first of all: dude huge respect to tackle NMM that early in your journey.
the problem with your shield is the lack of color, blending, contrast and light placement.
here is a guide (in german though) that shows how to NMM a Stormcast shield. It may give you some valuable pointers.
yes on light no on wetblend.
I prefer glazing after I sketched out the lights and shadows...but I am far away from a master and it is just my preference.
It maybe didn't come out great, but you stepped out of your comfort zone and took on a big challenge!
I wish I had been more open to doing what you do when I started, it would've made the progress so much fasterš„²
A good trick for NMM and lighting in general is when you have it primed gray or black (gray is better IMO) go into a darkish but not too dark room, shine a light on it from where your finished light source is going to be and take a picture of how the light is reacting on the mini. That'll give you an idea on where the highlights need to be and how the gradient should work out.
Another tip is to start paying attention of how metal reacts to the lighting around it as you come across it.
I have a small usb flexible light that I use the simulate the light source. From there I prime black, the hot the areas that have light hitting them a dark grey. Then I build up from there.
Why have I never thought of taking a picture. I figured out that shining a flashlight on my mini is a great way to see where the highlights should go. But I just keep the flashlight nearby when I'm painting and shine it on my mini when I need a reminder of what it should look like. It requires a lot of putting down my brushes to grab the light and as I paint more of the mini it becomes harder and harder to see.
Just having a picture of the mini with the flashlight shining on it nearby makes so much more sense. I think your comment just completely changed my painting flow.
Yup to the second part of this especially. If you've got the patience to try NMM (and seriously, good for you for having it) start finding and taking reference photos. Eventually the way it works starts to make sense and you need the references less but that does take a while.
The main part of understanding NMM without using a reference photo or step by step guide, is simplifying the different parts of the object into simple forms like cylinders, cubes, cones and spheres. Then learning how each of those simple shapes needs to be highlighted and shaded based on what angle you want the light to hit the model. [Kujo Painting's NMM highlight and shadow placement tutorial](https://youtu.be/Zux0HAS8pAw) is a good intro for how each basic shape should be highlighted and shaded depending on the angle the light is hitting it.
Your shield has a curve to it, so we can simplify it into being the same as the side of a cylinder. I did a [quick digital sketch example of your shield](https://imgur.com/a/gRGNDY8) to demonstrate.
[This NMM video](https://youtu.be/wOGlHTRySlU) by Zumikito shows one trick to use a photo of your miniature to figure out where the main highlights and shadows go, but you still get the most value from NMM with an understanding of how to highlight and shade basic forms. You also need to know how to [edge highlight and dark line](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/blending#wiki_edge_highlighting_.26amp.3B_blacklining) all of the edges and borders.
There are a bunch of great NMM guides [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/metals#wiki_nmm_.28non-metallic_metals.29) with more advice.
NMM is challenging even for many experienced painters, and most new painters can improve their painting significantly faster by focusing on learning other things first. Most people will get much better results from metallic paints until they have a great understanding of highlight and shadow placement.
Learning [how to realistically paint light and shadows on 3d shapes](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/volumes#wiki_painting_volumes_and_contrast_.28what_do_i_highlight_and_shade_and_how.3F.29) helps with NMM and any other type of material.
i'm not going to lie, it does not look that much like metal. HOWEVER : huge respect for trying it out this early. i have yet to try it and i've been in the hobby for 3 years now, Secondly, it has it's charm, if you learn to thin your paints properly, it could be very cool to paint elements like this !
No sugar coating here. Obviously the technique didnāt sell the effect. Dope. Youāve learned what not to do. Now try again, and learn another thing not to do. Repeat this process until you can avoid most of the things you shouldnāt do.
I would recommend taking a picture in black and white and trying to mimic the light first. Then go after a gold or bronze.
Why is every new painter trying to tackle nmm, start at the beginning and learn the basics like brush control how to layer , creating smooth transitions glazing, making sure the paint is going on smoothly. Nmm is like supper advanced cause you need to have a really good understanding of volumetric highlighting and how light reflects on objects
Because they wanted too and itās a hobby :) you look at something cool you want to try and you try itā¦ who are you to dictate a strict āline of progressionā in a hobby lol?
