wizard pausing with one finger up, and an audience already wincing.
a spell to find the thing one is already holding A hat held in one hand, and the other hand searching a shelf for it.
a spell to unsay one sentence a day Words in a speech balloon going back into a mouth.
a way to keep umbrellas from changing owners An umbrella stand with a small padlock and a guilty-looking handle.
a way to make Monday optional A week planner with one column folded under.
a word that makes a dull lecture end early A lecture hall clock with its hands creeping forward.

How this list was compiled

Original list written for Draw This Next, October 2026. Made up for this list: unfinished research, grand or very small. No game, book, film or show is named. The notes on what to draw are our own suggestions. Licence: own work

How it works

Each result is a wizard who learned magic the slow way: where they studied, what the first spell did, the small magic they are best at, what they keep, what it cost and what they are still working on.

Read the full guide

Learned, never born

A wizard here got magic from teachers and books, which sets the page apart from the sorcerer page, where power arrives unasked. So every part is about study: a school or a master, a first spell that took years to work, and a cost counted in summers and missed birthdays.

Six lines to draw from

The Keeps line is the prop: a book, a staff or tool, a familiar, or something from the shelf. The Best at line is a small scene, such as a goat being talked down from a roof.

Draw the possession first. A toad beside an inkwell says wizard before any hat does.
Stage the first spell with its witness in the picture: the goose, the tinker, the row of coats.

Questions and answers

What is a good idea for a wizard character?

Give them a schooling and a small specialty before any grand power: a wizard who studied at a night school above a cheese shop and is best at uncreasing maps. Each press here deals six parts of that kind.

What is the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer?

On this site a wizard learned magic from books and teachers, and a sorcerer was born with it or caught it by accident. This page deals the studied kind. The sorcerer backstory page deals the other.

Is the wizard from a book or a game?

No. All six lists were made up for this page, down to the cheese shop and the goose, and no book, film, show or game is named.

Can I use the ideas for a witch or a mage?

Yes. Nothing in the lists says who the character is beyond having studied, so the six parts fit a witch, a mage or an apprentice equally. Read the first line as wherever they learned.

Studied: all 60 schoolings

Under one teacher 12

At a school 12

While working for wizards 12

From books alone 12

Somewhere unlikely 12

First spell: all 60 first spells

Small and exact 15

Not quite as written 15

After a very long time 15

In front of someone 15

Best at: all 60 knacks

Mending and tidying 12

Finding 12

Light, weather and warmth 12

Words and paper 12

Plants and animals 12

Keeps: all 60 possessions

Books 15

Staffs and tools 15

Familiars 15

On the shelf 15

It cost: all 60 costs

Years 15

Habits and comforts 15

People 15

Chances not taken 15

Still working on: all 60 questions

Why 15

How to 15

A proof or a book 15

One very small spell 15

How it works

Learned, never born

Six lines to draw from

Questions and answers

More tools