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Hey All

So I am attempting to paint a model of Thor as featured below:



When looking at this picture, it got me wondering, how do you do what looks like that brighter shade of black on his chest and armour? This shade is often seen in comic art for Thor too.





I also see sometimes shiny blacks or really bright-but-not-quite-grey blacks.

Thus I wanted to ask, How do you achieve these lighter or darker shades of black? I tried adding some grey to my black but it didn't work out so well, hence me asking you Dakka people what you think may help. Appreciate any ideas. Thanks everyone

APOLOGIES FOR THE LARGE IMAGES! NOT GOOD WITH IN-POST IMAGES

Very few shaded blacks are actually a true black. If you look closely, Thor's armour there is varying shades of very very dark blue (like priest's socks).
This is especially true for stylistic comic book characters, say for example Judge Dredd's uniform, Lobo's hair, and so on.

Good question! As mentioned above, black is rarely black (although it can built up from a black base).

For a smooth black like that, you want to start at black and add in increasingly more blue in thin layers, covering less area each time until you get the shine on the uppermost surfaces (look at actual comics for examples if you're unsure). If at any point it gets too stark or the layers look to separate, hit it with a black wash to tie them back together.

Be aware that this will take time. For a model like that, though, it's worth it!

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
Very few shaded blacks are actually a true black. If you look closely, Thor's armour there is varying shades of very very dark blue (like priest's socks).
This is especially true for stylistic comic book characters, say for example Judge Dredd's uniform, Lobo's hair, and so on.

Great advice, especially the Father Ted quote.


I'm looking around for a charcoal colour myself as Black is too black for my Angels of Absolution Deathwing Terminators. So far I've been shading them with Army Painter Dark Ink but 3 layers in and I think thin layers of a charcoal would best fit the effect I'm seeking. Attempts at blue bases weren't dark enough.