2 Color NMM Easy Peasy Style

Real Talk First

I really want to have an honest chat about this vlog because this has been maybe the most happy I’ve ever been, the most exhausted I’ve ever been, the hardest I’ve ever worked, but also feel the most rewarded for it.

Starting the Two-Color NMM

We’re finally about to get started with this two-color non-metal metallic on the Paradeth mini. I’ve been wanting to do this kind of thing for a really long time, and I’m finally feeling inspired from both Miscast and Nubmark.

Starting off cleaning these mold lines—the sculpt cast is really good. I’m just using my favorite tool to get mold lines off metal miniatures: a half-round file. There’s a flat side and a round side. For basing, I’m carefully cutting the bottom of the mini, then roughing up both the mini and the base so the super glue gets better adhesion.

The Paint Water Trick

Here’s a tip: dab your finger in paint water and touch it to the base. Water actually serves as an accelerator for super glue instead of using zip kicker or other smelly chemicals. It activates the super glue so it holds faster, and you can go right into priming.

The Glaze Consistency

I primed with rattle can and zenithal’d it with spray cans. Normally I’d airbrush it, but I forgot and left my airbrush dirty. We’re starting off with Scale 75 Yellow Oxide.

Don’t be intimidated by the word “glazing.” We’re really just using really thin, watery paint right before the pigment starts to break down and slapping this on top of our primer. The paint consistency is in between a glaze and a wash—very thin but still has a lot of pigment.

No Wet Palette? No Problem

I went to open my wet palette and it was dry. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve actually painted a miniature. I could have easily said “not today” and never started this YouTube channel. But I just got my piece of plastic that is a dry palette and we’re running with it.

Working Through Problems

My brush has paint up in the ferrule, so it starts going all different directions. I could have stopped and cleaned it, but I wanted to push through and show you that you can get really cool results with a busted paintbrush. The Scale 75 Artist Acrylics are expensive but good paints, and they’re going to do a lot of the heavy lifting for me.

Building Up the NMM

This is not a two-coat base coat consistency—this would be like a five or six coat consistency. I’m building up the shadows with probably two coats over it, then specifically focusing on the places I want to be darker.

Edge Highlighting with Glazes

Now we’re edge highlighting with a glaze. Sounds super intimidating, right? What we’re doing is just poking—lightly poking our miniature with watered down paint. For so long I was so afraid to do non-metal metallics, but you do have to have brush control. If you don’t have brush control, you just got to paint a lot.

Bracing for Control

The hand holding the miniature holder is on the table. When I get in really tricky spots, I brace my hands together. My hand is very rarely free floating in the air—I always have it braced against something.

Don’t Overthink Light Sources

People talk about light sources and sky-earth metallics and where the light would be. We don’t care because we are God. We tell the world where the light is going to be. I’m going to put a light source wherever I want because my paintbrush is a light source.

The Stippling Technique

We’re already starting to get this non-metal metallic effect just by very carefully stippling. We’re poking at this point—it’s like a dry brush but a very controlled dry brush. You’re dragging that brush very haphazardly but also with intention.

Adding the Third Color

This is our final color: a violet. We’re going to severely water this down to a wash level and then go one level past that. This will give us a hint of shadow on the gold. It ties the gold into the rest of the model and interacts with the yellows, browns, and oranges to bring that purple into a brown.

I’m starting in the brightest parts and then dragging the paintbrush down into the shadows so the bulk of that paint deposits in the shadows, but it tints the whole area.

Final Highlights

Now I’m touching the model with 100% yellow paint. I’m doing these dots with this brush that’s like four-pronged. You just hold your breath, brace your fingers on the table, and tap it. You poke it a couple of times with one color, poke it again with the second color, and you have non-metal metallic.

The Point

Easy peasy, guys. Don’t be afraid. And keep painting. You poke it a couple times with one color, poke it again with the second color, and you have non-metal metallic.