Opinions for a Beginner on Metallic Armor

[Wyrd]

Hi there, reasonably new painter here wanting some input from veterans about my color scheme and how to achieve it. I've been watching tutorials like a madman lately trying to figure out how to get the look I've established in my head, which is basically this,

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/wyrdboy/ironcrusadermarineshooped.jpghttp://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/wyrdboy/ironcrusadercaptainshooped.jpg (Little bit of photoshop dickery included)

I put emphasis on the basically because for the base armor blue/grey color I'd like to add a bit of a metallic tinge to it, so I've been trying to find examples of how other people have done it but I'm either terrible at searching or it's a terrible idea so nobody does it, I'm leaning more to the former however. I did find a nice pic whilst searching the forums that is a pretty close approximation;

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/280383-painting-metallic-power-armour/?p=3466297

Essentially I'd like it to be a bit more of a blue shade and a bit darker, once again I've dicked around on photoshop, apologies to 1000heathens if I offend (or whomever is the original painter).

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/wyrdboy/shoopedmetal.jpg(Original on the left)

If that mini has actually been painted with in NMM, you'll have to imagine it with actual metallic paint, because I would probably puke my intestines in frustration trying to do one model, let alone an entire army. I'm only aiming to paint to a slightly-above-tabletop standard, I have a condition called Essential Tremor and it's bad enough to make fine motor movements like doing tiny details on models incredibly frustrating and eventually painful.

Anyway, the process that I have come up with would be as follows;

1. Prime Black

2. Mix up a batch of paint to the color I want, keeping a ratio of 10:1 - Nonmetallic Paint:Metallic Grey (Boltgun or similar)

3. Basecoat armor

4. Successive dry brushes, increasing ratio as I highlight (15:1, 20:1, etcetera)

5. Paint other details, dry brush

6. Dip in Dark tone QuickShade, mount mini on drill to remove a very large amount to tone down the shading

7. Complete (hopefully)

I know the first reply will be "Well, you've got a process, go experiment!" Unfortunately, all of my paint and minis are at a friend's house who lives over 4 hours away because I cannot trust anyone in my complex enough to leave them at my home. I have been broken into nearly a dozen times, if it wasn't for the fact I cannot get ANY other housing near enough to my work, I'd be elsewhere, so all I can work with until I'm able to visit him again is theories.

TL;DR - I want to mix metallics into a dark blue-grey and reduce the metallics in the highlights, will that work or just look horrible?

[Major_Gilbear]

I want to mix metallics into a dark blue-grey and reduce the metallics in the highlights, will that work or just look horrible?

 

Normally, you increase the metallics in the highlights, since they will catch the light naturally anyway. Doing it the other way around is likely to look a bit odd (although using very small white highlights on very bright metallic silver is a known technique).

 

Also, Vallejo make a metallic medium that you can add to regular paints to make them metallic. Looks okay I guess, but I find that metals look best when you mix them with similar colours (eg: grey with silver, or brown/beige with gold, and so on).

 

I do think the green eagle will clash with the red shoulders though. Maybe a cold white would suit better?

[S.k.i.t.t.l.e]

I've seen other examples of coloured metallics around. I've seen people basecoat their models with a silver, build up the colours using washes, then re-highlighting the edges to make them pop.

 

Vallejo do a great range of metallics in their Model Air range, many of which are coloured. There's blue and red metallics in there.

 

There's even a Black Metal, which is really just a very dark silver, which you could put a blue wash over for a very basic paint scheme. Then highlight the edges with Gunmetal or something. Just an idea... :D

[Wyrd]

Normally, you increase the metallics in the highlights, since they will catch the light naturally anyway. Doing it the other way around is likely to look a bit odd (although using very small white highlights on very bright metallic silver is a known technique).

I was hoping to keep brightness of the highlights to a minimum, would just leaving the ratio of metallics the same be ok?

Also, Vallejo make a metallic medium that you can add to regular paints to make them metallic.

Huh, I didn't notice that, I might give that a go, that's pretty much exactly what I wanted.

I do think the green eagle will clash with the red shoulders though. Maybe a cold white would suit better?

Yeah, I actually adopted that off an old scheme I had and threw it on there to test, it does look a lot better with an off-white under the bone.

I've seen other examples of coloured metallics around. I've seen people basecoat their models with a silver, build up the colours using washes, then re-highlighting the edges to make them pop...

...There's even a Black Metal, which is really just a very dark silver, which you could put a blue wash over for a very basic paint scheme. Then highlight the edges with Gunmetal or something. Just an idea...

That's another cool idea, that'd certainly be easy and relatively quick. I think I'd have to go through quite a few test models to get it right, but hey that's life

Thanks for the great suggestions folks, I guess I've got some more tutorialing and theorisifying to do

[Major_Gilbear]

You might find this article here on Brusthralls useful for the metallic medium (scroll down about two thirds of the way).

[infyrana]

Have you tried painting it using the base black and metallic that you want, then highlighting it with a blue tint like using Guillame Blue Glaze?