NMM: Non-Metallic Metal — How to Paint It

Short answer: NMM (non-metallic metal) means painting the illusion of metal with flat, matte colours instead of metallic silver or gold. You mimic how light reflects off metal, and you do it with sharp shadow-to-highlight transitions that run from near-black to near-white. That is why it is the technique of choice for swords, armour and gems, especially on display and competition models.

What is NMM and what is it for?

Let us start with the name. NMM stands for non-metallic metal, and as that name suggests, you make a surface read as steel or gold without a drop of metallic paint, using flat tones like grey, white, yellow and brown. The trick is not in the paint itself; it is in where you place the shadows and the highlights.

It helps to hear the definition from an authority. As Warhammer Guild puts it, NMM is "a technique that mimics the look of a metallic surface using only matte paints and the careful placement of highlights and shadows, and it is widely regarded as the pinnacle of miniature painting skill." Fittingly, it is the signature technique of Golden Demon winner Darren Latham, along with masters like Angel Giraldez and Richard Gray.

So when do you reach for it? Mostly on models that get photographed and inspected up close, because NMM freezes the reflections onto the painted surface. For a tabletop army, real metallic paint is usually enough. Full NMM, on the other hand, is for display pieces you can give real time to.

How does NMM work?

To understand the technique, look at real metal first. Real metal is a high-contrast, sharp-edged surface that reflects everything around it. Matte paint, by contrast, does not reflect, so NMM fakes the reflection by painting it on. Four core principles carry the whole technique:

• An extreme value range: Shadows should sit near black, highlights near white. The metallic feeling comes almost entirely from this extreme contrast.
• Sharp transitions: On a matte surface, light fades softly into shadow; on metal, the boundary is harder and more sudden. That hardness is exactly what reads as "shiny" to the eye.
• Environmental reflection: Metal reflects the sky (light at the top), the ground (dark and warm at the bottom) and nearby objects. You paint those reflections onto the surface by hand.
• A consistent light source: Light must come from the same direction across every metal surface on the model. Darren Latham's method is to imagine four light points at the four corners of the model and decide where light falls from there.

According to Darren Latham, the real trick is deciding where the light comes from before you paint a stroke: imagine four fixed light points, then paint every metal surface consistently to those sources.

How do you do it, step by step? (a steel blade)

Before you begin, you need two foundation techniques. NMM is built on Layering and Glazing; without those two, NMM will fight you. We start with steel here, because managing greys is far easier than managing gold's warm colour shifts.

1. Mix your palette: For steel, build cool greys in this order: a blue-grey shadow → a neutral mid grey → a white highlight. For gold, run a brown or dark-orange shadow → a yellow mid → pale yellow or cream → a pure white dot.
2. Plan the zones: The first question is always the same: where is the light? The upper half of the surface is usually light (the sky reflection), the lower half dark. Right across the middle, a sharp "horizon line" of contrast forms.
3. Lay the mid-tone basecoat: First, put down a smooth, even mid grey.
4. Build the shadows: Next, work the dark, near-black tone into the lower and shadowed areas with layering or glazing.
5. Add the highlights: Now place lighter tones on the upper edges and lit faces, in progressively smaller areas.
6. Hit the extreme highlight: Finally, drop pure white at the sharpest reflection points, on edges and corners.
7. Soften and sharpen: Glaze the transitions smooth, but keep the hard boundaries that metal demands.

What paints and brushes do you need?

Here is the good news: you do not need an expensive, dedicated set for NMM. A good grey or yellow ramp, fluid paint and a sharp brush will do. What really matters is your control, not the kit.

• Paints: A three-to-four-step grey ramp (dark, mid, light, white) from Citadel, Vallejo, Army Painter, Scale75 or Kimera will serve you well. The high-pigment cool greys from Scale75 and Kimera, in particular, are favourites among NMM painters.
• Brush: A size 0 or 1 with a fine point that holds its tip is ideal; keep an even finer one beside it for the extreme highlights.
• Wet palette: Almost essential for keeping paint open and blending tones smoothly. For more, see using a wet palette.
• Medium: A glazing medium makes it far easier to soften transitions without leaving tide marks.
• Reference: Keep a real knife, spoon or photo of metal nearby. Observing how light actually falls is invaluable.

