Painting brushed/burnished/worn stainless steel?

[matphat]

Looking at the very nice paint job done on the CSM Forgefiend on GWs site, I'm intrigued by the technique used to achieve the worn steel plate effect.

Does anyone have an idea of how this might have been accomplished? I'm guessing successive layers of lighter and lighter metal paints, done in a slashing motion with the brush.

 

Seen here

http://hharbingers.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/m2610140a_99120102036_csmmaulerfiend03_873x627.jpg

[Lord Commander Scrymgeour]

I think the answer is carefully!

It is bloody lovely isnt it

[Forté]

Check out the bad boys in this thread ;)

 

www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/275772-dark-mechanicus-project-something-binary-this-way-comes/page-14

[matphat]

Amazing models and paint, but I'm not sure his technique is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks though, that thread is amazing.

[Seleucus]

It would appear to be primarily drybrushed using lighter and lighter metallics, with the occasional directional stroke with slightly more paint on the brush.

 

This would fit in with the highlighting on the legs etc which appears to have been done by drybrushing with the side of the brush.

[Forté]

The steel colour was done first before other colours.

 

Start with your dark metal (used to be boltgun metal) and use a large brush (as in large dry brush size not GW large size) and heavily dry brush the whole thing but vary the direction of the stroke.

 

When that layer is totally dry. And I mean leave it longer that you usually would due to it being metallic. Cover the whole thing in Nuln oil.

 

Once the wash has dried. Dry brush again with your boltgun but not as heavily. Then again with your next lighter metal. And again until you have build up to your lightest metal colour.

 

What you aim to do though is reduce the amount of times you go over each area each time you change to a lighter colour. With your brightest being just on top parts that would catch the most light.

 

EDIT...

 

One thing I recommend is to varnish the model after doing all the steel. Metallic colours have a habit of coming off a little while you handle the model. Varnish will keep it in place so you don't get metallic flecks in your othe colours.

[Warpsmith_Johnson]

As my two cents, athonian camoshade is a good option for the technique, especially if you are using brass/copper instead of steel /silver. I like its brown-green tones better than straight black.

[stinkenheim]

If I were to do it I'd start with a base colour of boltgun metal, dark brown (I use scorched brown) and black in a 3:1:1 sort of mix.

Then wash with black, dry brush boltgun, wash with brown, dry brush boltgun and the chain mail. I'd also start adding scratches in this layer.

Wash with black or brown depending on how the colour is looking, dry brush chain mail and the mithril. More scratches this layer.

Wash with sepia and the a final edge highlight of mithril.

Other colours can be washed in to change the tone.