Learn how to paint NMM gold on miniatures with expert techniques from Monument Hobbies, covering color choices, layering tips and more!
Getting gold to shine on minaitures without a single drop of metallic paint might sound impossible, but it’s all about technique. Non-metallic metal (NMM) gold is a game of contrast, color placement, and smooth layering. Done right, it creates the illusion of reflective metal using nothing but standard paints and smart lighting tricks.
This guide breaks down how to paint NMM gold step by step, using expert techniques straight from Monument Hobbies. From selecting the right colors to layering shadows and highlights, everything here is designed to make gold armor, weapons, and details look like real metal, whether on Warhammer miniatures or for other games
Here’s how to do it.
Introduction to Non-Metallic Metal (NMM) Gold
Painting gold without using metallic paint? Sounds like a magic trick, right? But it’s not—it’s just a technique called non-metallic metal (NMM) gold. Instead of relying on shiny pigments, this approach uses carefully placed highlights and shadows to create the illusion of reflective metal.
The key is contrast. The brighter your highlights and the deeper your shadows, the shinier the effect. Light placement is everything, so understanding where your imaginary light source is hitting the model will make or break the illusion.
What is NMM Gold?
This technique is all about tricking the eye. By layering colors strategically, you mimic the way real gold catches light. Instead of metallic paints, you use standard matte colors to build reflections, creating the illusion of a gleaming surface.
It’s less about what’s in your paint pot and more about how you apply it. The goal? Sharp, bold contrasts—deep shadows, glowing midtones, and razor-thin highlights. Get those right, and suddenly, your flat paint job looks like polished metal.
Why Use NMM for Warhammer 40k Models?
So why go through all this effort when metallic paints exist? Simple—control and style. Metallic paints reflect real light, which can sometimes make small details hard to see. With NMM, you dictate where the shine appears, making the model pop under any lighting.
It also creates a more painterly, high-contrast look that stands out beautifully, especially for Warhammer 40k miniatures. Whether it’s ornate armor or an ancient relic, learning how to paint NMM gold gives your models a unique, hand-crafted finish. Plus, nothing says bragging rights like achieving a flawless golden shine without a single drop of metallic paint.
Since this post is from Monument, all the paints used in the tutorial are from them. So be sure to snag any of the linked paints in the video and give us a high-five in support! Every qualifying purchase helps Spikey Bits keep the lights on and the fun going.
The Six-Color Workup for NMM Gold
Getting a rich, reflective look without a single drop of metallic paint sounds tricky, but a solid color workup makes all the difference. The key to mastering how to paint NMM gold lies in layering the right colors to create depth, warmth, and contrast. A strong foundation sets up everything, and the right highlights pull it all together.
Choosing the Right Paint Colors
Gold isn’t just yellow with highlights—it’s a mix of warm, cool, and deep tones that play off each other. Starting with dark yellow-green gives the base a slightly aged, muted foundation. It won’t look like gold yet, but don’t panic. Shadows get punched in with dark purple, adding richness and separating light from dark areas.
For the first hit of warmth, orange oxide comes into play. This adds depth and makes the future highlights pop. Moving up the scale, orange-brown bridges the gap between shadows and midtones, giving the model that signature golden hue.
To start making things shine, bright yellow ochre lays the groundwork for highlights, bringing in a more classic gold tone. The final touch? Bright pale yellow, carefully placed on edges and raised surfaces, creating that crisp metallic effect.
Layering & Blending for a Realistic NMM Effect
The process starts with a full coat of dark yellow-green, covering every area meant to be gold. Once that’s set, dark purple goes into the shadows, focusing on recesses and undersides. A messy application works since later layers will refine everything.
Orange oxide gets dry brushed over raised areas, pulling warmth into the surface. Then, orange-brown smooths transitions, while yellow ochre starts defining reflective spots. The final step is bright pale yellow, carefully applied to edges and high points to give that polished metal effect.
Step-by-Step Process for Painting NMM Gold
Getting that perfect non-metallic gold effect can feel like sorcery, but it’s really just a game of contrast, color placement, and a bit of patience. The trick to learning how to paint NMM gold is understanding how light interacts with reflective surfaces. A solid color workup, smooth blending, and bold highlights will take a flat, matte surface and turn it into a shining piece of armor.
Step 1 – Establishing the Base with Dark Yellow-Green
The first step is slapping on a dark yellow-green base coat. It might not look like gold yet, but stay with it. This color helps set up the undertones and makes the final gold pop. Think of it as an identifying color—something that helps you map out every surface that will eventually gleam. Cover all gold areas evenly, making sure to get into the recesses.
Step 2 – Creating Depth with Dark Purple Shadows
Gold isn’t just bright yellow—it has deep shadows that add richness. Dark purple is the secret weapon here. Instead of just using black or brown, purple gives depth while keeping the shadows interesting. Brush it into recessed areas and anywhere light wouldn’t naturally hit. This contrast is what sells the final effect, so don’t be afraid to push it. It will look messy at this stage, but that’s fine. Later layers will blend everything together.