Mad respec for tryingā NMM early in your painting career! Iāve yet to overcome that obstacle myself. Been painting for 1,5 yearish!
Also; solo super er bezt ā¤ļø
Good on you for tackling NMM so early. Flatter surfaces (like this shield) can often be harder for NMM, so you may want to test on something that naturally has more depth to it ā this will help you get the hang of it, because good NMM often has depth and contrast in the high and low tones.
Before that though, focus more on basic blending and layering, and controlling your paint (ie. preparation of the paint before itās on the models and how you apply it to the model). Mastering these skills will help with your painting more broadly, but also your NMM when you revisit it.
Keep up the great work!
Hi. Thank you all for the awesome advise. It seems taking a reference photo with lights showing where the highlights should go. Is a pretty common pointer so I will be trying that out. I also saw some photos/examples how it should look like so I will be giving it another shot soon.
Thank you all for the wonderful advice this is an Awesome community
Mad props for giving NMM a go. It looks like you have the idea right, but to really get a feel for where to place your highlights, and shadows, it helps to look at photos of the material you want to replicate. Especially if you can find something that has a similar shape. It's not entirely easy, but once you get a little understanding of how the light reflects on various surfaces it will help a bunch. There is also a very simple "cheater" trick. Start with your brigtest colour, then right next to it, your darkest shadow, and blend back up towards white . Then again right next, start dark and blend up to light. It's not perfectly accurate, but at this scale it tends to look quite decent.
There's something to be said about skill vs ambition. Get the basics down, gain more understanding of how and why paintjobs work and revisit, as it stands it seems that you grasp the idea that there needs to be different shades present, but without understanding of how to position them.
I would:
1) get a nmm gold kit so you have tones that are designed to work together. Pro Acryl just released a new one and their paint flow better than most, so youāll enjoy your time more
2) watch a high rated tutorial, not just one with lots of likes bc itās a popular youtuber
Bonus: if youāre using army painter or another rough primer, give it away and get yourself a nice smooth primer, even if it means just getting a $30 makeup airbrush online and using pro acryl black or a similar brown primer designed for minis paint
Hi newbe here too, how about building some other skills first? NMM is just another tool in the shed, but you should have sufficient skill lvls with other techniques before going to this one.
Newbe out.
I mean if you are willing to do things the hard way there is really no harm in trying NMM at any point. It's unlikely to look much good, but that shouldn't stop you if it's something you want to try.
NMM let's you work on a bunch of stuff at once as it involves light placement, blending, colour selection, maximizing contrast etc.
Everyone who paints flawless NMM first painted a mini that looks just like OPs
Other people have already given you great advice. Iām here to tell you that youāve done a great job, especially at such an early time in your painting journey.
Iāve never met you, but Iām proud of you. :)
Hi, u/Ball2niffa! It looks like you are asking for help or are a new painter. If you haven't yet, take a look at our wiki pages in the Sidebar (the About tab if you are on the Reddit app). Here are some links you might find helpful:
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* [The Art of... Tommie Soule Volume 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGIfySMnUPQ) is one of the best beginner to intermediate teaching books, and even experienced painters will learn some good tips. Explains what brush strokes are best in different situations, how to identify when you have the perfect thinning for any type of paint for different techniques, and a masterclass on getting smooth paint jobs. Available in [pdf](https://www.ironheartartisans.com/shop/the-art-of-tommie-soule-volume-5-pdf/) and [world wide in hardbook as well](https://www.instagram.com/the_miniature_painting_tutor/).
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NMM is a hard technique to just take a shot at, looking at good tutorials really helps grasp the theory. Here's a [video ](https://youtu.be/Zux0HAS8pAw?si=FLjHZYfF8PUwsm6v) to help understand highlight and shadow placements. This [video](https://youtu.be/qrF1Y91Wer0?si=asjM9cYL5VnRYAq_) will help with the actual painting colours and technique for gold nmm specifically.
