i dont know why but i dont seem to find metallics and free hand too hard. it sjust the whole blending issue that gets me. cheers for the kind responses.......any help i can give on painting metallics ask away. when i started with the idea i was very unsure if it would work due to the way metal pigments work, but hey i thought set yourself a challenge an go for it. i know the freehand could be tighter if it was all done in NMM but then again its for a UK competition and i dont think NMM goes down too well here.
During the painting i discoved that purple in is very usefull for shading /glazing metals. it warms up the colours and dark areas. for the free hand lining i used a mix of scorched brown and black ink, it makes the right flow consistency and does not have the hard edge that black has. also it adds to the antique look of the gold.
quick tip for painting free hand on shoulder pads: dont stick them on until last. cover a small box (the GW mail order ones are great) with double sided tape and take the stickyness away abit by using your jumper/t-shirt to dab at it. then place them on there. it helps you keep the whole thing steadyand have a bigger thing to hold.....i also use this sticky box idea for priming multipart plastics as it stops the pieces getting blown away by the wind or aerosol spray
