Metallic paint can make a miniature shine, but a coat of silver alone often leaves armor looking flat. A small range of dark metal, warm trim, and bright accents makes the different pieces easier to read across the table. Try this recipe on one model before painting the rest of a unit.
Choose two metals with different jobs
Use dark steel for armor plates, helmets, and weapons. Reserve brass for a few borders, buckles, or decorative details. Keeping brass scarce gives it a clear purpose and stops every surface competing for attention.
Start with an assembled, primed miniature. On your palette, prepare dark gunmetal, bright silver, brass, and a brown-black shade. Keep a separate rinse cup for metallic paints so stray reflective particles do not end up in your cloth colors.
Build the steel in three passes
- Basecoat: Apply thin layers of gunmetal until coverage is even. Leave the sculpted seams visible instead of filling them with thick paint.
- Shade: Place a small amount of dark wash around rivets, between plates, and underneath helmet rims. Wick away large pools with a clean brush, then let the shade dry.
- Highlight: Restore gunmetal on broad upper surfaces. Add narrow silver accents to blade edges, shield rims, and the highest corners.
Make the brass feel separate
Paint selected trim in brass, shade its recesses with a little brown, then return to brass on the raised surfaces. A tiny silver-and-brass mix can mark the brightest point. Keep these final dots smaller than you think: contrast does more work than covering the whole trim in your lightest color.
Check the model at playing distance
Put it down on the table. If the armor becomes one bright patch, deepen a few seams. If it looks uniformly dark, brighten the helmet and upper shield edge first. Add dark leather straps or a muted cloth color to frame the reflective areas.
The Dwarf Warriors set offers plenty of armor and weapon shapes for this exercise. Its listing provides 28mm and 32mm options; select the scale and base option that suits your collection.
Featured image: digital product render by Vae Victis Miniatures, shown to illustrate the sculpted details rather than the finished paint recipe.