Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
I've seen a few ways to paint power/force weapons but the one that has always confused me is the light to dark and mirrored on the other side of the blade. Where did that style come from? I've looked all over but my Google-Fu is weak, I come to the shine of DAKKA to fine the answers I seek. Even if it's a point in the right direction I'd be very thankful.
2016/06/14 02:03:23
Subject: Re:A question about power weapon paint jobs
My guess is you're referring to Non-Metallic Metals (NMM)
A quick google/youtube search will give you tons of tutorials.
“I do not know anything about Art with a capital A. What I do know about is my art. Because it concerns me. I do not speak for others. So I do not speak for things which profess to speak for others. My art, however, speaks for me. It lights my way.”
— Mark Z. Danielewski
Burialserge wrote: I've seen a few ways to paint power/force weapons but the one that has always confused me is the light to dark and mirrored on the other side of the blade. Where did that style come from? I've looked all over but my Google-Fu is weak, I come to the shine of DAKKA to fine the answers I seek. Even if it's a point in the right direction I'd be very thankful.
If I had to wager a guess, it's because that's the way they are painted on the Grey Knight boxes.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2016/06/14 02:06:24
d-usa wrote: "When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
Burialserge wrote: I've seen a few ways to paint power/force weapons but the one that has always confused me is the light to dark and mirrored on the other side of the blade. Where did that style come from? I've looked all over but my Google-Fu is weak, I come to the shine of DAKKA to fine the answers I seek. Even if it's a point in the right direction I'd be very thankful.
If I had to wager a guess, it's because that's the way they are painted on the Grey Knight boxes.
I didn't know the Gray Knights started this style. The answer of "Who thought it was a good idea?" would have to come from someone who worked on the models for the box art.
2016/06/14 02:10:16
Subject: Re:A question about power weapon paint jobs
Here's a tutorial Duncan did for Advent explaining how the effect was achieved:
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
Burialserge wrote: I've seen a few ways to paint power/force weapons but the one that has always confused me is the light to dark and mirrored on the other side of the blade. Where did that style come from? I've looked all over but my Google-Fu is weak, I come to the shine of DAKKA to fine the answers I seek. Even if it's a point in the right direction I'd be very thankful.
I couldn't tell you when that style was first used on a miniature, but if I had to guess, it would've been somewhere in the 80's...swords have been illustrated in styles similar to that for a looong time now, I can't find/think of any specific examples though unfortunately, but I'm sure I've seen swords like that in 80's-90's cartoons, comic books, and on the cover art for some old fantasy/sci-fi novels, b-grade movies and video games.
basically though, it's just a cool/visually striking way to paint swords, it goes well with the generally bombastic, technicolor, high-fantasy visual style of stuff like 40k - but it's still realistic at the same time, swords can look close enough to that in the right angle/lighting combination, like this for instance: (spoiler'd because it's a pretty big pic)
Spoiler:
...ok, so it's not exactly the same, but if you were to tilt it slightly, the reflections on either side of the blade would shift, giving an almost identical appearance to the common painting style
...it's good to be green! 
