Struggling with Metallics

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Scenic

New member
Hi there,

when I came back into painting miniatures some weeks ago I decided to work on my metallics skills since up to then I only drybrushed those.

I read various tutorials ( kudos to JRN ) and also articles on this site.

My planning for dark iron at this stage is at follows:

- Basecoat of Boltgun metal
- Glaze with a combo of Vallejo transparent blue and brown glaze
- deep shades with black

Now I wanted to rehighlight with Boltgun and eventually with Mithril.


Problem is, I cant get blending to work with those metallics. Either the metal flakes and paint part on my palette when heavily dilluted or i can hardly see anything under my lamp - the reflections make it really hard to see if there is any effect by the layers.

Any tips on how to blend those paints properly?
 
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generulpoleaxe

New member
your doing the right thind by keeping the paint thin.:)

it may take 2-3 layers for the base coat.
once the base coat is even and smooth the others layers will go on nicely.

just try and try again and you will get the effect you are after.
 
M

Modderrhu

New member
Yep, when metallics are thinned, it can be hard to see the effect they have once they\'ve been applied to the mini. But this is actually a good thing, just carry on highlighting and glazing as usual, and the progression will be quite smooth. I\'ve found that I have to almost just believe that it\'s all working as it should, rather than being able to see immediate results.

And with metallics, don\'t be afraid to highlight, then wash, highlight, then wash again.
 
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vincegamer

Active member
I find I have to set it down between layers because while applying the highlights, I often can\'t see any difference at all, but after 5 minutes or so, when it\'s totally dry, I can see them.
 
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ardyer

New member
Try thinning with a glaze or metallic medium instead of water. I have found that the metallic flakes react better this way. Both are available in the Vallejo Model Color range.
 
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marineboy

New member
What ardyer said.:D

The Vallejo glaze medium with help keep the metallic flake in suspension when thinning the metallic paint.
 
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funnymouth

Active member
have faith! as somone who has done quite a bit of work with metallics recently (many more posts to come soon!) i have enountered this issue before. metallics, are in a sense, very easy to blend. the transitions are usually so smooth that they are hard to decern under lamp light. the only time you will clearly see a difference is if you hilight very harshly (which can work wonderfuly for hilighting metals). include chainmail in your blending palate, and work in many thin layers (feathering). it is important to let the paint dry and obsrve the paints onder varied light sources. with metallics you wont get different shades of paint, so much as differing reflective qualities.
alternatively, this is one of the few instances in which i feel comfortable wet blending. start with metallics of a *creamy* consistancy, and very thinly apply them (still thick enough that you can distunguish between the colors) where you want them, crudely. use a wet brush to blend the two together. this can actually be easier to work with. also, for a dull iron, i recommend washing with non-inks over inks (veeeeery thin washes m ind you). it will give it a much flatter and more realistic look.
 
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generulpoleaxe

New member
here is an example of quick metalics with washes to then tone down the highlights and give a more realistic effect.

grishnakh3so.jpg
 
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funnymouth

Active member
great example generulpoleaxe.

i also wanted to note the importance of underpainting with metallics, esp. when working with thin washes. its a great way to give your metallics a tone (underpaint with warm or cool colors to generate a warm or cool metallics) and hilight them subtley.
 
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beowulfthehunter

New member
It si one of those things you will have to do on blind faith. One you hit it with dul-cote, it brings out the metalic blending.

Many times I have painted with metalics, hated what I did then when I saw it after I sealed it and it looked incredible.
 
Talion

Talion

New member
This is going off topic a bit, but I\'m always hearing about DULLCOAt , and how good and effect it can have on the final look of the mini.

Any ideas on where I can get it in the UK, or is it an internet shop?

[edit] just notice there was a topic about Dullcote in this forum.......sorry. I\'ll post this there as well.

\"look into my eyes, not around my eyes into my eyes\" - You never saw this message
 
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generulpoleaxe

New member
http://www.horsingaround.com/acatalog/Paints___Sprays.html

check there ebay store as well.

it gives a true matt finish as tho the mini had never been varnished.

painting with metalics is exactly the same as nmm.
smooth transitions between shading and highlighting will produce nice looking armour.
depending on how you weather it or add glare determines it\'s final appearance.
 
G

GreenOne

I paint my thumb.
@Talion: There are probably way more than that, in fact... but, hey, at least it wasn\'t about NMM:p

@Generulpoleaxe: Hey, It\'s the same mini used as an exemple on the static grass thread.
Freshly posted and waiting for votes... hmmm..
You have efficient promoting tactics.. see, I voted ;)
 
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Grid Reaper

New member
Ive been trying this recipe out myself (got it from a tutorial by Fluffy on the Brushthrall website).

Anyways I just finished one of my slayer jack (wished I had a camera) using that recipe. I had the same problem, I couldnt see my layers and highlights very well. However when I finished the model and sealed it with 2 coats of Testors DullKote, I could clearly see them.

What Im going to try on the next figure is sealing it after the base coat, ink glaze, and first highlight of boltgun metal.

~GR
 
S

Scenic

New member
First of all: Thanks for all the good hints, didnt expect that much tips!

Now I got another problem :)
I\'m trying to bring up a nice unit of 5 Grey knight terminators for my army. I decided to paint them in metallics, but I wanted it to look old, somewhat like this model from JRN: http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/Ikore/Archangel/1.jpg

I found a nice paint combo for the job but my problem is the armor of the terminators - where the hell do i start \"aging\" on round circular shapes like the legs and torso. Another problem that poppep into my mind: Are the surfaces on the armor too small too achieve something like that? I need some opinions in that.
 
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generulpoleaxe

New member
use a variety of well placed glazes.

a combination of purple and then brown glazes with a bit of black to help shade.

vallejos smoke should help as well.
 
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