This is a continued experiment with gold True Metallic Metals. I haven't used a lot of the metallic paints before and I haven't practiced any TMM techniques since painting Lord Ironraven. In this experiment, I wanted a bronze, greenish-effect on the battle axe of Reaper Miniature "Ursula". I also wanted to paint some fun, bolder colors on her hair and bodice. I haven't painted orange hair before, and it was an interesting contrast to dull down the metallic paint and build up bright colors elsewhere on the miniature at the same time.
For the metals, I painted a base coat 50/50 mix of Privateer Press P3's "Blighted Gold" & "Rhulic Gold". Then I added multiple, thin layers of Reaper "Green Shadow" to give a green tint to the metallic base color. I then highlighted and edged in Rhulic gold, though it doesn't read very well in these photos (a definite downside to TMM). Natural light definitely helped in these photos, and I'll soon decide if I want to paint a few touch-ups that will look better on camera and then take final pictures. For the rest of the colors, I used a wide range of Reaper paints:
- Hair: Rust Brown, Marigold Yellow, Pure White
- Bodice, Gloves, and Belt Sash: Surf Aqua, Blue Liner & Leather White
- Fur: Leather White, Brown Liner
- Scale Cape (I call it her "Acorn Cape"): Olive Skin Shadow, Brown Liner, Leather White
- Axe Handle: Olive Skin Shadow, Brown Liner
- Eye Patch: Olive Skin Shadow, Leather White, Brown Liner
I decided not to line the TMM metal edges in an off-white and paint "hot spots" in a pure white, a common practice in NMM-- I'm not convinced I should mix the techniques. I think that matte white paint may stand out too much from the metallic paints and distract from the intended effect. Otherwise, I'm pleased with Ursula as a TMM practice miniature. She's one of the minis that's been sitting on my shelf for a long, long time after years of being intimidated by both TMM & NMM techniques. I improve only by experimenting with these different techniques, and I always learn something new each time I try-- some lessons learned from mistakes, others are happy accidents that I try to recreate on future miniatures.