Is there a "non-fancy" way of painting non-metallic metals?

[Rhoderic]

I have a bit of a dilemma right now as I'm trying to redefine my painting style in conjunction with some new and "rebooted" projects. I'd like to paint my figures in a style that vaguely imitates comic books and cartoons (I'm thinking along the lines of Tintin, 70s Marvel Conan, classic anime, etc). In many ways this is no different from my old style (which is a very standard style, much the same as most of yours except possibly more basic in regard to highlighting/shading) but the one major change would be to "flatten" all notions of sheen - that is to say, no more metallic paints, satin paints or gloss-varnished surfaces.

However, I'm also trying to stick with a fairly basic painting method that works well for me - a basecoat and a single highlight for all surfaces. So, those fancy, attention-grabbing non-metallic metals paintjobs on CoolMiniOrNot simply aren't for me. They seem to be a receding trend, anyway.

Does anyone have experience painting basic NMMs? What kind of colours should I go for? Would polished steel be a very light, cold grey? Or a dark grey, or a purplish grey, or a warm grey, or what? What would iron, gold, bronze and brass be?

I'm not sure I'll go ahead with this plan. It may just not be feasible. I have, however, been stripping a lot of old figures (which I wasn't happy with, anyway) in preparation for a changeover in painting styles.

Is this just a fool's errand?

[Drachenklinge]

I am not an expert painter, but have seen quite some NMM in the flesh and even tried some myself. My experiences so far always were, that as long it is not more than average, it does not look good, more like stone - in case of white metall steal or even chainmail - and not at all like metall.

This technique always seems to me as quite sensitive to do it good or not at all ... which is a bit ugly while practicing it. It differs much from brushing or washing something. Less effort, great effect.

There are some basics, like which colour to use and where light and shading should be and it sure is a good way to improve ones paintings skills, i.e. use thin layers, know how to highlight and such.

But IMHO You should be prepared for not getting succeses here easily or quickly.

[Rhoderic]

Yeah... I've never tried NMMs in the past or even studied them much (CMON-style painting is simply not my scene) but I'm very much afraid that what you're saying about the results looking more like stone is true. I guess I've been hoping that if only I could strike upon that perfect, "sublime" shade of grey it would look like steel and not stone. Maybe I'm still clinging to that hope.

This is increasingly feeling like a fool's errand. Part of me knew that all along - it's not as if I'm new to painting miniatures. I've just been willing myself to go against my intuition in this matter.

[Duke Donald]

I'm afraid I would support Drackenklinge's views. NMM looks mediocre at best if not done very well. I feel that if you're not prepared to put in the effort and time, you'd be better off sticking to standard metallic paints.

[Vermis]

I'd like to paint my figures in a style that vaguely imitates comic books and cartoons (I'm thinking along the lines of Tintin...). In many ways this is no different from my old style (which is a very standard style, much the same as most of yours except possibly more basic in regard to highlighting/shading)

Very much more basic, if you're talking about the flat colours of Hergé's ligne claire. But I hear ya about the intricacy and tiny, tiny blending of CMoN style NMM. I'm not sure what the right path for you might be, but going by scans of older comics (including Marvel's Conan) I'd try out light blue-greys, even cool blues, rather than straight grey. Maybe a base of off-white - even lighter than e.g. GW's celestra grey, or something like Coat D'arms' elven grey - with a light grey or blue as a shade. Even mid-tones might be too dark!
Or go with a simplified, Jack-Kirby-style, high-contrast NMM. That off white and light grey/blue divided by strategic squiggles of black or some dark colour. (Something lighter than black might work a bit better on minis, which tend not to have black-inked outlines) Strategic in that I think you'd have to get some basic idea of how light reflects off metal. I don't know if random squiggles would create the effect!

But, that's all brainfarting. I don't know if it'd work. It's something I wouldn't mind trying myself, though.

[Drachenklinge]

what I can asure You of is that there are a lot of very good tutorials, both on tube and via DVDs (seen some, but not bookmarked them). If at any rate possible I strongly recommend and advice You some workshops, I am sure that in Your area there are some guys who do such things. Google it or ask around, maybe some have been there and can tell You about it.
I have been at one and it was worth it, just to get some insights shown from a pro. Directly shown in the flesh. Nothing worth more like seeing how it is done in front of Your eyes.

Also check for tuts about lights and shadings on metall. It is different. Understanding that surely is a key.
As well as thin layers of colours.

Last but not least, there is no singular truth ... there are many ways to Rome. True here too. And if You like a style and its results, than use it. Simple as that.

