The look of shiny metal comes from balancing three main elements—the lightest area, the midtone, and the shadow.When starting out, it’s easiest to work with just these three elements. This lets you focus on blending and learning how to place light correctly.However, realistic metal usually has more complexity with multiple lights, multiple midtones, and multiple shadows.This can be from various light sources or reflections of darker objects surrounding the central object.

It’s best to begin practising on simple forms, observing where the light naturally falls on each shape. You’ll notice that while you can place highlights and shadows correctly, they won’t yet read as metallic unless you exaggerate the contrast and reflections. 

The way a surface reflects light depends heavily on its material and finish. Compared to our earlier basic-shape examples, true metallic surfaces bounce light in much stronger and sharper ways. That’s why it’s worth studying these basic forms and observing how light travels over their surfaces. This practice builds the foundation for realistic NMM. 

It’s important to remember that metal isn’t always the same, and they often have different finishes. When painting, respect both the character and the type of metal you want to represent. A battle-hardened orc would have battered, darkened armour when compared to a king, who could be shown in polished, ornate armour to fit his status. 

Both polished and non-polished metals reflect light, but the sharpness and clarity of that reflection varies greatly. A polished surface will have bright, crisp highlights and visibly reflected shapes, while a non-polished one will scatter light, creating softer, more muted effects. 

Metal isn’t just “grey,” it contains a variety of subtle tones, influenced by the temperature of the light source and the environment surrounding it. For example, in a snowy landscape, the highlights and reflections on metal will naturally skew toward cooler tones, while in a desert, the tones will lean warmer. 

If your miniature has multiple metals (steel, gold, bronze, etc.), you should adapt their colours to the same overall light temperature, so they look like they exist in the same world. This way, the whole miniature feels cohesive, and the lighting remains believable. 

Metal isn’t always a perfectly smooth surface. Age, weather, and battle damage all leave marks that change their appearance. Adding texture to your NMM helps convey these stories.

This can be achieved with small dots for pitting, streaks to mimic water runoff, scratches and chips for battle-worn surfaces, random patterns for natural weathering, or ordered patterns for man-made finishes (e.g., brushed steel).

Paint consistency is also very important. If you water down your paints less, you’ll have harsher, more defined marks, whereas with more water, you’ll achieve a softer and more subtle texture.

You can also vary the look by having a bolder contrast between your layers or creating a subtle shift through careful blending. The key is experimentation — different brushes, consistencies, and stroke motions will give you different results.