The most common mistakes

When NMM comes out looking like "grey cloth" instead of metal, it is almost always the same handful of reasons. Here are the most common ones, in order:

• Not enough contrast: This is the most common mistake by far. If the shadow is not dark enough and the highlight not light enough, the surface looks flat and lifeless and the metal feel never appears. Be bold; push darker and lighter than feels comfortable.
• Inconsistent light direction: Paint each surface to its own light and the parts will not agree, so the model falls apart.
• Skipping the environmental reflection: A plain light-to-dark fade gives flat, lifeless metal. Without the sky-and-ground reflection, you lose the depth.
• Over-softening the transitions: Glaze everything into mush and you erase the sharpness that is metal's signature; you end up with satin cloth instead.

Pro tips

Accept this up front: NMM is a patience technique. A single sword can take hours, so do not rush, and let layers dry as you go. The tips below shorten the road:

• Work in steel (grey) first; learn gold's warm colour shifts later.
• Study real metal objects and reference photos. Watch where the light pools, then paint exactly that.
• For coloured reflections, NMM often pairs with OSL (object source lighting); adding the colour of a torch or spell glow hitting the metal brings a model to life.
• Short on time? Try SENMM (simplified NMM) instead of full NMM; on a 28mm tabletop it usually reads just fine.
• If speed is everything, there is no shame in going back to real metallic paint. For that route, see TMM (true metallic metal).
• If you want to go deeper, the step-by-step tutorials from Angel Giraldez and Richard Gray are the highest-authority sources on this, and they are well worth following.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NMM better than real metallic paint?

Not better, just different. NMM looks stunning in photos and up close, and it avoids the noisy shimmer that metallic paint produces under light. In return, it is slow. For tabletop play, real metallic paint (TMM) is both faster and good enough; NMM is for display and competition.

Is NMM suitable for beginners?

It is an advanced technique to start with cold. You really need layering, glazing and value control in place first. Even so, trying it on a small shield or sword is a great teacher. Just keep your expectations realistic; first attempts often come out "grey," and that is completely normal.

What is the single most important NMM rule?

In one word: contrast. To put it in a sentence, make the shadow darker than you think and the highlight lighter than you think. NMM's metallic feel comes almost entirely from that extreme value range. A soft, mid-toned transition will never read as metal.

Is steel NMM or gold NMM easier?

Steel is easier, because you work in cool greys and the colour management is simple; there is only a dark-to-light axis. Gold, by contrast, needs you to order warm shifts (brown, orange, yellow, cream) correctly. That is why we tell every beginner to start with steel.

How many hours does NMM take?

A single sword can take hours, and a full armoured figure can spread over days. That is because NMM is a slow, layer-by-layer technique, and rushing it costs you the contrast and sharpness. If time is tight, SENMM or real metallic paint is the smarter call.

Which grey tones should I buy?

For steel NMM, you want at least four steps: very dark (near-black, slightly blue), mid grey, light grey and pure white. A blue-grey shadow gives steel a cool, believable feel. High-pigment ranges like Scale75 and Kimera build these transitions very cleanly.

How do I set the light direction in NMM?

The answer is simple: decide before you start painting. Darren Latham's method is to imagine four fixed light points around the model. The general rule is this: upper surfaces light (the sky), lower surfaces dark (the ground). Paint every metal part to that one setup so the model holds together.

The takeaway

If we boil it all down to one line: it is contrast, not paint, that makes metal shine. Push the shadow to near-black, the highlight to near-white, and keep the transitions sharp, and even the most ordinary matte grey will gleam like steel. Learn it slowly, and start with steel.

Ready to try it? Start with the right grey ramp, fluid paint and a sharp brush; browse our shelf of paints, brushes & hobby supplies for everything you need.