Then ... maybe the user Calimero might be of help to You .... I judge his style fairly close to this tintin-style, just my thoughts. 

best wishes and good luck
DK

[DELTADOG]

I paint my miniatures mostly in a mixed method which looks more NMM than metallic. Normal showcase NMM looks on Figures for "normal" usage not good. The positioning of highlights is made for the one point of view. Its an eyecatcher on pictures that uses exactly this one point of view. But in reality you want to look from any side on your miniature and it should looks good. To fix this problem for my personal taste I´ve developed this method for me discriped below.



Maybe its a way you like.

Silver:
- I basecoat with stonewall grey
- Use an selfmade ink overall(Glazemedium, a bit future floorwax or erdal Floorcleaner, Dark blue or dark violet ink and a bit black paint)
- First highlight (Drybrush) Stonewall Grey mixed with a bit Vallejo Metal medium 2/3 to 1/3
- Final Highlight (Drybrush) 1/3 Stonewall Grey, 1/3 White, 1/3 Vallejo Metal medium.

The result can you see above

Gold:

- Basecoat with Bronzen flesh
- Use an selfmade ink overall(Glazemedium, a bit future floorwax or erdal Floorcleaner, Dark Green ink and a bit Vallejo Smoke)
- First highlight (Drybrush)Bronzen Flesh,Ivory and a bit Sun Yellow mixed with Vallejo metal medium
- Final highlight (Drybrush)(remaining part of the first highlight mixed up with more vallejo metal medium and Skull white)

The method is fast, easy to control and very reproduceable. The metal medium has the effect to blend the different layers in a light shiny way which gives the eye the illusion of perfect positioned highlights for NMM from any angle you look on.

[Orctrader]

Try this...LINK

I didn't use any metallic paint here.



If you don't like this style of  NMM, then it isn't for you.  If you do like it, Hussarbob's tutorial is a good place to start.

However...

...I'm also trying to stick with a fairly basic painting method that works well for me - a basecoat and a single highlight for all surfaces...

If you only want to paint with two coats, NMM - any style - isn't for you.

[Malebolgia]

I've done a lot of NMM and it always involves more time to get it right than with regular metallics. Thing is, the blends need to be spot on or else the effect is ruined. So that takes lots of layering or wet blending. Of course there are several styles of NMM...there is the old Rackham way (without lots of contrast):

So basically big flat surfaces of grey with some sharp highlights (but apart from blacklining no real shading!). If you are a good blender and know where to place highlights fast, this can be a suitable way of doing "quick and simple" NMM. But IMO it's lacking real contrast. And contrast is the main selling point to succesful NMM.

[Pijlie]

NMM is inherently fanciful, in my admittedly limited experience.

[Lovejoy]

I honestly don't think you'll get away with just a basecoat and a single highlight. But just using black, grey and white can work pretty well. I did it on these models:







It's not a fancy, full-on NMM job, just shading and highlights really, with lots of contrast. I think it looks OK, but I've switched back to using proper metallics now. (Mostly because I finally remembered to buy some!)

[Rhoderic]

Very much more basic, if you're talking about the flat colours of Hergé's ligne claire.

Obviously there are major aspects of Hergés style I can't "port over". For that matter there are (again, obviously) many aspects of comics and 2-D cartoons in general that simply won't translate. There are also some things I could do to imitate the comic/cartoon visual but am making the conscious decision not to, notably blacklining (I hate having to make arbitrary decisions about what to blackline and what not to, so I'm opting out of that whole thing). The basic point I was trying to make is that, to the very limited extent I'm able to emulate a comic/cartoon visual, I want to aim for a classic and timeless visual as typified by so many of the older titles, as opposed to the visual of many newer (particularly American) comics which is often "fuller" and "richer" and has "more pizzazz" to the point of being over-the-top and losing that classic charm. When I game medieval fantasy, I want it to look like Prince Valiant. When I game sci-fi, I want it to look like the original VOTOMS anime, and so on. It is, at least, a beautiful ideal, right?

Moving on, the following is in response not so much to any one particular person in this thread, as to the general (mostly univocal) advice from all of you who have been kind enough to go out of your way trying to guide me out of this marsh in which I seem to have lost my bearings. I'm going to have to ramble a bit and take an off-topic detour as I explain where I'm coming from and what my "vision" is.

For me, the strived-for pinnacle of the hobby isn't gorgeously painted miniatures displayed "showcase fashion" against a blank backdrop. Don't get me wrong; I think of "showcase" painting as a supremely eminent and worthy pursuit - for other people.

