Painting: Interactive NMM Tutorial

[Boltman]

Lets make an interactive thread for those who wish to learn/improve their NMM technique. My own Technique has evolved, through my latest Khorne Dreadnought and here are the pointers I have for those who want to try this. Through this I will assume you know how to properly dilude your paints, you are looking for the consistency of 2% milk when doing the color transitions, that's about 60% water to 40% paint for the average GW paint.

 

Gold color receipe:

Dark Flesh

Vermin brown

Leprous brown

Ochre yellow (VMC) Intermediate bewteen Leprous and light yellow

Light Yellow (VMC) intermediate between yellow and white (50/50)

 

Steel colors:

Hmm, well, a whole lot of grey mixes. I don't have the VMC numbers here, I'll add them tonight. Basically, I used 5 shades of grey, the brightest ones being Fortress grey and codex grey.

 

NMM, Flat surfaces

 

Big Thanks to CRasterImage for making the following picture!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y250/Boltman78/555oo5.jpg

 

Consider a square, flat surface.

 

1- I basecoat the model with my median color in the receipe. For gold, I used Leprous brown, steel would be a median grey. The trick is to get your bearings on where light and dark will be. I first determine where the light is coming from, Let us assume top left corner. Let's also assume that the surface is fairly open to the incoming light, not hidden under the model.

 

2- I proceed to apply the darkest color in the range in the top left corner, closest to the light source. I covered perhaps 25% of the entire square surface, diagonally starting from the Top left corner. Then, the very opposite corner of my surface is given about the brightest color of my range; my Ochre yellow. Why not yellow? Because I only want to use a little bit of the brightest color, so I'll do it at the end.

 

3- So now, I have a square with dark flesh in a corner, ochre at the opposite, and the central area (including top right and bottom left corners) are still Leprous brown. This serves as bearings for the color blending to come. That way I know where I need to end the darkest or brightest, and I know just how much room I have for the colors to change from leprous to dark flesh or leprous to ochre. Towards darkness, I apply a strip of vermin brown in between the dark flesh and the middle, diagonally.

 

4- Note that I paint a diagonal streak and while it is still wet, I go back in a zig-zag pattern to blur the edges of this vermin brown painted line.

 

5- Then, I mix a little vermin with dark flesh, and I blur a new line in between my pure vermin and pure dark flesh areas. You should get a fair transition. To get a great result you need a very smooth transition in color. Either you're a pro and you can wet blend the colors, or you do like me and you make a lot of intermediate color mixes to blurr the transition.

 

6, 7 & 8- Once you're done, do the same towards the light, down right corner. You should make sure pure leprous brown is still the color present in the central diagonal axis of your square.

 

9- Lastly, take your lightest color, light yellow, and mix it a little with ochre. Brush it in the corner, in motions going towards the corner. Finally, a little pure light yellow (always diluded) is applied at the very tip.

 

10- What's left? The all important bright line on top, where the edge faces your lightsource. Use Ochre, and use the side of your brush's bristles to gently run across the top and left edges of your square, because the top left corner is where the light is coming from.

 

11- Next, use light yellow your brightest color, do the same thing as you did with the ochre, but start in the middle of each edge and go towards the upper left corner of the square. If your light yellow is diluded enough, the lines made will look like ochre turning to light yellow as it gets cloe to the top left corner. Do another pass of light yellow to make sure the edges very close to that corner are pure light yellow. Voil�!

 

That' the technique basically. On each flat surface you paint, identify where the light is coming form (normally the same for the entire model), mark your dark and bright zones, and blur the color transitions in between. After a little practice you'll get a natural sense of where light and dark need to be and it won't be as tricky as it may seem at first.

 

Try it out and post pictures of your result, I will comment them and all can benefit! :D

 

 

Boltman

[Ahmato]

Thanks, I will try and have a go :D

 

Ahmato

[bambam]

Thanks alot, Boltman. This will be of great help!

[Artimis Vergadin]

awesome project man. I'll be trying this out.

 

Artimis

[Albator]

I'm not a fan of NMM but I think I should at least give it a go ... and learning from the best should be more than helpful :D !

[Aquilla]

hmm... interesting, I'll give it a try!

 

:D

[CRasterImage]

This is what I understood from the Boltman's post:

 

 

 

(I fail at image tags...)

[Boltman]

WOW CRasterImage, Terrific! See what joining everyone's skills can do? :D

 

Can I use your picture in my tutorial?

 

 

Boltman

[CRasterImage]

If it looks correct, yes please add it to your original post.

Perhaps stick some numbers in your text to reference which step you are talking about.

 

You might want to upload the picture to your photobucket account and make an image tag for it. The BB img tag doesn't seem to work when the file does not end in a .gif, .jpg or .png. Either that, or I suck at img tags.

