Void Dragon C’Tan Commission

Let flesh be a relic of your vessel. Let it be forgottten, and embrace a new world.

Translated inscription. Fragment found at Sanctuary 101.

What a feat of engineering this miniature is! Pre-cad, this model is impossible to make. Its part of a new generation of sculpts that are getting closer to the artwork Games Workshop has been able to produce over the years. This sculpt has a lot of negative space, which would make it ideal for freehand, anatomy study, or all manner of different techniques.

In this case, I wanted to explore NTMM – not true metallic metal.

The photo came out a little red in this photo. I have no idea why. But it looks funky, so up it goes unedited.


What on earth is NTMM? It’s a phrase coined by a commentator on Instagram (sorry I couldn’t track down the comment – if it’s you, get in touch!) This is a hybrid technique that attempts to synthesize the directness of light and shadow placement of nonmetallic metal with the true-to-life reflective sheen of real metallic. It’s a have your cake and eat it skill.

Can TMM replicate the directness of NMM as a painting technique? 

NMM is the preferred method of painting display miniatures. Why? You have absolute control over light placement. When you view miniatures online it is always from an idealized angle. Of course, it is! Why on earth would you take a picture from an unflattering angle? 

NMM looks great from a few angles but doesn’t give us omnidirectional reflection when we have the model in hand. 

The below video clip is a sample palette of light placement and colour choice. The main ambient tone of the piece, and indeed the army, is green. I love the Games Workshop art that has a creepy green lambent glow reflecting from the metal. For contrast purple was introduced in the shadows to help them pop.

If you’d like to learn more about this nascent technique and the colour choices used there is a full 4K video tutorial on the subject here.

Miniature Painting Course Library.
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