Non-Metallic Metal Painting

In this excellent article, used with permission from Dragonpaint's site, we look at painting Non-Metallic Metal:

This technique start from the study of the paint masters and illustrators. The first example I have seen that use this technique extensively comes from Rackham painters. Their works are amazing and the way they can recreate the look of metal using non metallic colors has incited me to try it. This picture sequence show you the basic method to follow but bear in mind that you have to experiment and if you use more passes you obtain a better result.

The advantage using this technique is the great control you have on the light and shadows on your miniature. In this way they don't are created by the light that reflect on the metallic paint but by the light and dark areas painted on it. You can also add some other color to the mix and obtain interesting effect. With blue, green and brown shades your armor take a completely different look. You can find some message on the newsgroups that concern this technique using the acronym NMM (Non Metallic Metal).
Step 1 – Paint all the blade whith thinned down GW Codex Grey (or simply mix black and white). Usually I dont mind if the paint cover is uneven because this add interesting effects to the metal look.
Step 2 – Add a bit of White to the grey, thin it down and add a layer of paint following the edges of the blade. Start leaving a thin line of the previous layer near the centre and near the edge of the blade
Step 3 – Add more white and paint another layer following the edges
Step 4 – Like above, start insisting where the edges of the blade meet
Step 5 – One more time if you like it ;o)
Step 6 – Use pure white to mark the edges of the blade. Is easier to use the side of the brush following the edge and leaving a thin line.
Step 7 – If you want you can wash the blade with a gloss medium adding a minimum amount of lack ink (not black color or it leave dots like in this picture – silly me…). In this way the blade take an oiled look
Heres the colors used for the blade, you can mix the gray you like with black and white and you can also add a bit of blue or brown to have interesting effects.