[Comandante Alexos]

Wow, thanks Boltman, your minis are great! :D

[l33t h0b0]

man that looks SO easy

 

I know I am not the best painter ( k more like a crappy painter)

 

but know I know and understand what WET BLENDING IS !!!!

 

thank you Boltman...think I will try this some time

 

and thank you CRasterImage for the pic of the example

 

 

that pic and this toutorial shuold go in a painting archive

[Willowwing]

It's a technique that you can use for any color on any surface. You just have to know what spectrum you are going for. It is a technique I love to use for metallics as well. I have recently used the glaze medium and have had good results with it for blending as well.

[brother_gabriel]

even though i am more a fan of "real" metallic paints, i think i have to try this, just for fun :D .

[Blue]

Really great and helpful tutorial! I have never heard of establishing color zones first and then blending them together with pseudo-glazes. Do you tend to always use this style of blending or only when shade and highlight placement is important like in NNM?

[CRasterImage]

What is really amazing is that Boltman has the skill and patience to do this technique well, even on the smallest details on the model. Like the heads of little 1mm bolts on a harness or armored plate.

 

Hmmm... bolts.

could be a connection there...

[Brother Nihm]

I've always wondered how to do NMM since I first saw it, many failed attempts later I'm still interested in learning the technique.

for the record, let me just state that the latest update (with the pic showing the blends etc.)

did alot for me.

 

I might actually gather the courage to try and make a NMM fig. :D

[Boltman]

What is really amazing is that Boltman has the skill and patience to do this technique well, even on the smallest details on the model.

[Jokersminis]

Clear, concise tutorial on a far from exact science, an art form.

 

Thanx, Maybe next year I'll be able to give you a run for your money, rather than sitting on the 1st Cut Shelf!

 

 

Maybe...

[VtrAxX]

Excellent this is going to be useful when I am going to be painting my next NMM Gold and Silver Projects..

 

One question Boltman: Would this effect still be used on smaller areas like Shoulder pad trims, Eagle Insignias, And all the smaller surfaces?

 

Anyways Amazing And Very Good Guide to a new Improved technique of NMM

[Boltman]

Yes Victor, that technique is what I use all over the dreadnought, it's all about defining where the light is coming from and orienting the shade/hilight accordingly. If you want every little detail to look good and shiny, that'S how I'd do it. Heck, all the bolts (0.5 mm) were done with a reflection, though that'S a slightly different technique for later.

 

Jokersminis, I'll be expecting your next model. IMHO your rhino was really cool and that's what matters, self accomplishment.

 

Do you tend to always use this style of blending or only when shade and highlight placement is important like in NNM?

 

I use this "reference point" idea on tougher elements, where I have little bearing, like large open surfaces. I use a lot with gold and steel, though the red armor I've done enough to pull it off from dark to bright. This is a trick, over time and experience you might not need it anymore as you devellop your own technique.

 

 

Boltman

[SeanSullivan]

Thanks for the tutorial! Now I can just direct people to this thread instead of trying to explain it to them in the future hehe.

 

It's pretty much the same technique I've used in the past (non SM example here; Ork Pirate) although you've really accomplished much smoother blends than I've been able to achieve. Very inspirational to me today as I am spending some time doing Gold NMM filigree and really want to focus on smoother blends. Thanks again!

 

I won't even bother to say "This should be stickied" because we all know it would be a crime not to. :D

[Master_Aerethos]

wow... even though i have been painting for 5 years, i feel like a complete newb. can anyone please explain what wet blending is? if you could, i would be for ever greatful, as i am sure it is useful for far more than NMM.

 

Master_Aerethos

[Greyfen]

Master Aerethos, wet blending is putting two colors (wet) next to each other on a model and blending them directly on the model for a smooth transition. It is a more advanced technique and many painters seem to perfer layering to acheive their blends.

 

the Jenova Project has a pretty good tutorial on it located here: http://www.jenova.dk/

 

Oh! Boltman, thank you so much for this tutorial, I have read a few NMM tutorials and this is alot easier to understand. Perhaps I too can master this technique... after I master a few others ofcourse :D

[maxxim]

Already working on it now....

 

Thx for the tutorial... I noticed that Rune Kalpe uses the feathering on his NMM also. So I must learn this.....

 

If any one tries this please put their results up so we can see them... I`ll do a square or something tonight and see if I can get the same quality.

 

Thanks: Maxxim

[Master_Aerethos]

well, thank you ,Greyfen, for the link. a quick overview and i understand. i think i might have to do that on my deamon prince, once i finish cleaning him up...

 

and thank you, Boltman, for this wonderful tutorial. i do have a question, though: are you planning on writing tutorials fo curved and other surfaces?

 

Master_Aerethos