Painting metallics

[mmcv]

Hey,

Painting up a batch of medieval troops with lots of mail and plate armour. Was wondering what techniques people tend to use for it?

So far I've generally been doing a metallic paint over a black undercoat but as I undercoated these in a lighter colour I'm pondering other options.

Metallic paints can always be quite thick so obscures details in smaller scales.

Do people tend to just use a standard grey then maybe highlight/dry brush with metallic or lighter greys?

[FierceKitty]

Black undercoat, then a mix of silver and black over it if I want darker armour (such as mail).

[Noktu]

I paint AP - Chainmail over undercoat (no matter the primer colour in my opinion).

Wash with AP - Soft Tone.

Highlight with AP - Chainmail  (a light silver could also work)

[FierceKitty]

If you can visit a mueum with such things, it's useful to be reminded how unsilvery mail actually is.

[mmcv]

Yeah, I've taken to using a "Gunmetal" metallic in some instances, as it gives a darker look. Worked quite well for my ECW harquebusier armour.

A lot of armours in earlier periods would have been polished and more silvery I believe, though mid to later periods some form of blacking would often be used to prevent rust. I've generally used touches of chainmail/plate armour type metallics on previous troops, which does give a silvered look, since my forces are earlier medieval.

Mail was often dark, but I imagine there would have been some forms of it that were more polished? I'm not opposed to slightly lighter colours anyway as a means of standing out a bit more, but given these guys have bright coloured tabards a dark mail might work quite well!

[paulr]

I undercoat light grey and use Vallejo Gunmetal for mail

I do a light dry brush of Vallejo Oily Steel to highlight

I then wash with a translucent black, Tamiya X-19 Smoke

The wash is glossy but I finish with a matt varnish

[O Dinas Powys]

If you can visit a mueum with such things, it's useful to be reminded how unsilvery mail actually is.

Yup - and how shiny plate usually is!

[fsn]

I use gunmetal, then dry brush aluminium. I vary the amount of the dry brushing for darker or lighter armour. I also chuck in the odd painted helmet just ... well why not? 

For special figures and plate armour, I will gloss varnish.   

[FierceKitty]

I remember one remark from a group of Roman reenactors that they found on a long march that mail didn't need polishing if worn daily; rust wore off. If you're good enough with a brush, this must mean a dark layer and then a very light but bright drybrush to show newly exposed metal.

[mmcv]

Gunmetal paint over the light grey undercoat actually came out okay on a few test models. Haven't done any wash it highlights yet though not sure I need them. Provides a nice darker contrast to the bright coloured tabards and the shiny plate metal helmets.

[paulr]