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Non-Metallic Metal, since I've gone away and come back again, this seems to be all the rage, especially if you want to score highly on CMON?

S'cuse my h'ignorance now folks, but just what is the big attraction? I can see that it is clearly a lot harder than drybrushing with metallic paints, but I can't see any great benefit, ok, done well it does look good and show some skill, but, IMHO, it still doesn't look as convincing or as good as well painted metallics? Am I missing something or is it really just down to personal preference? I can't say I'm above experimenting with it and think that on a big showpiece maybe I'd consider it, but I don't think I'll ever be binning my pots of metallic paint, nor will my armies be getting a dose of NMM in place of drybrushing, as for speed painting a horde of Ork Boyz you really can't beat a dry brush and some metallics...

So, if anyone could enlighten me as to what's going on I'd really appreciate it!!

Nat

The draw is all in the eye of the beholder. Some like the look better than metallic paints. Some like the control you have over the look. It's all in what you think looks good and what others think looks good (in the case of CMoN and demons).

I have seen metallics paints worked extremely well as well though. It's up to the artist to create realities in the imaginary.

A tip though, if you're still using a drybrush technique for metals, I highly suggest you move away from this and move to true weathering techniques like washes and pigments on solid metal colors.

Thanks for the tip, I wasn't very clear about how I paint anyway... my technique varies depending on what I'm painting and what end result I'm going for obviously, but I tend to use a dark solid basecoat of metallic, then a few highlights, these might be drybrushed or a real highlight of solid colour with a very fine brush depending on how patient I'm feeling and whether it's a warboss or trukk, or just another shoota boy, the this will get followed up by at least one ink wash depending on how well it takes and how dark and dirty I want the thing to look. I'll then pick out details in shadow and highlight, and weather/add blood flecks/metal chips etc as appropriate. I already use ink washes for skins and metals, and for scenery, bases etc.

Haven't come across pigments yet, although I've seen them mentioned elsewhere?



edited for mong-ish spelling

The point of NMM is as grey_death said that NMM gives more control of the end result than just slapping the metallics on a fig. The current trend seems to be back to metallic paints as the same techniques that are used in NMM (blending, washing, glazing etc) work with metallic paints.

The gencon had some nice winners using metallics like this privateer warjack. So the whole point is in the eye of the beholder. Both metallics and NMM can give you some really jaw dropping results and the personal preferences are what decide these things.

the nmm has one great advantage - gives you total control on the outcome. You decide where the light reflections will be and where you place the shadows. It`s a tad easier to create desired effect this way.
When it comes to metallics it is something between your work and how light naturally reflects form metallic surface.
Also good nmm is a lot easier and faster than good metallics. Surprised? I really mean that. That being said I have to mention that simple metallics are easier than simple nmm at the same time. Here`s the explanation:
With good metallics you have to face one problem - it`s more difficult to control shiny surface than opaque one. With good nmm it`s only down to proper blending and knowing how to place highlight and shadows. So with good metallics you have 3 challenges to face (shine, blending, "seeing light") against 2 with good nmm.
With simple metallics all you need is metallic paint and simple technique like drybrushing. With simple nmm you still have to know howto shade and highlight and show some medicore painting skills.

Another big thing is the type of style of the painter. If you're doing a more cartoony or extremely highlighted mini then even a well done metallic that has been washed and weathered properly will look out of place, and the opposite holds true for a gritty more realistic painted figure with a NMM weapon.

Ah ok, I think I see what people are trying to achieve and why they choose this method now... Metallic metal paintwork and you are relying on the actual light the mini is subjected to for the light and shadow, the sharp edges etc to show up, whereas with NMM you can create the illusion of the light source for your mini being wherever you want it, and paint the metals accordingly to show shadow and light in the relevant area. Fairy muff, now I can see a point to it, although I still won't be using it a great deal.

Thanks guys for helping me see the point of this

Nat

Lucas has a good point. When you see NMM they look very unrealistic in some ways, very Disney even. They are the ultimate attainable goal for a painter in some ways, being nails hard and clearly displaying to everyone that you're the billy bollocks with a brush. But in my opinion it's the subject at hand that should decide what technique you aim for.

For example, a few years ago Neil Hogdson painted a crisis suit that looked great with NMM. See here: http://www.coolminiornot.com/index/whatm/GW/id/41161

I can see it on Tau. But on Orks? I don't think it would suit their character really. Plus who wants to paint 100 NMM shootas?

I think Marines, Eldar, Tau and Necrons can pull it off, but at the end of the day it's just showboating really. For an example of great traditional metals, look at this link which I found the other day. There's hope for us all yet.

Well worth a read: http://warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62847

All the best.

Anti-Mag wrote:I can see it on Tau. But on Orks? I don't think it would suit their character really.

I completely disagree. NMM can be used as well as metallics on dirty and weathered surfaces. The actual weathering methods are the same for both techniques.

With a quick browse of CMON I found this nice example of NMM on a ork.

By the way it is interesting I'm here speaking on behalf of NMM as I like metallics better myself.

Well I disagree too - you can have rusted/weathered look with nmm. It don`t have to look cartoony. Check out one of Kiryl Kanaev masterpieces:
http://www.coolminiornot.com/105371
great wetahered look even though it`s nmm.
Also as I`ve said I completely disagree it`s an ultimate goal for a painter to master nmm and that it`s really difficult. Really good metallics are way more pain in the a... to master.

I think most peoples idea of NMM is to have a mirrored effect; it worked well on that ork because it was so understated.

Sure, you can combine NMM with dirt, but as far as most armies go (orks epecially) it's a somewhat unpractical technique to use en masse. That ork was most definitely a dispaly piece, whereas Landraiders are a centerpiece for any Marine army.

Nuclear Mekanik wrote:Non-Metallic Metal, since I've gone away and come back again, this seems to be all the rage, especially if you want to score highly on CMON?

So, if anyone could enlighten me as to what's going on I'd really appreciate it!!

NMM is old news. The recent "hot" thing is LSS - Light Source Shading. You know, the glowing eyes, spell / magma / lava / (magical) flame effects.

Anti-Mag wrote:
I can see it on Tau. But on Orks? I don't think it would suit their character really. Plus who wants to paint 100 NMM shootas?

I think Marines, Eldar, Tau and Necrons can pull it off, but at the end of the day it's just showboating really. For an example of great traditional metals, look at this link which I found the other day. There's hope for us all yet.

It's great for those of us who see 40K as a comic book pow-bang-zoom universe as well. Not everyone thinks 40k is really as gritty and dirty as the writers make you believe - and even then there's the Uplifting Primer and other tongue-in-cheek passages. NMM gives you that nice cel-shaded, cartoony effect. That's what 40K is to me and, I'm sure, to others who don't take the universe seriously.

I prefure metalic above non metalic metalics omost evry time

Have to say, the last thing I'd be going for is any sort of "cartoony" look, in my mind gritty and dirty and hard (oo-er!) is exactly what the 41st millenium is like, not like Star Wars meets Walt Disney.

But... it really is all down to personal preference

I don't dig NMM. I think with the proper washes and layers, metallic paints work just fine. The problem with NMM squads is that if the angle isn't lined up on all the models...it looks strange (as you are painting the lighting). If they are all painted with drop down lighting, as in right above the model, it looks consistent...but strange if the light isn't right above the model.

However, all that said....properly painted NMM models can make my jaw dropped. They may look 'cartoony' but the skill/blending involved is without question;

I like it for eldar, since I can use colours like blue or bone in the areas that might be metallic (blue witchblades yeah!) without using metallic paints. I jus don't see wraithbone as being metallic.