Highlighting Metal Acrylics?

[Davaris]

Hi Everyone,
My acrylics arrived this week and I'm painting again and it is a lot easier and more enjoyable than using oils.

Anyway to get to the point I have done a base coat of my figure and now I want to work on the highlights for its amour. So I was wondering what do acrylic painters use to highlight metals like gold and silver?

Do you mix some white with water to make it transparent and then paint the raised parts of the metal? If that works I could use a watered down black to shade the recessed parts.

 

[Jamie Stokes]

Welcome back....

..Davaris.
highlighting metallics such as gold and silver.....hmm, tricky.

Is this for the Easterling/ Lord of the Rings GamesWorkshop (GW) figure you had before?

I ask becase Gold and silver are usually highlights themsleves....hard to make a bright colour brighter.

A highlight is an effort to display the contrast. So lets reverse the situation. Having read a few of the GW articles (forgive me, I was ignorant) what those artists usually do is to lay down a slightly darker shade of a colour, eg copper for the undershade, bronze for the midpoint colour, and gold as the highlight.

Swords, axes etc in the GW line normally get painted a bare/ gun metal, then a polished metal for the bright part, and then finish with silver for the highlights, nicks, grooves etc.

Rather then add white to a metallic, not sure about that (Some one decent like Einion will correct no doubt,or some other good sort that check here will expand) how about dark shades to the metallics for the shadows? I woldnt go so far as black. If you only have silver and gold, try an undercoat of browns for gold, perhaps blues for the silver. if you have other metallics, like steel etc, try those too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to photograph a figure of a GW ogryn bone-ead before I break out a can of big red oven cleaner. I might just post the pics here for public ridicule.......and to learn faster!!

Cheers
Jamie

Not afraid of making mistakes; mistakes are a sign of forward progress.

 

[Marcel]

Like Janus said metal colors can be mixed to get different tones. Black can be used to get shadows or midtones and pure silver can than be used as last highlight. For gold you can add browns for creating midtones and highlight with pure gold.

If you have a metal figure it can be polished and shaded with black, smoke, burnt umber.

Marcel.

 

[Davaris]

Is this for the Easterling/ Lord of the Rings GamesWorkshop (GW) figure you had before?

Yes thats the one.

Rather then add white to a metallic, not sure about that (Some one decent like Einion will correct no doubt,or some other good sort that check here will expand) how about dark shades to the metallics for the shadows? I woldnt go so far as black. If you only have silver and gold, try an undercoat of browns for gold, perhaps blues for the silver. if you have other metallics, like steel etc, try those too.

Like Janus said metal colors can be mixed to get different tones. Black can be used to get shadows or midtones and pure silver can than be used as last highlight. For gold you can add browns for creating midtones and highlight with pure gold.

If you have a metal figure it can be polished and shaded with black, smoke, burnt umber.

Thanks Janus and Marcel. Those are great suggestions. I'll try them out tonight.

before I break out a can of big red oven cleaner.

I think I might be going the same way. Hopefully third time is a charm.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

I usually mix my metallics with about 20-30% Gloss Black for the base coat.
More Gloss Black for the shadows and less for the highlights and perhaps some Silver.

Cheers

 

[dinovision79]

Hi Davaris,

all above said is correct. Depending on the effect you want to achieve, you have other possibilities too. You can mix your silver with a midtone grey, shade with black/silver and higlight with white/silver mix, this results in a duller, faded, worn metal appearance, which looks often more realistic. You can shade/higlight silver just with any color, eg dark/light blue-green-brown, as metals can have many finishes, especially if you are painting fantasy figures. For gold the colour would be yellow and whatever goes with yellow, eg brown, added to the gold colour. You can also try semi gloss/gloss varnish at the end. See pics:
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/attachment.php?
http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18495&d=1207563476

If you decide to use pure metal colours, you may try clear acrylics to tint them, again, the top highlight would be pure silver/gold.

Hope it helps
Denes

 

[JGREEN]

Davaris,
Whatever you do, dont use white to highlight armor. Trust me, it will look bad. As has been stated, you should start with a darker (or darkENED) tone and save the pure silver for your highlights. Good luck!

Jason

 

[pkw4]

Use priters ink mixed with gloss black enamel to highlight.
it works very well.
Roberto

 

[Jamie Stokes]

Wow, more nifty ideas then you can wave a Double "O" paint brush at....cool.
Jamie

 

[Davaris]

Thanks again everyone.