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No matter how much i thin Games Workshop shining gold either does not cover at all because its too watery, or it will go on ludicrously thick, and if i thin it there's not enough coverage no matter how many coats i do, its the same with burnished gold, they just have no coverage unless you pack it on. any tips on this would be amazing on how to do very thin gold coats.

it still requires some sort of basecoat.... what are you painting it on to?

the guide on the games workshop sight said to paint scorched brown as a base coat then layer on shining gold, only problem is shining gold still has no coverage it looks pretty much just like water with gold metalic particles in it more then actual paint

Have you shaken the paint pot?

Metallic paints do settle out pretty quickly so often need a shake, and it's not a bad habit to shake the pot before you use it each time.

Elsewise go with their idea, it should work well.

I'm halfway through a sanguinary guard squad atm and I've gone:
-chainmail (probably wanna skip this step, I only asked myself why I did it after it was done XD)
-50:50 scorched brown and shining gold
-pure shining gold
-two layers of burnished gold
-gryphonne sepia wash

This comes out fairly bright and if you want it darker skip the burnished gold, but you might want to add a second layer of shining.

Another option to ensure you get the exact amount of gold you want is to continually drybrush it on. Then again, I haven't had to cover things in any metallic color so I'm not sure how that'll work for you.

Rico.

I tend to use other colors as base coats; snakebite leather... or oranges or fiery colors.

Usually 1 drop of water to two drops of paint is what I do... then just be sure to mix well. then take the brush, wet it, drag it along your pallette, or dip it into a towell to get rid of the excess, and then apply. If you are not mixing with water, its dry-brush only, and that has other effects.

Have you JUST started painting? if so, hit up the article section and look up some tips.

What I've found to help with shining gold is a base coat of 1:1 scorched brown and shining gold.

The gold on my Iron Warriors is Tin Bitz built up to Shining Gold from 1-2 coats, washed with Gryphonne Sepia in the recesses and highlighted with Burnished Gold:


I think it comes out pretty strong.

thanks for the help guys. but i would love to know how the gw guys get their gold on so thin and with such a good coat because i swear burnished and shining have just dont go on or cover if its on its on and if it does it goes everywhere or is chalky

or.... you could go with nmm gold

which is brown mixed and applied a buttload of times to the desired yellow

its brush control. If it takes 2 or 3 layers to paint on, it takes 2 or 3... .if it takes 5 or 6, it takes 5 or 6 (like yellow), just apply thin coats.

I get the feeling you jsut started painting. It is a frustrating process, you won't get it straight away

I think i know what you are after, and the answer is the brown at the bottom, then a mix of brown-gold, slowly layering up, but not covering quite everything, and the last layer covers even less area, but this is the solid gold. I think this is what you are going after, a metallic surface catching the light.

Show us what you are trying to copy

I do this and it comes out good,

1. Calthan brown
2. 2-3 coats of slightly watered down Shining gold
3. Badab Black wash
4. Gryphonne sepia wash
5. Highlight burnished Gold

http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=4000002a§ion=&pIndex=1&aId=10700022a&start=2&multiPageMode=true
this is the gold im trying to copy but i get the feeling they did more then just what they are saying

For me, I do tin bitz basecoat, then shining gold, then gryphonne sepia for a more ornate aged gold.

pvtpokeymon wrote:http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?catId=&categoryId=4000002a§ion=&pIndex=1&aId=10700022a&start=2&multiPageMode=true
this is the gold im trying to copy but i get the feeling they did more then just what they are saying

Nope, looks pretty much like what they say to me. 'Layer with Shining gold' does not equate to one coat / pass.

Layering is the application of thin coats to build up the colour - the first few won't cover particularly well at all. If I'm being quick and going through a lot of intermediate mixes I expect to go over a given area about 3 or 4 times with a given mix/layer. Pull the paint in the direction you want the colour to be strongest in (usually toward the highlight). I also like working back with darker layers. It's pretty quick, but it's reliant on two things -

1) having thin paint (a wet palette REALLY helps with metallics - you don't want them to be too wet, I find I rarely have to do anything other than wet the brush in a droplet of water from the palette and mix it into the drop of metallic) so you don't get chunky layers.

