Quest for the perfect NMM blade

[Verboden Vrucht]

I started experimenting with NMM, and there are so many cool NMM tutorials over the web that I decided to try a couple. I got this pewter blade I can strip and re-paint as many times I want. This is the first attempt, I was roughly following this tutorial:

 

 

It didn't turn out as nice as the blade in the tutorial, but I'm still kind of happy with it. NMM is still magic for me :)

 

Advice is welcome and appreciated!

[Arc 724]

Looking good thus far! Well done.

[Grayfax]

I don't have answers, but that is a good idea.  I need to look for a blade I want to use to practice mine when I get to that...

[BLZeebub]

I can only suggest smoothing out and softening your blending.  Looks like you're well on the right track, and it looks fine.  That particular version of NMM isn't my strong suit at all though, but I'd recommend a rough proportion of 1/3 to 1/3 to 1/3 for each main shade.

 

All that aside, I think you've stumbled onto a pretty sweet replica of Tidus's Brotherhood sword from FFX!  Score.

[Glitterwolf]

I can't get the hang of NMM.

 

This looks good.

 

Check out Kuro's work for some inspiration.

Talking about a NMM blade..

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/71456-lord-of-the-lake-below-reapercon-2016-painters-gold-sophie-winner/?hl=kuro#entry1458820

[Verboden Vrucht]

I can't get the hang of NMM.

 

This looks good.

 

Check out Kuro's work for some inspiration.

Talking about a NMM blade..

 

http://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/71456-lord-of-the-lake-below-reapercon-2016-painters-gold-sophie-winner/?hl=kuro#entry1458820

 

Wow! Thanks for the recommendation! Those transitions are outlandishly good.

[Evilhalfling]

this is one of my goals this year.  I was thinking of printing up about 5 really good pictures to use as examples / cheat sheet. 

[Verboden Vrucht]

Here is the 2nd attempt:

 

 

I was following GirlPainter's tutorial and it was done in about an hour. Any kind of feedback is welcome. :)

Edited January 2, 2017 by Verboden Vrucht

[Verboden Vrucht]

this is one of my goals this year.  I was thinking of printing up about 5 really good pictures to use as examples / cheat sheet. 

 

Searching for "armor" on Pinterest yields some amazing results!

[Grumpy Cave Bear]

Much smoother blends! Was it your decision to make the dark tones more neutral? I would have tried pushing to a brighter dark blue, like the first one.

 

Edit: I would consider bringing the edge highlights down just a shade and putting white in as just point reflections at upper corners and curves of the edges. That said, your second attempt is about the best I can currently do.

Edited January 2, 2017 by Grumpy Cave Bear

[Glitterwolf]

Better then I can do!!!

[Verboden Vrucht]

Much smoother blends! Was it your decision to make the dark tones more neutral? I would have tried pushing to a brighter dark blue, like the first one.

 

Edit: I would consider bringing the edge highlights down just a shade and putting white in as just point reflections at upper corners and curves of the edges. That said, your second attempt is about the best I can currently do.

 

Thanks for the feedback! I didn't give much thought to the color scheme, just wanted to try different colors; something more realistic. I like the highlights idea!

[robinh]

I like the second one more than the first.  The result is more natural and the blends are better.

Edited January 2, 2017 by robinh

[aku-chan]

That's a great attempt at a NMM blade! (Your first attempt was good as well, but it looked more like a crystal/ice blade than a metal one)

 

Can't really give you any pointers though, to me NMM is still more like a magical ability not a painting technique.

[SirLarpsAlot]

Have you considered getting a bunch of plastic swords and painting them so you can compare them side by side? There are a variety of Warhammer Fantasy blades that might fit the bill. They've got enough body to practice on effectively.