The pinnacle for me, rather, is miniatures painted to a presentable standard combined with equally good-looking terrain, in such a way that all of it blends together to make a greater whole with as few clashing elements as possible (at least within the bounds of what's reasonable and practical for gaming - I'm not into diorama modelling either). It's about building worlds, not painting "detached" miniatures or dioramas for their own sake.

I should also explain that I've begun painting all my terrain (yes, even foam foliage/scatter, lichen and plastic plants), and I don't use any translucent materials like water effect resins, nor do I allow for any finished surfaces to be glossy. I'm aware it's eccentric, but I'm fine with that. Basically, I want my miniature gameworlds to look "painted" or "coloured in" the way comics and cartoons look coloured in, as opposed to photo-realistic. One reason I like to stick to a basecoat and one highlight (more of a "midlight", really) for all my figures is that the style blends well with the terrain (which usually gets a basecoat and a drybrush). The other reason is that I'd rather spend the time it would take to do extra highlights on expanding my miniature gameworlds with additional figures or terrain. I'm a slow painter so I need to budget my productivity. Is this "quantity over quality"? Personally I don't think so, no. It's more a case of wanting to give equal billing to all aspects of what constitutes a living, breathing world with a consistent atmosphere and ambience.

If you're still bearing with me at this point, I thank you profusely. I also apologise if this post is coming across as very "me, me, me!".

So, having explained all that and getting back on track, the thing about metallic paints is that I think the glint of metal clashes somewhat with the deliberately "painted" visual style I want to achieve. Also, as the figures are only one part of a greater whole, I'm still hoping in some obstinate corner of my mind that I'll figure out a way to paint very basic NMMs that blend into the bigger picture and don't look glaringly amiss.

All of this being said, I do strongly suspect that once I've done a few test paints, I'll have to conclude I've overextended myself with this philosophy. At that point, Deltadog's style of "half-metallics" might be the way forward. HussarBob's NMM tutorial is amazing but I'm not its target audience. Vive la différence.

Sorry for a very long post

[Vermis]

So basically big flat surfaces of grey with some sharp highlights (but apart from blacklining no real shading!). If you are a good blender and know where to place highlights fast, this can be a suitable way of doing "quick and simple" NMM. But IMO it's lacking real contrast. And contrast is the main selling point to succesful NMM.

Not to be argumentative, but 'blocks of dissimilar, juxtaposed colour with sharp delineation and little blending' sounds a lot like 'contrast' to me. I think the Confrontation mini looks pretty decent and helps convince me that something similar, broadly in line with Rhoderic's ideas, could be achieved; but with care, practise and probably a third colour.

[Drachenklinge]

@ Rhoderic
thanks for explaining, I think it is not a long posting as such, but a helpful insight, maybe to more fit our point of view to the subject to maybe help You.

I had a lot discussions about the right way of painting, which I nowadays and finally (have been young, too ^^) believe there isn't.

1. if You like it, it's cool
2. it should fit Your own agenda (both in RL and gaming)
3. (ab)use and combine any technique You like, to get to 1. & 2.

If You would like to participate in certain competitions, then there is a certain style of NMM You shoul use, if not - not.

However, it still is possible to do NMM even with basic brushing, but You should be aware, that maybe then You won't be able to go all the way of the possibilities of NMM.
So, to boil it down, I guess You should paint Your metall the same as before, just with greys and yellows*. Check out some tuts and take what You find usable, try it out and keep, what You need.

When painting it is always a good thing to know where to put highlights, that is just a bit more important in NMM.

And finally, You may as well check for some 2D pictures of the old masters. They did not use metallics, and they sure know where to put highlights.
As to which colours to use exactly, that is experience, so ... best stolen from someone who already knows and does have some recipes already.


* 'guess, it is more like blueish greys and brownish yellows, etc.

[Kings Curse]

Ignore the whole "If you can't do it, then don't"-thing, and experiment as you please. I discovered the technique by accident when highlighting a model, and it looking metallic when it was done. My favourite aspect of NMM is that you can make any colour metallic, like green, red and purple. Terrific for sci-fi and fantasy.

Neutral stony greys work fine for grey metallics, as long as you apply it properly. Cold blue-greys is a bit easier and will do some of the work for you, but it will obviously look very cold, which is perfectly fine if that's what you're going for.

For gold, earthy browns and yellows are the way to go. Regular yellow is gonna look, well, yellow (which I suppose is also fine, if you're going for a sort of Disney-gold). Off the top of my head Charred Brown, Earth and Yellow Ochre are paints I remember using. For bronze, I base with Charred Brown followed by Dark Fleshtone, and highlight with Parasite Brown and some light fleshtones. All Vallejo.

Just try some out. No one will get hurt