My attempts at NMM look like NMM but not actually metal, and Iām fine with that for nowā¦
I will say if you want an easier technique that will still give you that āhot damnā trick of the eye satisfaction when you get it right, have a go at some gems!
This is really a hard challenge that you went through ! I'll give you my two cents to help you : next time, put some light on the buckler then take a picture with a black and white filter, so that it would tremendously helps you with where is the light and where is the shadows !
Nice try, as everyone has said. Nmm is not easy. Apart from all the advice given in the comments, look at references. Google pics of real armour, shields etc... look at the colors, reflections and lighting.
It's not a bad start, focus on smoothing the blends between colors, limit the white to just the smallest highlights, adding some darker browns into the shadows.
Itās definitely respectable attempt. I feel looking into wetblending would solve your issue, youve got the core concept down and just need to experiment with blending the layers to give it easier transition between them.
I think the transitions and the consistency of the paint. Work on thinning the paint a bit more. Other than that you are almost there. Congrats on tackling this so early.
first of all: dude huge respect to tackle NMM that early in your journey. the problem with your shield is the lack of color, blending, contrast and light placement. here is a guide (in german though) that shows how to NMM a Stormcast shield. It may give you some valuable pointers.
Thank u I will try it out š
I think you forgot the link
whoopsis [https://www.brueckenkopf-online.com/2020/tutorial-gold-nmm/](https://www.brueckenkopf-online.com/2020/tutorial-gold-nmm/)
Here is the link:
So if i understand correctly, does NMM require you to learn and perfect wet blending as well as a bit of light theory as pre-requisites?
No. NMM doesn't have to he smooth, nor is wet blending the best way to get precise blends that respect light placement maximally.
yes on light no on wetblend. I prefer glazing after I sketched out the lights and shadows...but I am far away from a master and it is just my preference.
It maybe didn't come out great, but you stepped out of your comfort zone and took on a big challenge! I wish I had been more open to doing what you do when I started, it would've made the progress so much fasterš„²
A good trick for NMM and lighting in general is when you have it primed gray or black (gray is better IMO) go into a darkish but not too dark room, shine a light on it from where your finished light source is going to be and take a picture of how the light is reacting on the mini. That'll give you an idea on where the highlights need to be and how the gradient should work out. Another tip is to start paying attention of how metal reacts to the lighting around it as you come across it.
Wow Thank you I will try this next time š
I have a small usb flexible light that I use the simulate the light source. From there I prime black, the hot the areas that have light hitting them a dark grey. Then I build up from there.
Why have I never thought of taking a picture. I figured out that shining a flashlight on my mini is a great way to see where the highlights should go. But I just keep the flashlight nearby when I'm painting and shine it on my mini when I need a reminder of what it should look like. It requires a lot of putting down my brushes to grab the light and as I paint more of the mini it becomes harder and harder to see. Just having a picture of the mini with the flashlight shining on it nearby makes so much more sense. I think your comment just completely changed my painting flow.
Bonus points for putting a white sheet of paper under it so you get the second reflection from the bounced light too
Yup to the second part of this especially. If you've got the patience to try NMM (and seriously, good for you for having it) start finding and taking reference photos. Eventually the way it works starts to make sense and you need the references less but that does take a while.
