Check Out This Inspired Harry Potter Nail Art

The world of Harry Potter has never been smaller! Our favorite characters, objects, and house colors come to life in elaborate fan-made art manicures.

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It follows that the Potterverse attracts fans steeped in creativity and artistic aptitude, and their talent shines here in an unlikely medium: manicures! The level of detail achieved on a canvas as small as a fingernail takes a huge degree of skill, not to mention a steady hand. Most women need others to do nail art for them. Those who can achieve it on their own hands are a class unto themselves with magical abilities.

We’ve rounded up some of the most impressive works we could find on Instagram to celebrate this form of art. These custom Harry Potter-themed manicures are beautiful, diverse, and colorful; some are truly stunning!

Here are ten designs that will enchant and inspire you.

Here we have the Gryffindor colors, an impressive little owl, and a Harry portrait in the style of a Funko Pop! vinyl figure. The hand-painted font is especially well done.

In miniature Harry’s wand looks more like a wooden arm, but he’s so cute! The golden snitch’s feathers have really good detailing. I love the Deathly Hallows symbol done in cake decorating pearls (at least that’s what I assume those sprinkles are).

Ooh, glitter! Generally I’m not a fan of long square nails, but I love this ombre effect in Slytherin’s house colors. The snakes are both cute and well drawn.

Wow. Just wow. This portrait of Hogwarts with dementors is so amazing I barely have words. Starrynail is a very apt user/site name, as this design reminds me of Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night.” Look at the colors, the movement conveyed by the brushstrokes, the continuation from one nail to the next! The fact that it glows in the dark AND under black light. What a feat of art.

Simple, adorable, with a winningly muted palette that’s nicely accented by the gold glittered fingers. I like that the snitch has gold glitter highlights as well.

For the dark witches (or wizards)! The matte black base and sleek, precise details overlaid in white and grey make for one hell of a showstopper. I am a total nerd for fonts and the penmanship here is so exquisite and exact! This is masterfully designed and executed. I don’t care that the pointer finger is delivering the killing curse, I want these nails.

Again, wow! The color work, Harry’s Patronus on the last nail, and the detail in Harry’s portrait are remarkable. You can almost hear Harry screaming “Expecto Patronum!” These would be great on your other hand as a companion piece to the Hogwarts and dementors design.

That is a super realistic portrait of Gary Oldman! Props, ashearer3. I completely adore the Marauder’s Map references on the bookending nails.

While I’m calling out extraordinary portraiture, this is a spot-on rendering of Tom Felton. Anna_xiewei has captured the condescension in Draco’s eyes perfectly. This is so good it’s damn near unbelievable, and all her other work is just as good. (This jaw-dropping James Dean, for example.)

Beautiful but also kinda terrifying. The skill on display here in sculpting the miniature Elder wand and Hogwarts gets my endless respect! Lala4nails also made a companion set to this featuring the golden snitch and the Hogwarts shield. The sculptural elements of her work are really impressive!

Next: If Game of Thrones Characters were in Hogwarts Houses

Check out these and many more designs here. Which nail artworks are your favorite? Do you paint your own Harry Potter masterpieces on your nails? Share your designs with us!

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