Gobbo Posted October 22, 2002 Share Posted October 22, 2002 I have been painting for years [too many to count!] and have not been able to figure out how to do NonMetalic, metalics. Can anyone, please, help me here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePolo Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 From what I've heard, the answer to this question is "Very carefully"... :) No, just kidding.... Anyway, I've never done a 'full' NMM (Non-Metallic Metal, for all you lurkers). But I've dabbled... and I'm trying to add it to my bag o' tricks. The 'theory' behind NMM (again, lurkers take heed!) is to paint a metalic area with non-metalic paints to look, well, metallic. The 'style' is pretty much characterised by 90% of the Confrontation minis that you see on the web. Example: (I did not paint this, obviously! :) ) Now, as for how to do it... there are SEVERAL schools of thought, and a bunch of arguments about it.... But, basically all of them have the same thought: Paint the metal areas with attention to how the metal would reflect light from a specific source. Pay attention to shadows, sharp edges, and try to keep the 'phantom' light source consistent throughout the mini. (Notice on the mini above, how the 'phantom' light is almost directly above the figure, reflecting on the tops of armor, and on the areas of the halberd that are facing up). Here is a link that I read when I was first trying to hash it out. It has some useful tips! Also, you may want to try the mini-painter group at Yahoo!... The file section has some 'case studies' of NMM for you to check out. Hope this helped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stern Kestrelmann Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 I thought it was NMM= Non Metallic Metals... Anyway, there seems to be a big movement towards this technique, but I am still having fun with my metallics... Someday maybe, but fer now don't mess wiff me Burnished Gold! SK :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit Posted October 24, 2002 Author Share Posted October 24, 2002 Pardon my ignorance, but why would you want to paint metals non-metallic-ly? Is it a style thing? Just to prove you can? To represent not-shiny metal? I like using metallic paints. Most of my minis have at least a little bit of metallic paint somewhere. :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePolo Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 Oops! My bad.. that's what I get for typing to fast! I changed it for ya, Stern :p As for the 'why' of it... Well, why are we obsessed with painting little bitty pieces of lead to begin with? :) Actually, It's a stylistic thing. When done right, it looks Bleepin' cool as bleep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stern Kestrelmann Posted October 24, 2002 Share Posted October 24, 2002 It's all good Polo. And I concur Flit, I like using metallic metals too... IMO the NMM techniques are sumpin' fer the advanced painters to explore b/c they need to challenged artistically. That be my 2 scents- SK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKD Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Pardon my ignorance, but why would you want to paint metals non-metallic-ly? That's been my question - okay, it looks cool, but I can get minis to look cool *with* metallic paints. It just seems like deliberately tossing out some tools from the toolbox to see if you can still do the job without them. On some level I appreciate that, but I have more than enough unpainted minis around that spending extra time making a NMM mini compared to just painting metallics right on is a no-brainer for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokingwreckage Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 I think it's something people do to prove they can. It doesn't look like metal to me, not even the good ones, not even a little bit. It can look cool- but it doesn't look like metal. Everyone's into it at the moment because Rackahm started it, several famous painters had a go at it (and liked it cos it was hard to do) and now- well, it's fashion, darling. (Okay! Alright! It was a joke! Here: :p :) :p Do the NMM if you like!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kheprera Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Personally, sm, I don't care for it, either. All the minis I've seen with this style look like plastic, not metal. At least the minis painted with metallics look more realistic than that Rackham fad. And we all know about fads, right? Judges adore them, so everyone tries to do them, but several years later we look at it and go "What were we THINKING?" Remember the fashions of the 80s? Traffic cones for bras and wearing our underwear outside of our regular clothes. Yeah, THERE'S a good fashion statement !! I'd rather go back to polyesther suits, silk shirts, and bellbottoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePolo Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Well, I for one plan on futzin' around with it... Mainly to see if I can :) And, yeah, you're right.. metallics look more real... But the NMM style is pretty durn cool lookin. I dunno if it's something I'd do on a regular basis, though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars Porsenna Posted October 27, 2002 Share Posted October 27, 2002 Hi all, Have to agree with the posts above. The NMM is something I don't care for and it doesn't look to realistic. The most common argument I've seen for this technique is non-convincing either; they claim that some of the greatest artists in history used this technique to represent metal armor. The only problem us that they needed to use this technoque to represent the appearance of a 3d object in 2d. Using it on a 3d object just seems bass akwards to me... Now if you were to use the same technique but with METALS...hmmm... Damon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 I prefer to use metallic paints for metals, and then do drybrushing for any highlights honestly. I find that doing non-metallic metallics just isn't worth the time and energy. It for one doesn't look all that real in my opinion, and when I paint a mini, I paint it so I know if will look as true to life as I can get it. In real life you do not see swords painted grey, they are metallic instead, a property of the metal they are made from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKD Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 All the minis I've seen with this style look like plastic, not metal. Hmmm...you are right, they do look like plastic. Could be useful for doing sci-fi minis who are supposed to be wearing plastics. Not that I have too many sci-fi minis, but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdnelson Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 I blame the French. Probably a bunch of French miniature painters were sitting around one day and talking about how stupid, rude, and disgusting American miniature painters are... and they decided that metallic metals were so arrogantly American, because only Americans would paint metals with metal colored paints. So they developed NMM painting... just to spite us. Well fine... I'm proposing MNM painting (Metallic Non Metal). Paint all the non metallic parts of your minis with metallic paints. For instance, burlap could be painted with copper highlighted with burnished gold to give you that nice shiny burlap look. Fleshtones could be done in Silver with blackwash for definition, or perhaps Bronze to show suntanned or ruddy complexions. It will be very fashionable... so you'd best start painting your figs in MNM style so you'll look cool. Also, since the oversized weapons on European figs is the current fashion, I'm sculpting a line of figs in oversized clothing. The oversized clothing makes the figs look cool, plus I don't have to bother with learning how to sculpt fingers, arms, or faces as the figure primarly looks like a piece of clothing wielding a weapon. My first fig will be Barbarian Loincloth wielding axe and my next fig will be Woodlands Cloak Archer. Eventually I intend to market a whole line of Elven Boots and perhaps even a Fez army. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePolo Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Lol Thanks... I needed that...Except for the coffee coming out the nose part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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