8 DIY Dungeons And Dragons Nail Art Ideas

Dungeons & Dragons has been enjoyed by countless players worldwide, but do you know who really loves it? Nail artists! These nail art masters have turned the game’s symbols and creatures into some of the most detailed nail art ever made—for free, too! And with these 8 DIY Dungeons & Dragons nail art ideas, you can wear your love of the game on your nails all week long.

1) Evil Snowflake
This snowflake manicure is great for fans of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It’s perfect for those who can’t get enough magic in their lives—but not too much. If you like Erin Morgenstern’s work, then you’ll love Marie Brennan, Tiffany Reisz and Leslye Walton, who also provide readers with excellent magical reads.

2) Dragon Scales
This simple design can be achieved using nothing more than some eye makeup, a q-tip, and clear fingernail polish. Paint your nails with a base coat and let them dry completely (this is important!). Create different sized dots by dipping your q-tip in nail polish for each nail. Once you’ve created rows of colored dots at various widths, use another q-tip to dab on some clear polish over each dot. The result should look like scales!

3) D20
Who doesn’t love a good, classic d20? This is an easy one to recreate and is fun for any dungeon master. If you have time, make it glow in dark nail polish—it makes for a cool effect. Here are some easy steps: Paint your nails black (or dark purple if you prefer). Do light grey swirls on each nail with a thin paintbrush or makeup brush; I used tape to get them symmetrical but that’s optional.

4) T-Rex Claw
This simple design mimics a dinosaur claw and adds a wild edge to any Dungeons & Dragons-themed mani. Choose one shade of green, brown or blue polish and make vertical stripes on either your thumbs or ring fingers. Then, use a dotting tool to place small dots on each nail. Lastly, go over each dot with a lighter shade of polish and top it off with a clear top coat for extra shine. Voilà!

5) Fun Fungus
Here we have an eight-pointed, dungeon-inspired starburst. This one was pretty easy to execute and looks cool when painted over black polish (we used a matte nail varnish, but you could use whatever finish you prefer). The only downside is that it’s harder to see in dark lighting conditions—but hopefully there aren’t any skeletons hiding in your wardrobe! All you need is a fine paintbrush, your chosen colour and some time.

6) Ancient Runes
With just a little paint and an even smaller brush, you can recreate your favorite spells from Dungeons & Dragons. You’ll need: black nail polish, two fine brushes or pens, white nail polish, gold or silver acrylic paint or loose glitter, blue and purple watercolor paints, gold liquid watercolor. Paint on a few coats of black. Once dry add some ancient runes to each nail using white polish. Add more coats of white until opaque.

7) Fireball
It makes sense that it would translate well to nail art. To get a Fireball look, all you need is a little red polish and some gold glitter for sparkle. The optional white lines only add to its fiery charms! 1-2 coats of a bold red like Revlon Fire make up your base, while Essie Good as Gold adds flair in just two strokes.

8) Unicorn Horn
This one is a bit more difficult than some of our other nail art designs, but it’s also super cute and really eye-catching. Just make sure that you have a steady hand before you try it! Use your blue polish to draw out a unicorn horn shape on your ring finger. Then, add two small eyes using black eyeliner. Add pink ears using white nail polish and two little horns using brown nail polish to complete your unicorn design.