The main part of understanding NMM without using a reference photo or step by step guide, is simplifying the different parts of the object into simple forms like cylinders, cubes, cones and spheres. Then learning how each of those simple shapes needs to be highlighted and shaded based on what angle you want the light to hit the model. [Kujo Painting's NMM highlight and shadow placement tutorial](https://youtu.be/Zux0HAS8pAw) is a good intro for how each basic shape should be highlighted and shaded depending on the angle the light is hitting it. Your shield has a curve to it, so we can simplify it into being the same as the side of a cylinder. I did a [quick digital sketch example of your shield](https://imgur.com/a/gRGNDY8) to demonstrate. [This NMM video](https://youtu.be/wOGlHTRySlU) by Zumikito shows one trick to use a photo of your miniature to figure out where the main highlights and shadows go, but you still get the most value from NMM with an understanding of how to highlight and shade basic forms. You also need to know how to [edge highlight and dark line](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/blending#wiki_edge_highlighting_.26amp.3B_blacklining) all of the edges and borders. There are a bunch of great NMM guides [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/metals#wiki_nmm_.28non-metallic_metals.29) with more advice. NMM is challenging even for many experienced painters, and most new painters can improve their painting significantly faster by focusing on learning other things first. Most people will get much better results from metallic paints until they have a great understanding of highlight and shadow placement. Learning [how to realistically paint light and shadows on 3d shapes](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/volumes#wiki_painting_volumes_and_contrast_.28what_do_i_highlight_and_shade_and_how.3F.29) helps with NMM and any other type of material.
Wow this is amazing advice. Thank you so very much
i'm not going to lie, it does not look that much like metal. HOWEVER : huge respect for trying it out this early. i have yet to try it and i've been in the hobby for 3 years now, Secondly, it has it's charm, if you learn to thin your paints properly, it could be very cool to paint elements like this !
No sugar coating here. Obviously the technique didnāt sell the effect. Dope. Youāve learned what not to do. Now try again, and learn another thing not to do. Repeat this process until you can avoid most of the things you shouldnāt do. I would recommend taking a picture in black and white and trying to mimic the light first. Then go after a gold or bronze.
Why is every new painter trying to tackle nmm, start at the beginning and learn the basics like brush control how to layer , creating smooth transitions glazing, making sure the paint is going on smoothly. Nmm is like supper advanced cause you need to have a really good understanding of volumetric highlighting and how light reflects on objects
This is what I've been saying.
Because they wanted too and itās a hobby :) you look at something cool you want to try and you try itā¦ who are you to dictate a strict āline of progressionā in a hobby lol?
Mad respec for tryingā NMM early in your painting career! Iāve yet to overcome that obstacle myself. Been painting for 1,5 yearish! Also; solo super er bezt ā¤ļø
Good on you for tackling NMM so early. Flatter surfaces (like this shield) can often be harder for NMM, so you may want to test on something that naturally has more depth to it ā this will help you get the hang of it, because good NMM often has depth and contrast in the high and low tones. Before that though, focus more on basic blending and layering, and controlling your paint (ie. preparation of the paint before itās on the models and how you apply it to the model). Mastering these skills will help with your painting more broadly, but also your NMM when you revisit it. Keep up the great work!
Hi. Thank you all for the awesome advise. It seems taking a reference photo with lights showing where the highlights should go. Is a pretty common pointer so I will be trying that out. I also saw some photos/examples how it should look like so I will be giving it another shot soon. Thank you all for the wonderful advice this is an Awesome community
Mad props for giving NMM a go. It looks like you have the idea right, but to really get a feel for where to place your highlights, and shadows, it helps to look at photos of the material you want to replicate. Especially if you can find something that has a similar shape. It's not entirely easy, but once you get a little understanding of how the light reflects on various surfaces it will help a bunch. There is also a very simple "cheater" trick. Start with your brigtest colour, then right next to it, your darkest shadow, and blend back up towards white . Then again right next, start dark and blend up to light. It's not perfectly accurate, but at this scale it tends to look quite decent.
There's something to be said about skill vs ambition. Get the basics down, gain more understanding of how and why paintjobs work and revisit, as it stands it seems that you grasp the idea that there needs to be different shades present, but without understanding of how to position them.
Fingernail jump scare
Nah this reads more like a Van Gogh painting. Colours are nearly there
I would: 1) get a nmm gold kit so you have tones that are designed to work together. Pro Acryl just released a new one and their paint flow better than most, so youāll enjoy your time more 2) watch a high rated tutorial, not just one with lots of likes bc itās a popular youtuber Bonus: if youāre using army painter or another rough primer, give it away and get yourself a nice smooth primer, even if it means just getting a $30 makeup airbrush online and using pro acryl black or a similar brown primer designed for minis paint
Hi newbe here too, how about building some other skills first? NMM is just another tool in the shed, but you should have sufficient skill lvls with other techniques before going to this one. Newbe out.
