Creating non grainy metallics

[drivingnails]

I am having trouble creating smooth metallics on my minis. It seems like I cannot get smooth and non grainy or clumpy basecoats of any of my citadel metallics. I cannot achieve the look that the space marine chapter masters or the space marine sternguard photos on the boxes that they come packaged in.

I have tried thinning with water and applying thin layers. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jdmchaos]

future floor wax.its a acrylic base floor cleener.it helps to put a couple drops in your water then add it to your mettalics as needed.allso the mini\'s on those boxes are painted by top of the line painters so till you can master a way of doing it just do the best you can.allso certain washes will help fill in thos parts that are grainy or spoty.maybe try a chestnut or smoke wash on gold and black and so on for silver. joe

 

[freakinacage]

try another paint. look for a pot with very fine metallic bits in the bottom. as with any range, some are good some are bad.

 

[Trevor]

Try Vallejo model air metallics. They are pure awesome.

Seriously, forget anything else. I\'ve tired, GW, normal vallejo, rackham, P3 and they all are awful compared to the Model Air.

Having said that, of those, GW are the best of the rest (Automaton uses them and he\'s a man who knows how to use metallics).

I\'m suprised you are having trouble, despite watering them down. Maybe you are adding too much water? Or the paint could have \'gone off\' (unlikely, but its possible), buy a new pot of paint .

What undercoat are you using? Try filing the area smooth with files and sandpaper, then undercoat with whatever you use and then try doing a dark grey basecoat using the GW foundations, that should be better than going over a black or white basecoat.

 

[drivingnails]

thanks everyone for the tips and advice. I bought the Vallejo Airbrush metallics and I will give them a try. I am also gonna give the reaper master series a try. I just came back from adepticon and rabidbat taught a class on metallics that really opened my eyes. Wappellious, Chris Borer, Joe Orteza and several others taught some really incredible classes. My apologies for those I couldn\'t name off hand. Every class I took at this 3 day event was truely amazing.