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Recently, I got into a bit of an argument with some friends over the issue of the NMM (Non-Metallic Metal) painting style. I thought that the style was "faddish" or gimmicky and generally on the way out, but they thought that it was a true advance in painting and that NMM was here to stay. Do any of the advanced painters here on Dakka have light to shed on this issue?

Given that it's been around for years, saying 'its on the way out' seems like a particularly hard position to support. It's about as apt as saying 'drybrushing is on its way out.'

It's a technique, just like any other one, and can look really really good when pulled off right.

If anything, NMM has been steadily gaining popularity since the mid-90's.

Personally, I don't think it's an advance so much as simply an alternate style.

The nice thing about NMM is it looks so clean and sharp if done well. Also, it's hard to do really well, so to pull it off says a lot about one's skill level.

...and on another note: insaniak I never noticed your avatar blinks. That's terrifying.

Bookwrack wrote:Given that it's been around for years, saying 'its on the way out' seems like a particularly hard position to support. It's about as apt as saying 'drybrushing is on its way out.'

It's a technique, just like any other one, and can look really really good when pulled off right.

I had heard that NMM was only really popular because of the Rackham studio paintjobs, and that the novelty of the approach was wearing off.

NMM has been popular for the control it gives to create shadows and highlights to metals. As for the popularity just looking a the winners of 2009 golden demons it is here to stay.

Fetterkey wrote:Recently, I got into a bit of an argument with some friends over the issue of the NMM (Non-Metallic Metal) painting style. I thought that the style was "faddish" or gimmicky and generally on the way out, but they thought that it was a true advance in painting and that NMM was here to stay. Do any of the advanced painters here on Dakka have light to shed on this issue?

NMM is certainly not a gimmick.

Think of it this way , why do we do high lights and shading? because the miniature is small , it cannot properly reflect / catch the light as much.

NMM in a way is a more realistic way to do high lights and shading.

Because we all know the way we usually do high lights doesnt really make sense as it doesnt take in account there is usually one main light source.

NMM changes that , and creates the focus light source.

Well i can be wrong but thats what i think :3

NMM won't go out of style for display pieces and big important center piece models because done well it looks awesome, it plays nicely with other techniques like OSL, and it gives you a lot more control than straight metallic + wash. (Although metallics done in a psuedo simplified NNM style, using black to 'deaden' the shine in the darkest areas looks good too and is quicker than the pure NMM.)

Metallics won't go out of fashion because they are the only way to do good tabletop quality miniatures in anything resembling 'quick' and work across the spectrum up to high quality models. There is an awesome gaunt model I've seen with a NMM carapace but nobody in their right mind would do that for a horde army. I've found that they can look better on models that are supposed to be more gritty.

A fad?

It's been around since the 1970s at least (on Van art).

Hajime Sorayama is one of the better known names to use it in "proper" art.

It's no more a fad than "modenism" or "abstraction".

It's relatively new on miniatures in comparison, but this doesn't mean it is a fad. It just took a while for it to be adapted to a 3D medium.

Wall of text incoming:

- Few years ago, painting fantasy* miniatures was done just for playing games. The style was colorful, trying to get volume, and look good on the table.

- On the other hand, we have the traditional historic modelling. Painting bigger scale minis and busts, trying to achieve realistic results.

- As long as the gaming comunity grows up and the painting competitions are becoming more popular, classical modelling painters start to paint fantasy minis. Fantasy minis painters start to use classical modelling techniques.

- The different roots fade together, not only between classical and gaming styles. More ambitious painters try to approach canvas paintings. The use of NMM is the first approach. The OSL is the second step, still under development except for a few brilliant brushes. The use of light in classical pictures (from any author, lets use Velazquez as an example-Edit: Caracaggio is a better example-) is anything but new.


So: Is NMM a gimmick? No way. My main point to this is that for a tabletop standard using metals is much easier than doing NMM in your full army. I will add that mastering NMM must be really hard. I've never tryed NMM. Who knows, I might do a good job copying WD's tutorial on the Sanguinor. But I know I would not be able to know where I should paint lighter or darker tones in another random mini. Same goes for OSL, it must be hard to achieve. I think the painting is evolving. Oils, airbrushes... if it looks good, why not? I think anything related to painting like this, is legit for me. And I would say that if there is something slightly gimmickly in minis, is 3D sculpting. When you know that a mini has been designed with a CAD software it loses a bit of it's "handmade" flavour. But it has been developed for a simple reason: it produces awesome stuff. Period.