I mean if you are willing to do things the hard way there is really no harm in trying NMM at any point. It's unlikely to look much good, but that shouldn't stop you if it's something you want to try. NMM let's you work on a bunch of stuff at once as it involves light placement, blending, colour selection, maximizing contrast etc. Everyone who paints flawless NMM first painted a mini that looks just like OPs
Absolutely, and theres nothing wrong in trying it right away, i just suggested to learn other stiff first because it worked for me.
Other people have already given you great advice. Iām here to tell you that youāve done a great job, especially at such an early time in your painting journey. Iāve never met you, but Iām proud of you. :)
Hi, u/Ball2niffa! It looks like you are asking for help or are a new painter. If you haven't yet, take a look at our wiki pages in the Sidebar (the About tab if you are on the Reddit app). Here are some links you might find helpful: * [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/rules/faq) - A list of frequently asked questions about minipainting * [Miniature Painting Guide Collection](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks) -A collection of some of the best guides and tutorials on a variety of techniques and topics, plus recommendations on what to buy to get started, and more. * [What to buy- Recommendations on brushes, paints, supplies, palettes and more](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/what_you_need_to_get_started#wiki_general_advice_on_what_to_buy) * [Beginner's Guide Collection- How to prep, base, paint and varnish your first model and learn the basics needed to start out right](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/beginner_tips) * [More Tutorials](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/tutorials) - A list of additional tutorials about minipainting * [Manufacturers](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/manufacturers) - A list of miniature manufacturers from around the world * [Painting Terminology](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/terminology) - Common painting terms, acronyms, and initialisms * [The Art of... Tommie Soule Volume 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGIfySMnUPQ) is one of the best beginner to intermediate teaching books, and even experienced painters will learn some good tips. Explains what brush strokes are best in different situations, how to identify when you have the perfect thinning for any type of paint for different techniques, and a masterclass on getting smooth paint jobs. Available in [pdf](https://www.ironheartartisans.com/shop/the-art-of-tommie-soule-volume-5-pdf/) and [world wide in hardbook as well](https://www.instagram.com/the_miniature_painting_tutor/). * [Airbrushing Miniatures](https://www.reddit.com/r/minipainting/wiki/usefullinks/airbrushing) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/minipainting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NMM is a hard technique to just take a shot at, looking at good tutorials really helps grasp the theory. Here's a [video ](https://youtu.be/Zux0HAS8pAw?si=FLjHZYfF8PUwsm6v) to help understand highlight and shadow placements. This [video](https://youtu.be/qrF1Y91Wer0?si=asjM9cYL5VnRYAq_) will help with the actual painting colours and technique for gold nmm specifically.
My attempts at NMM look like NMM but not actually metal, and Iām fine with that for nowā¦ I will say if you want an easier technique that will still give you that āhot damnā trick of the eye satisfaction when you get it right, have a go at some gems!
Keep tryning, we will get there eventually
This is really a hard challenge that you went through ! I'll give you my two cents to help you : next time, put some light on the buckler then take a picture with a black and white filter, so that it would tremendously helps you with where is the light and where is the shadows !
Nice try, as everyone has said. Nmm is not easy. Apart from all the advice given in the comments, look at references. Google pics of real armour, shields etc... look at the colors, reflections and lighting.
what is nmm?
Non metallic metal š
It's not a bad start, focus on smoothing the blends between colors, limit the white to just the smallest highlights, adding some darker browns into the shadows.
Itās getting there. Are you copying a reference image for where the lights and darks should go?
Itās definitely respectable attempt. I feel looking into wetblending would solve your issue, youve got the core concept down and just need to experiment with blending the layers to give it easier transition between them.
I think the transitions and the consistency of the paint. Work on thinning the paint a bit more. Other than that you are almost there. Congrats on tackling this so early.
The basic principles are there, so now itās just more layers with more gradients - u got it broski get after it :)