Faux Metal - Fake it 'til you Make It! NMM Painting Challenge

Brief:

Are you ready to make your miniatures shine like a diamond—without using any metallic paints? Welcome to the dazzling world of Non-Metallic Metals (NMM), where you’ll learn to create the illusion of gleaming armour and weapons with just regular paints. This technique can be a bit tricky, but with patience, practice, and a touch of artistic flair, you'll have your miniatures looking like they stepped out of a high fantasy epic. Let’s get ready to shine without a single metallic flake!

Difficulty Level:

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (Intermediate to Advanced)

Challenges:

The particularly difficult aspects of the NMM technique include mastering light reflections and shadows to convincingly mimic the appearance of metal. Unlike real metallic paints, which naturally reflect light, NMM relies entirely on your ability to simulate these effects with careful blending and layering of colours.

Your success will depend largely on placing your highlights correctly but also on establishing sufficient contrast between the darkest and lightest areas.  

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Basecoat: Start with a dark grey or black basecoat. This will provide a strong foundation and create the deep shadows essential for the NMM effect.

2. Mid-Tone: Apply a mid-tone grey to the majority of the metal areas. This serves as your primary metal colour and will be the backdrop for your highlights and shadows.

3. Highlight: Use a lighter grey to highlight the raised areas. Focus on edges and any parts of the model that would naturally catch the light. Think of this as where the 'metal' is polished and gleaming the brightest.  Curved surfaces will be a little difficult to guague 

4. Reflections: Add white to the highest points to simulate light reflections. These should be sharp and bright, mimicking the way real metal catches and reflects light. Place these highlights carefully to create the illusion of a metallic sheen.

5. Shadows: Use black or a very dark grey to deepen shadows and enhance contrast. This step is crucial for adding depth and realism. Apply it in the recesses and areas that would receive the least light, making sure to blend it smoothly into the mid-tone grey.

Tips:

1. Reference Real Metals: Study real metal objects under various lighting conditions. Notice how the light plays off the surfaces and where the darkest shadows and brightest highlights appear. This real-world reference can be invaluable for mastering NMM.

2. Blending Techniques: Smooth transitions between your shades are key. Use techniques like wet blending or glazing to achieve seamless gradations of colour.  You can also stipple in conjunction with glazing to create a more interesting transition.  

3. Patience is a Virtue: NMM requires time and patience. Don’t rush the process. Layer your paints gradually, make effective use of glazes and build up the effect slowly.

4. Practice Makes Perfect: Start small. Try perfecting NMM on a single piece of armour or a weapon before tackling a full model. This will help you get a feel for the technique without overwhelming yourself.

5. Light Source Consistency: Ensure your highlights and shadows are consistent with a single light source direction. This adds realism and makes the effect more convincing.

6. Contrast extreme shadow immediately with extreme highlight:  When you have a plane change, if you end one plane with a shadow, you should begin the next plane immediately with the opposite - an extreme highlight, and vice-versa.   

7. Bouncing Light:  On long or wide areas instead of working on a single gradient going from dark to light, try adding multiple light spots with irregular spacing throughout the length so you can 

With these steps and tips, you'll be well on your way to mastering the NMM technique, turning your miniatures into shining examples of artistic brilliance. So grab your brushes, steady your hand, and get ready to make your miniatures gleam with the magic of non-metallic metals!

Youtube Instruction:

Need more help?  Kujo Painting published a video some years ago now but the theory still remains valid and you can check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Zux0HAS8pAw 

Recommended Miniatures:

We have a number of armoured characters that will lend themselves nicely to trying out your NMM skills.  The Kingsguard miniatures such as this Kingsguard Greatsword have some nice  large armour plates and the large blades also give you some big areas to practice on.