For base painting tutorial we're recreating a Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) technique on a Planetary Temple base. In this example we've used a 32mm sized base and gone with a burnished copper colour scheme.

This painting guide shows you how to create a metal surface without the use of metallic paints (paints with reflective or shiny particles in them) by layering them on top of each other to look like reflected light. We've used browns and oranges for a copper effect, but you could easily use yellows to create gold NMM, or greys for a silver NMM colour scheme.

You will need:

• A fine brush for applying details
• A thicker brush for applying base coats

Colours we used:

• A white undercoat (we used cheap car primer)
• A gradient of browns and oranges for the copper colour (we used Citadel Rhinox Hide, Citadel Doombull Brown, Citadel Skrag Brown, Citadel Balor Brown and Citadel Ushabti Bone)
• A spot colour for the verdigris (we used Citadel Nihilakh Oxide)
• A neutral colour for the base rim (we used Citadel Abaddon Black)

Start with a primer that closely matches your first paint layer - we've gone for a white undercoat as we want to lift the colours rather than darken them with an undercoat of grey or black.

Taking a large brush we slapped down some dark brown Rhinox Hide all over the base. It doesn't need to be neat, and we added a little water to help coverage. We also won't be waiting for layers to dry - we're painting straight over wet, baby!

For effective NMM you need to be able to capture how light reflects off surfaces, and because we start with the darkest layers first it's important to plan ahead where your strongest reflection will be. If you find it easier, you can mark on your peak highlights with a pencil or light coloured paint and simply paint over them as the layers build up.

In this tutorial we've used a CD as a reference because it's easy to visualise, but for more complicated surfaces it's worth getting some reference material.

Apply the next layer, in this case Doombull Brown, leaving some of the previous layer showing in the darker areas of the base.

Painting over the wet previous layer will help us blend the colours together. You don't have to be neat either - rougher lines and patchy applications of colour will help the final piece look more dented and weathered.

We've used Skrag Brown for the third layer and you can see the final reflection line running across the base becoming more prominent. We've also begun roughly edge highlighting the rings of the base, as these hard edges would also create their own reflections from the same light source.

The next layer is Balor Brown, and here we've demonstrated painting the main reflection line first. It still looks a bit messy and patchy, but trust the process! All of these messy layers will come together once we've added our final highlights and spot colour.

This is the part that will trick the brain into thinking it's looking at a metallic surface! The final layer is an off-white colour with similar hues to the rest of the base - in this case we've used Ushabti Bone for it's warm tones to compliment the browns and oranges of previous layers.

A messy and final layer of Ushabti Bone was applied across the most extreme areas of reflection, including some of the edges and corners. 

"Spot colours" in miniature painting are designed to draw the eye to particular features of a miniature with clever use of colour and placement. Put simply, if you have some white miniatures and you cover their swords in blood, that red gore colour is a spot colour!

In this instance we want to draw attention to the planets in the constellation pattern, and oxidisation on real life copper (called verdigris) is a very striking complementary colour to use. We've used a technical paint called Nihilakh Oxide, but you can get the same effect with a few layers of thinned turquoise paint.

Less is more here, as we don't want to overpower the final piece - simply addinga

The final step is to finish the base by painting the rim. We use two thin coats of a dark, neutral colour that complements the overall colour scheme - usually black, dark grey, or dark brown. We've used Abaddon Black to make the browns really pop.

Some people don't do this step, but we believe that painting the rim of the base is like framing your favourite poster or wall hanging - it fully finishes off the look by tidying, containing, and presenting the artwork you've invested in.

And you're finished!

What do you think? Would you like to see it in different colours, or on different sized bases? Let us know in the comments below or through our social accounts.

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Pick up your own set of Planetary Temple bases today and get non-metallic metalling!