The Wandering Wizard – A New Caricature Comes to Life

Every carving starts with a vision, but sometimes the wood has its own ideas.

My latest finished caricature carving, The Wandering Wizard, began as a roughout created by Bruce Ankeny, a talented Caricature Carvers of America instructor known for his strong character designs. While the original roughout provided the foundation, I wanted to take this piece in a more mysterious and personal direction—giving it a stronger sense of story, motion, and personality.

The goal was to create a wizard that felt less like a simple figure and more like an old traveler—someone who had wandered through forgotten places, carrying knowledge, mystery, and just enough magic to make you wonder where he had been.

The carving evolved through many stages: refining the hood for more movement, reshaping the eyes for a wiser and slightly mischievous expression, deepening the beard flow around the hands, and designing the crystal staff to become a true focal point of the piece. I also added subtle mystical symbols to the robe and hood to help tell the story without overpowering the carving.

The finishing process included layered acrylic painting using heavily thinned Jo Sonja paints, light sealing coats of Krylon Matte Lacquer, and my usual antiquing process using a wax and walnut stain blend to soften the colors and bring out the depth in the carving. The crystal staff wrap and aged finish helped complete the final look.

The result is a one-of-a-kind caricature carving with its own personality and presence—The Wandering Wizard.

Some carvings simply turn out well. Others seem to become a character on their own.

This one definitely became the latter.