2) having good brush control - you really want only a little on your brush - too much and it'll go thick and you don't want that.

3) having the patience to allow each layer to dry enough not to be dislodged when you paint the next. A few seconds with a hairdryer or next to a 60W incandescent bulb will do the job.

In terms of progression, brown through gold to silver is the usual trick. Metallics often look better when shaded with non-metallics (black/grey for silver, browns for gold) as it stops the shade from reflecting and keeps it shady. This can help pop detail or reinforce a false reflection effect (as on the character I'm painting at the moment).

My two options:
1.) one layer sunburst yellow, Iyanden Yellow or similar, then 1-2 layers gold (plus later inks and silver highlight if you want)
2.) Mithril Silver (covers quite good), then 2-3 layers Gryphonne Sepia.

Gold over brown gives better results than gold over black or white.

Works this way in ceramic glazing, as well as painting.
The brown gives a good foundation for the gold and allows a deeper, more natural looking colour.

To get a nice bright gold, I just do a coat of mithril silver first, then a coat of burnished gold. Highlight with mithril silver and glaze with gryphonne sepia to taste.

Vallejo liquid gold will give a completely solid but thin coat of shining gold over any colour base, even black.

It's hard to work with though and requires upkeep, a brush specifically for it and an alcohol cleaner.

ALL of the GW metallic range are mithril silver plus pigment.

I suggest a yellow inking over mithril silver or shining gold until you get the effect you want.

how many thin layers should i be aiming for to get it smooth because i generally thought 2-3 was always the idea

Gold is tricky. 3-4 thin layers if it's particularly thin.

I've known people to use a basecoat of something else or mix of gold and something.

Myself?

Tin bitz, shining gold, wash, gold, silver/gold highlight.

You could replace the Tin bitz with a gold/scorched brown mix if you want. Generally the darker colour provides a nice base for a pale and thin paint.

This is my technique

-Basecoat of tin bitz
-2-3 thin layers of shining gold
-highlight with burnished gold
-further highlight with mithril silver
-wash with a 1:1 mix of gryphonne sepia and leviathan purple (the purple adds a nice richness to the colour

Try it. YMMV

Dwarf Bronze
Flesh Wash
Burnished
Shining (or which ever of the 2 is lighter goes on second)
light light light highlight with Mithril Silver

Gold IS the most difficult color to paint on minis in my opinion. Especially over large areas.

I had a blog going on mybattalion a while ago but it seems to be only partly visible; it wasn't so much about how to paint gold, but I was trying all of the different brands of gold paint and popular methods: http://mybattalion.com/content/wargaming/user-blogs/1647

Here is the WIP blog of my Sanguinary Guard using Vallejo Model Color... I need to get some finished pics up! : http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/index.php?showtopic=219303

My gold is:

1) Basecoat scorched brown and/or Bestial Brown
2) Optional: layer Snakebite Leather, depending on the kind of gold I want.
3) Apply Shining or Burnished Gold (depending on the kind of gold I want).
4) Wash with Devlan Mud and/or Gryphonne Sepia.
5) Pick raised areas with Burnished Gold.
6) Optional: Highlight with a mixture of Burnished Gold and mithril Silver, or pure Mithril Silver + Devlan Mud/Gryphonne Sepia wash.

I use the GW copper metallic as a base coat for my gold. As with other you then add a think layer of actual gold, wash with sepia and then re-highlight. Gives quite a nice mellow gold effect.

pvtpokeymon wrote:thanks for the help guys. but i would love to know how the gw guys get their gold on so thin and with such a good coat because i swear burnished and shining have just dont go on or cover if its on its on and if it does it goes everywhere or is chalky

Try using vallejo game colour gold. It is a line of paint designed to emulate the games workshop colours and it has much better coverage and you get more of it in a better container. I use their entire range, the gold goes on well. Much better than the games workshop stuff. The above advice about gryhpon sepia etc is good too.