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Painting Metallic Power Armour


MagicMan

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I'm confused, if you can paint metal fine, are you just looking for a more effective method? If so, what are you doing at the moment so we can go from there?

 

I did discover a brand called "Model Master". It is enamel paint, basically just means it is oil based not water, not a big deal. But I use the metallics they have because it actually produces a reflective chrome, not just glittery or glossy. I use it for when I want a brighter, shinier silver or gold.

I dont know what issues your having.. When I got really into painting I started noticing my Metals starting looking Thick or Flat compared to the rest of the model.

Because of that I started looking into NMM Techniques((I Googled a lot)), and Even if you dont plan to use nmm EVER, I think everyone should Learn how it works...

Metallic paint doesnt really scale well, and learning how to highlight metals even if your using thinned down Metallic paints came in handy for me.. Not so much what to highlight but what colors I should use to highlight with, and how contoured reflective surfaces work..

 

my 2 cents

Hope that helps, and or makes any sense.. 

What I have been testing with metallics is to use the NMM technique with metallic pigments (you can see it on the power swords of my PH Ultramarines). You basically follow the teachings of the NMM but just using a base metallic colour, black wash mixed with watered down black paint and a silvery metal for the highlighting. So far IMO its bets looking metallics I have ever done, perfect for really shining metals.

 

Basically, I think its what Zsoulles said...

Hah, sorry. I didn't phrase the question very well.

Basically im having trouble highlighting the curved power armour and making it look good.

Im edge highlighting in all the places i would if painting it say blue or black or red, but with metallics it comes off as looking strange.

Particuarly on the legs/shoulders, its not coming out right.

Heres some pictures of what i mean...

gallery_58164_5490_19320.jpggallery_58164_5490_14691.jpg

gallery_58164_5490_35232.jpggallery_58164_5490_17225.jpg

Any help would be sweet.

P.S. The gold is only a single basecoat, which is why its flat. But i dont need help with that. :)

Edge highlighting on metallics for me has been a PITA at the best of times, and I tend to not bother with it anymore. My Minotaurs get a base coat of bronze, a dark sepia wash and a touch up highlight of bronze. My Guardians of the Covenant get a base coat of VGC gunmetal, a drybrush of VGC chainmail, a final drybrush of VGC silver, details in bronze, shoulder pads in black, then a sepia wash and gloss coat, Thelayers of drybrush really pop from the sepia wash and the gloss coat restores the luster of the metallics.

Yeah, edge highlighting with metallics is...ugh.  There are a rare few that make it look awesome.  I am not one of them.  I agree with Peredyne- better to shade with washes and highlight with drybrushes than to do something as sharp as edge highlighting.

 

Although I'm not sure how that will look next to so much color with very sharp edging.  If nothing else, one of the issues with the metal that I'm seeing in the highlights is that they are rather wide.  You managed fairly thin and sharp edging with the blue, but the metallic highlights are roughly twice as wide.

Yeah, edge highlighting with metallics is...ugh.  There are a rare few that make it look awesome.  I am not one of them.  I agree with Peredyne- better to shade with washes and highlight with drybrushes than to do something as sharp as edge highlighting.

 

Although I'm not sure how that will look next to so much color with very sharp edging.  If nothing else, one of the issues with the metal that I'm seeing in the highlights is that they are rather wide.  You managed fairly thin and sharp edging with the blue, but the metallic highlights are roughly twice as wide.

 

 

Yeah.. They're so wide because theres two layers of highlight there. A mid range metal, and a very bright metal, but they sort of blend into one fat band. 

 

Which isn't great...

 

 

@ Heathens

 

 

Is yours painted:

 

Dark Metal

 

Wash

 

Edge Highlight

 

Just guessing from looking at it. I think i made the mistake of trying for a mid tone highlight, like i would do with a colour. Which doesn't seem to work so well for metals.

I'm not sure if it's your lighting on the metallic areas or an actual issue, but I think your problem is exacerbated by poor wash control.  I'm not a big fan of edge highlighting to begin with, but I notice a few spots where it seems a wash has pooled and you have inappropriately dark areas as a result.  The leg for example has what appear to be bands of dark directly between your highlight and your midtone, ruining the illusion.  Similarly, it looks like a dark spot right at the curve of the shoulderpad where it would be most reflective of light.  I'd try to even your washes into a nice glaze if you're trying to affect the overall tone or limit them to the recesses if that's all you're going for.

Thanks Lazarro, that was definitely an issue. Ive since gone back and touched up those areas.

This was just a test mini, but i feel he's come out alright. And ive learned a few things for next time.

On his backpack i missed the middle highlight stage, and i think theres some more definition.

I haven't finished the model yet, but im fairly happy with how its coming along.

gallery_58164_5494_3949.jpg

gallery_58164_5494_65066.jpg

gallery_58164_5494_9654.jpg

Once i finish the next guy, ill post him up and hopefully there'll be some progress or some more areas for critique! I really appreciate it guys.

 Try out P3 armor wash, bro. Nurgling6688 turned me onto the stuff when I started my Astral Claws, and I never turned back.

 

It's a thin blue/black wash, designed specifically for silver/metal surfaces. Just use it in the crevices, not the whole surface, and you'll be very happy.

Yeah dude i've heard you mention that before (I think in the Astral Claws thread i made? Before i treacherously decided on Marines Errant)

 

I'll make sure to put a few Marines Errant helms on the bases of my Astral Claws then, and a few bodies as objectives for my Corpse Takers.

Found one. :/

 

 

Haha. Well thanks everyone, i guess ill put my painting on hold for a while until this armour wash gets here. 

 

 

Any tips for using it Heathens?

 

Not a wash to slather over your minis, lol. Use it with a thin brush only in cracks and crevasses, and a little will go a long way.

 

It works pretty well on blue too, so that might help. Test it first, it depends on how rich a blue you're using.

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