Painting "organic metallics" for Tyranid carapace

[Evil Eye]

I started painting some Tyranid Warriors, and decided to give them an iridescent, beetle-y shiny metallic carapace as an experiment. I started with a layer of metallic blue (I have forgotten the brand, DecoArt or something? I picked it up on holiday in the US at a craft store), added some streaky highlights with TurboDork Malum Malus, and then applied a very thin oil wash of cobalt violet.

The question is, does it look enough like beetle chitin and not too much just like coloured metal- and how could it be improved? I was wondering about an extremely light brown wash, some very fine silver highlights on the green bits and then a gloss coating.

[Grotsmasha]

I think what's bothering me about it is the straight metal edging, is it's like we'd highlight traditional paints. I think it would look more beetle iridescent if it was a solid covering edge to edge, with patterning in the middle, or on the edges.

[Scrinson]

I must say that the blue affect is pretty cool. I agree with Grotsmasha on the highlighting. Also a brown wash as you suggested IMO would improve the finish. Not sure about adding silver highlights as that seems less organic to me and may detract from the affect you have achieved with the blue.

[Bryan Blaire]

Evil Eye, if you haven’t already, try a Google search for “sapphire jewel beetle” - there are different ones out there with different appearances, but many of them have some kind of blue-green and even pale green in them as well, but do have a very silvery metallic shine in a very thin band where the light glints off the raised exoskeleton edges or around the shadows where the light shines.

 

Incorporating those elements may add to the “read” on the ‘Nid carapace.

 

I would definitely thin down the silver banding to just a line with some additional glints at the edge, and possibly look at including some turquoise and pale green transitions in the shadows (or even a green to blue color shift), and don’t be afraid to create a really dramatic dark shadow - those definitely happen on jewel beetle carapaces.

 

No matter what you choose to do, it already looks cool and I’m a big fan of bug-based ‘Nids!

Edited May 1 by Bryan Blaire

[Evil Eye]

Thanks very much all!

 

I'm definitely going to try darkening the "shadow" areas a bit, probably with a subtle but dark brown. I'm torn between layering over some Agrax Earthshade or similar water-based wash (which would be much quicker and "safer") or doing it with another application of oils (could give better results, especially blended with the purple I already used). I'm also pondering after doing that and adding some slightly refined highlights, coating the carapace in a layer of gloss with the tiniest tint of Aethermatic Blue, giving both a nice glossy insectile look that doesn't just look like anodized metal, and also acting as a glaze/filter to adjust the colours underneath.