Metal Paint Blending
- Thread starter mouse
- Start date
vincegamer
Active member
Well, it\'s not different from other paint blending really.
You can do it with different shades, like starting with GW Chainmail shaded with Boltgun and highlighted with Mithryl, or you can create your own shade by darkening Vallejo silver with amounts of black with the highest parts being pure silver. (use browns for gold).
Does Vallejo make other metalic shades in their water-based stuff? I only have the basic set but it works pretty well.
Experiment. It\'s been my experience that you can darken metalics by adding black or dark brown, but you can\'t make them brighter by adding white so get the brightest metalic paint you can find.
You can do it with different shades, like starting with GW Chainmail shaded with Boltgun and highlighted with Mithryl, or you can create your own shade by darkening Vallejo silver with amounts of black with the highest parts being pure silver. (use browns for gold).
Does Vallejo make other metalic shades in their water-based stuff? I only have the basic set but it works pretty well.
Experiment. It\'s been my experience that you can darken metalics by adding black or dark brown, but you can\'t make them brighter by adding white so get the brightest metalic paint you can find.
Temperance
New member
Has anyone tried mixing a pearlesent white with metal paints to get brighter highlights? I\'ve been meaning to try that in my oh so ample free time... :~( :duh:
vincegamer
Active member
I\'ve never used the Pearlescents. I\'ve never actually seen them.
I did want to add that I often use vallejo silver as the highest highlight on my gold surfaces. They look very bright gold then. I haven\'t tried it on bronze but I have a feeling it wouldn\'t work.
I did want to add that I often use vallejo silver as the highest highlight on my gold surfaces. They look very bright gold then. I haven\'t tried it on bronze but I have a feeling it wouldn\'t work.
ZaPhOd
Super Moderator
Different colors...
Well, if you have a look here at Ymyrlix, I used the pearls on the gold, as well as the blade. It is more obvious on the gold of course, but I found it added a lot of extra depth.
If you look here at Skoli Warrior you can see the same effect on the gold and silver, but I also went a step further, and mixed up a rusty chestnut colored metal for all the armor plates and such. I also used the pearls on that as well.
I kind of like the effect as it has a very slight metallic sheen all by itself
Of course, I have no other colors of pearls, but I imagine you could just tint the white with inks say, like my rusty metal....
Well, if you have a look here at Ymyrlix, I used the pearls on the gold, as well as the blade. It is more obvious on the gold of course, but I found it added a lot of extra depth.
If you look here at Skoli Warrior you can see the same effect on the gold and silver, but I also went a step further, and mixed up a rusty chestnut colored metal for all the armor plates and such. I also used the pearls on that as well.
I kind of like the effect as it has a very slight metallic sheen all by itself
Of course, I have no other colors of pearls, but I imagine you could just tint the white with inks say, like my rusty metal....Light to dark...yes...dark to light...no
I had tried mixing mithril (from GW) with various darker tones (eg. black and brown) and it somehow allows me to blend pretty well. However, I seem to have a problem mixing light colors with metal paints.
Moreover, after mixing with non-metallic paints, the mixture seem to lose a certain amount of metallic sheen to it. Hence, it doesn\'t actually blend well with a basecoat of purely metal paint.
Anyone else encounters this problem?
Any solution?
I had tried mixing mithril (from GW) with various darker tones (eg. black and brown) and it somehow allows me to blend pretty well. However, I seem to have a problem mixing light colors with metal paints.
Moreover, after mixing with non-metallic paints, the mixture seem to lose a certain amount of metallic sheen to it. Hence, it doesn\'t actually blend well with a basecoat of purely metal paint.
Anyone else encounters this problem?
Any solution?
vincegamer
Active member
Metal paint has that sheen because it has tiny shredded metal particles in it. If you mix with some non-metal paint, you have fewer particles per drop of paint so less sheen. Lighter colors will need more quantity to change the basic color of the metal than darker colors because our eyes are not that sensitive. That\'s why this works better with darks than lights. If you just want to add a touch of pink to your silver, it should work, but if you want metalic pink, I suggest a tiny amount of red, maybe a tiny amount of whit if that didn\'t work.
Flashman14
Member
Vallejo has a Flat Aluminum which is a metallic white - kinda pearl colored. I\'ve never used it more than to edge metal so I don\'t really know what it looks like spread out over a surface . . . Could try that . . .
ZaPhOd
Super Moderator
So to Rehash
For altering the color of the metal surface, mix inks in with the silver metallic paint. Tints the metal nicely and you can make red, green, blue, various browns really easily. Start adding silver to begin highlighting, and then add pearlescent white to the top highlights. Maintains a \"glimmer\" of shine
For altering the color of the metal surface, mix inks in with the silver metallic paint. Tints the metal nicely and you can make red, green, blue, various browns really easily. Start adding silver to begin highlighting, and then add pearlescent white to the top highlights. Maintains a \"glimmer\" of shine
In respects this is a difficult question to answer. Most of the problems have already been touched on by other posters. But the real question is what are you trying to do with it? If your trying to paint armor so that it looks a little more realistic that\'s been covered. If you want a good looking gold, brass or bronze you have to ask if you want it polished or not. And as for blending you might want to try just doing NMM and then wash or highlight with pearlescent media.
So I guess the question remains What are you trying to get as an end result? At least in my case the techniques are different for each thing.
So I guess the question remains What are you trying to get as an end result? At least in my case the techniques are different for each thing.
Chrispy
Active member
I think any NMM techniques can be used for metal. Makes it more realistic than opaque paints in my opinion but I\'ve been a tad afriad of doing metal blending. I\'ve got some Metal Medium from Vallejo to mix in with them. It\'s got metal flakes in it and looks white, but I know it\'ll dry clear. I beileve mixing this with opaque/inks will make different colors and thus could be a pearlescent substitute for all colors.
Lastly, use more inks on metals to make them interesting! Black is too nomal for my taste. Plus, if your mini\'s a demon or such, that\'s just asking for a red or other weird colors.
Lastly, use more inks on metals to make them interesting! Black is too nomal for my taste. Plus, if your mini\'s a demon or such, that\'s just asking for a red or other weird colors.
