Non Metallic Metal? Try This Quick, SIMPLE Method! In REAL TIME ;)

I’ll be honest, even more honest than in the YT video… Let’s say BRUTALLY honest!
I believe Non Metallic Metal to be almost impossible to explain with words…
And I’m preparing a workshop about NMM so I’ve analysed the problem from every possible angle!

You can go super in depth with the physics of light (and you know how much I usually like this option!) but still, totally miss its complexity, its unpredictable nature and the painterly vibe that makes it believable, interesting and not photorealistic “dead” in the final product.

Sure, you need to be aware of the technical stuff to anchor the effect to realism and trick the viewer’s brain that’s passively but tremendously conscious of its everyday experience of bouncing lights and reflections but that’s not its essence…and again definitely not its painterly essence.

The funny thing is that for oil/canvas painters, especially for still life artists, metal is really not a big deal; the metallic effect can be easily summarized in just a bunch of abstract free flowing shapes so technically waaaay easier than a face, or a fish. But that’s because most of the time they can copy and translate reality, taking it from a picture of the object or an actual metal bucket sitting on a table!

We don’t have that luxury or level of control over the subject because our “shapes” are fixed and given to us by the sculpt BUT we can still use references!!!

It’s a bit more difficult at the beginning because you’ll never ever find the perfect reference for the actual thing or shape you are painting but with a bit of study you can quickly absorb and internalize that information making it completely independent from the actual thing and then usable as you wish!

But this little limitation is nothing compared to the incredible freedom our little medium gives us.
We don’t have to justify a f@§/!£g thing XD!
We don’t have backgrounds, backdrops, or a set environment all around: what we paint on the figures generates the echoes and the virtual “image” of the environment!!!!!!!!
And this changes everything because that intricate puzzle of information coming from every direction at once is what makes the rendering complicated; without that stuff dictating the behaviour of the reflections we can do whatever we want!!!!
And I promise, I’ll show you how with a bunch of painted examples ;)