* using fantasy here for any non-historical concept. LOTR, DnD, WFB, 40k, pulp stuff...

I have one big problem with NMM. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE METAL!!! Citadel carries several perfectly good metallic paints. It's not laziness, it's efficiency.

warpcrafter wrote:I have one big problem with NMM. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE METAL!!! Citadel carries several perfectly good metallic paints. It's not laziness, it's efficiency.

Wow, doesnt look like metal? If done right it looks more like metal than actual metal paints. Real metal has extreme lowlights in contrast to extreme highlights. Plain boltgun metal doesnt give this.

I am kinda in the middle on the NMM. And have seen some pretty amazing jobs but over all feel alittle underwhelmed on the table NMM look flat and never really stand out. However the metallic paint if used right (using many layers and highlighting) looks fantastic and really stand out.

but if your making a showcase model that will be photographed or judged i would stick to NMM as tourney judges tend to get b***ers from it.


NMM always looks better in photos hands down as you can see the layers and lighting.

Metallic paints look great on the table.

just my opinion.

Has anyone tried NMM techniques using a mix of metallic and NM paints?

It's not NMM if you use metallics - so that would be kind of defeating the purpose.

The idea is to get an effect not unlike metal, WITHOUT using metallics.

ironKing wrote:Has anyone tried NMM techniques using a mix of metallic and NM paints?

Yes. I have seen (and done myself) a technique using metallic paints and NMM shading techniques. It was dubbed MNMM or MetallicNMM.

Of course I have no pics of any of those models now, so it never happened...lol

My opinion? NMM is very hard to master, which makes it great for showcase and competitions. NMM also lends itself well to photography but the illusion is somewhat shattered when the model is actually handled and viewed from different angles.

Bad NMM is horrible. Very much like shoddy freehand, it can take a model from good to bad very easily.

There is a superb tutorial on CMON about shading and highlighting metallics; the end result is fantastic and easily as good as NMM.

I have only come back to the hobby in the past year or so and all this NMM & OSL is completely new to me! I really like the effects that can be achieved using these techniques, but i also like the challenges it gives to other areas of my painting: Blending, detail, light-sourcing..... Anything that can teach me to be a better painter is a good thing

I suspect that the only 'fad' with NMM is with the judges at competitions. Sooner or later, someone will paint a GD winner using finely shaded metallics, or even come up with a new technique, then a lot of other painters will follow suit.

IMO NMM isnt going to dissapear. I think it looks amazing and i'm just envious of anybody that can actually do it and make it work.

J.Black wrote:There is a superb tutorial on CMON about shading and highlighting metallics; the end result is fantastic and easily as good as NMM.

Would you have a link to that? Sounds great.

As for NMM, I have the same point of view that others already brought up, it is a technique like any other and will be around for as long as people are interested in trying it out.

Right now it is still very very popular, so I doubt we will be seeing the death of it soon.

It's really just a matter of using the right technique at the right time.

I have a few centrepiece models that I have painted a few NMM things on then I have a squad of Grey Knight Terminators I am working on painting them entirely with a combo of NMM and Zenthial Lighting, but they are just for display.

Standard models don't get that attention as you would be spending the better part of 10 hours upward on each model.

Also NMM is a fantastic way to develop your blending and highlighting technique as it almost forces you to learn how to do these correctly to obtain a good effect.

I guess in the end it all just depends on what effect you want on the model.

No problem

http://www.coolminiornot.com/article/aid/649

And here's a piccy of the finished mini for you all to drool over:

NMM has been developed by classical painters from the Renaissance era, so it('s all but new... Its introduction to 28 mm fantasy (and other ranges) gaming minis is newer.

I am considering myself an average painter, and haven't tried yet NMM. I am working on SENMM so far for goggles and stuff like that, and it already proves a good challenge to improve my blending/highlighting techniques. Likewise, I'm becoming interesting in military-style techniques used for armor modelling (use of pigments, oil paints), and this has also given me a better understanding of how to organise my painting process.

Like all other techniques, NMM is a tool at your disposal to achieve a specific effect. It looks awesome from the right angle, and certainly denotes strong painting skills, but I don't foresee it being used for gaming standarad miniatures (well, maybe if you're painting a deathwing army and have some spare time lol).