painting gold

V

Vaalkor

New member
hey im new to this forum so im not sure if somone has already posted this question but here it goes anyway. im going to paint the tomb prince with hand weapon and shield model for a local painting compitition and as you can imagine theres a lot of gold on that modle and i was wondering how i can skillfully paint it (not just mithril washed with gryphon sepia) and not make it look tacky. ive also never painted nmm before and i dont want to try it out on this modle, so any other hints or tips would be great :)
 
Wyrmypops

Wyrmypops

New member
I've always enjoyed a Tin Bitz basecoat before slapping on the old Burnished Gold or the current Shining Gold. Finishing with an extreme highlight of Silver. Occasionally tinting it back in some areas with a chestnut/orange/flesh and/or brown wash.
Though next time I go gold I'll be trying out a basecoat of a very dark brown before taking up the Gold paint. Replacing the Tin Bitz with a brown should have those recessess more truly dark with the ikkle metallic fleks providing light.
 
G

Gilvan Blight

New member
Brilliant

Wyrmypops,

Why didn't I think of that. I also start with Tin Bits and then build up to Shining Gold, then to Mithril Silver just in little bits for light flares and extreme highlights. I also mix in some Badab Black, Gryffon Sepia and Delvian Mud washes to try do add some shadow. The washes work well to darken up the recesses but I often find them either not dark enough, or that they dull the metallic too much. For some reason I never even thought to paint over brown instead of tin bits though.
 
Wyrmypops

Wyrmypops

New member
Hehe, cheers but can't really take the credit for the idea. It's something I've read, either hereabouts or in some recent GW masterclass on metals. Can't provide a linky as I can' recall exactly where I've read it, my memory being one of those things one uses to drain water from foodables. :doh:

Seems obvious now eh, but we've got reliant on the old metallic processes, rather than considering how those ikkle metallic fleks affect what could otherwise be a regular dark to light gradient. Daresay it's ideas from the NMM process returning to improve the Metallics process. Or something.
 
CreganTur

CreganTur

Member
This is the recipe I use for gold:

basecoat in Dwarf Bronze
Highlight with shining gold
highlight with burnished gold
extreme highlight with Tamiya Gold Leaf
Extreme Extreme highlight (the brighest reflective points) with Mithril Silver
wash with devlan mud
wash with baal red
wash with ogryn flesh
wash with gryphonne sepia
touchup extreme highlight with Tamiya Gold Leaf
touchup extreme extreme highlight with Mithril Silver

be careful not to overdo the washes and work with thinned paint- just make sure it's not watery, or the paint will flow into areas you don't want.

Here's an example of what the gold recipe can produce: http://www.stonetowerminiatures.com/albums/commissions/spacewolves/swc1.jpg
 
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mickc22

mickc22

Granddad!
if you basecoat with orange instead of brown that will give you a really bright gold, using red, yellow or an ochre will also give a different feel to your gold
Have a play on something that doesn't matter, from your bitz box, then experiment with different inks or ink mixes
 
J

jahminis

New member
i usually undercoat my golds with a dark brown, and then my first layer is a 50/50 mix of gold and brown...
it really helps the gold to coat better, and helps give a richness to the metallic paint...
the new Devlan Mud wash is good for bringin' shadows back before highlights, too...

there are a lot of effects you can play with, depending on what kind of look you want for the gold...
if you are doin' a Tomb King, you can play with some greens to make the gold look aged...

good luck in the contest...

cheers
jah
 
In Chigh P.I.

In Chigh P.I.

New member
have you tried using oil paints? Humbrol do a really nice gold enamel, which covers like a dream over either black or white undercoat if mixed correctly
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
Better mettalics get better results. Whilst GW golds are readily available they are very grainy and for some models just look rough as a Badgers Bum.
if you can switch to Vallejo Airbrush Paints, Gold & Brass are good thin and smooth metallics with a much finer particulate level.
Base coat with the Gold, use a darker wash, then rehighlight . Add the Brass for the next level of highlights and then use Vallejo Airbrush Chrome as the final highlight mix before using it as the "Flarepoint highlight".
You can wash easily with as many colours as you wish to use. I've used Green and Purple as well as Vallejo German Camoflage Black Brown.

Oh and the best advice if at all possible burnish the area to be painted metallic, gives a better end result.
 
Gandalf the Grey

Gandalf the Grey

New member
Brazen Brass has always been ideal for me as a base coat ontop of a white undercoat. Brings out a bright gold when you reach the highlight stage.
 
T

tidoco2222

Active member
Basecoat Tin Bitz
Then just add increasing amounts of Shining Gold into the Tin Bitz, keep going in gradual increments until you are just using Shining Gold, add a little Mithril for a final highlight. Mithril Silver on its own for hot spaot (extreme Highlights here and there).

Vostroyan1.jpg


Vostroyan4.jpg


That is how I do all my Golds including the gold on this Vostroyan
 
black dagger

black dagger

Member
Dwarf bronze base coat
wash badab black
wash devlan mud
dwarf bronze shining gold mix 50/50
shining gold working towards edges less each time
shining gold mithril silver50/50 (highlight)
final highlight mitril silver.
thats how i do gold.
 
M

Mercius

New member
I have been using the procedure that Tidoco2222 describes ever since reading his tutorials on Last Alliance elves. I also use his proceudre for steel described in the Warriors of Minas Tirith tutorial. Great reads and very informative if you have never checked them out. They have improved my true metallics by a great degree!
 
K

Kretcher

Active member
I am currently also experimenting with gold metallics to learn more. As Dragonsreach says above the Vallejo AIR range is very good and smooth ( I have just bought it and just tested some of it on a test figure that i have). Generally what i have done is the following steps.

1. Base color Vallejos Game Color shining gold
2. Washes with Chocolate brown (with much water) and after that more washes with a darker brown but more into the shadows. (this steps brings down the shining gold a little and give more depth to the color.
3. One wash with Badad Black from GW
4. Glazes with Leviathan Purple from GW (mostly for areas that should not be highlighted
5. highlights with gold and gold mixed with aluminum
6. some spots with almost pure aluminum (vallejo AIR) with some Gold
7. one step that i haven’t done yet, i believe that one more glaze(different form the purple used before) in some of the middle range areas or highlighted areas could be nice

In the future i will try to use Vallejo AIR or similar colors for metallics

I am not any kind of expert in this but if you want to see the result you can check it out here:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/forums/showthread.php?44888-Kretcher´s-corner
 
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