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Before we move forward on the topic of NMM also known as non-metallic metal, let’s lay down the minimum required knowledge and skill to achieve it. Without this basic foundation, it will become an uphill task for the painter to perform this painting technique successfully.

1. Blending(gradation) technique
2. Highlight and Shade
3. Understanding how metal reflect light
4. Dilution ratio for paints

There are different techniques for painting NMM. The most common ones are metal effects and sky-earth chrome effects.

Sky-Earth Chrome Effect on a Sphere.

For this particular video article, I will just briefly introduce the NMM technique for painting steel effect on a miniature sword using miniature acrylic paint from Vallejo Model Color. The painting technique utilises a two gradient technique- the top lighter gradient and a darker bottom gradient.

These are the colors that I used for painting steel:

• German Field Grey
• Flat White
• Flat Black

For most painting projects, I like to mix paints and customise the different shades of colours to achieve a smooth gradation. If done well,  the blended  colours from light to dark will give  the illusion of steel. Usually I paint my base colour first and start adding 33% of white each time to get a lighter shade for the next layer till the last layer is almost pure white.

In the video below shows the technique of painting steel in NMM. The first part shows the 1 gradient method and the second part uses the 2 gradient technique.

For more info on painting and modelling miniatures, please visit 2PaintMiniatures website.