Welcome, friends! Today, I'm excited to share a simple yet effective method for painting Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) on your miniatures. I call it "Black NMM" for its high-contrast approach, evoking the look of black metal. For demonstration, I'll be using the Dragon Slayer sword from our Gurrts miniature.
Paints Used:
For this tutorial, I'll be using Black (B), White (W), Vermillion (V), Black Ink (BI), and Thinner Medium (TM) from Vallejo.
First Step:
Begin by marking the future light, shadows, and reflections on the sword. Use an airbrush for the base work and then apply by hand the first layer of highlights with a dark grey color (a mix of B&W in a 1:3 ratio). Precision isn't crucial at this stage, as everything will be refined later.
Paints Used:
For this tutorial, I'll be using Black (B), White (W), Vermillion (V), Black Ink (BI), and Thinner Medium (TM) from Vallejo.
First Step:
Begin by marking the future light, shadows, and reflections on the sword. Use an airbrush for the base work and then apply by hand the first layer of highlights with a dark grey color (a mix of B&W in a 1:3 ratio). Precision isn't crucial at this stage, as everything will be refined later.
Second Step:
Add more W to the previous mix and continue applying light to the sword. Leave a small square of the previous layer visible. Brushstrokes should be somewhat harsh to create the effect of a sharpened blade.
Add more W to the previous mix and continue applying light to the sword. Leave a small square of the previous layer visible. Brushstrokes should be somewhat harsh to create the effect of a sharpened blade.
Third Step:
Once again, add more W to the mix. Leave some highlights as reflections and semitones while continuing to highlight other areas, particularly the upper and bottom parts.
Once again, add more W to the mix. Leave some highlights as reflections and semitones while continuing to highlight other areas, particularly the upper and bottom parts.
Fourth Step:
Using the light grey mix (B&W in a 3:1 ratio), define the edges and add battle damage with short and pointed brushstrokes all over the blade. Pay close attention to accuracy, as this step is crucial for creating contrast and edge highlights.
Using the light grey mix (B&W in a 3:1 ratio), define the edges and add battle damage with short and pointed brushstrokes all over the blade. Pay close attention to accuracy, as this step is crucial for creating contrast and edge highlights.
Fifth Step:
Create glazes with a mix of BI, V, and TM (in a 5:1:3 ratio) to achieve a dark crimson tone. Apply a few layers to darken the front part of the blade and add depth to the shadows. This step adds visual interest to the black metal and ties it to the base and surroundings (which are crimson red).
Create glazes with a mix of BI, V, and TM (in a 5:1:3 ratio) to achieve a dark crimson tone. Apply a few layers to darken the front part of the blade and add depth to the shadows. This step adds visual interest to the black metal and ties it to the base and surroundings (which are crimson red).
Sixth Step:
Finally, make the last highlights with pure white. Ensure that lines are straight and precise to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, recreate some battle damage for a polished finish.
Finally, make the last highlights with pure white. Ensure that lines are straight and precise to achieve the desired effect. Additionally, recreate some battle damage for a polished finish.
And there you have it! You now understand the process of painting NMM and achieving a black metal effect. I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Feel free to share it on social media, and happy painting!