Step 3 – Warm Undertones with Orange Oxide
Gold has a warm glow, and orange oxide is what brings that fire to life. Using a dry brush technique, lightly sweep the paint over the raised areas. This softens the transition between the dark shadows and the upcoming gold tones. It’s all about creating a natural warmth without completely covering the layers beneath. A little patience goes a long way here—too much, and you’ll lose all that depth you just built.
Step 4 – Enhancing Midtones with Orange-Brown
Now it’s time to shift things toward an actual gold-like tone. Orange-brown bridges the gap between those fiery undertones and the golden highlights. This is where the model starts looking less like an abstract painting experiment and more like metal. Focus this layer on the areas where light would start hitting more directly, leaving some of that orange oxide showing underneath. This color also helps bring out the shape of the model, so be mindful of edges and curves.
Step 5 – Highlighting with Bright Yellow Ochre
Here’s where things start looking like gold. Bright yellow ochre is the first real gold shade in the process, bringing everything together. Brush it over the most exposed areas where light would hit the strongest. This creates sharp contrasts between light and shadow, giving the illusion of reflection. Avoid full coverage—leaving some of the orange-brown beneath helps maintain depth.
Step 6 – Adding the Final Shine with Bright Pale Yellow
The last step is where the magic happens. Bright pale yellow acts as the final highlight, catching edges and raised points to create that signature metallic shine. This should be applied sparingly—just enough to suggest a sharp reflection. Overdoing it will flatten the effect, so be precise. Small, pinpoint highlights on edges and high points make all the difference. This final touch is what turns everything from “kind of gold” to “definitely metal.
Tips & Techniques for Achieving the Best NMM Gold Effect
Painting non-metallic gold is all about tricking the eye. Since there’s no actual shine in the paint, the illusion comes from bold contrasts, sharp highlights, and a solid understanding of how light interacts with different surfaces. Figuring out how to paint NMM gold means getting comfortable with pushing values from deep shadows to near-white highlights while keeping everything blended smoothly.
Understanding Light Reflection on Gold Surfaces
Gold is reflective, which means it doesn’t just fade gradually from dark to light—it has sharp transitions. A reflective surface catches highlights in concentrated areas rather than spreading them out evenly like fabric or skin. This is why contrast is so important. The trick is to create a stark difference between shadows and highlights while keeping midtones smooth enough to suggest a polished surface.
When mapping out reflections, think about where your light source is coming from. The brightest highlights should be placed directly in line with the light, while shadows sit opposite. Since gold has a warm tone, reflections often have a yellow or orange tint rather than pure white.
Using Environment-Based Shadows for Realism
A reflective object doesn’t just show its own color—it picks up hints of the environment. This is why adding a mix of purples, oranges, and greens in the shadows can make non-metallic gold feel more natural. Dark purple is especially useful because it provides depth while still feeling rich and vibrant. Orange oxide helps bridge the transition into brighter tones, keeping everything warm and cohesive.
If the model is in a dark, grimy setting, shadows might lean cooler, with hints of green or desaturated tones. In a warmer scene, shadows could carry more red or burnt orange. Small adjustments like this create a stronger sense of realism, making the gold feel like it exists within a believable space rather than floating in a vacuum.
The Importance of Edge Highlighting in NMM Gold
One of the biggest giveaways of a well-painted non-metallic surface is edge highlighting. Even in shadows, a thin, sharp highlight along an edge can help sell the illusion of reflectivity. This works because metal catches light from different angles, even in darker areas. A bright pale yellow highlight carefully placed along an edge adds an instant metallic effect without over-lightening the surface.
The trick is knowing where to place these highlights. Edges that face the light directly should be the brightest, while those in shadow can be softer but still visible. If every edge is highlighted the same way, the gold starts looking flat rather than reflective.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Painting NMM Gold
One of the most common issues is overblending. While blending is important, too much can remove the sharp transitions that make metal look reflective. If the gold looks like smooth fabric instead of polished metal, it’s time to sharpen some edges.
Another mistake is placing highlights incorrectly. If a bright spot appears in the wrong place, the whole illusion falls apart. Before committing to highlights, take a step back and check if they make sense with the light source.
Rushing the process also leads to problems. Layering gradually and allowing each stage to build up creates a much stronger result than trying to get the effect all at once. Patience is the key to making non-metallic gold shine.
Advanced NMM Gold Techniques for Large & Small Models
Painting non-metallic gold on a tiny figure is one thing, but scaling it up for a larger model? That’s a different challenge. The same techniques apply, but adjustments are needed to keep the effect looking natural. Figuring out how to paint NMM gold on different sizes means tweaking color choices, blending methods, and how much detail gets worked in.
Adjusting NMM Gold for Different Model Sizes
Small models don’t give much space for blending every single transition perfectly. A few well-placed colors do the job just fine. Dark yellow-green for a base, dark purple for shadows, a bit of orange oxide to warm things up, then straight into yellow ochre and bright pale yellow for highlights. It’s quick, effective, and works great at gaming scale.
Larger models need more nuance. Broad surfaces without enough variation can look flat. This is where extra steps come in. More midtone transitions, additional glazes, and refined highlight placement keep the surface interesting. Expanding the color range with more subtle shifts between orange-brown, yellow ochre, and pale yellow adds realism.
How to Make NMM Gold Look More Lifelike
A reflective surface isn’t just one solid color. It picks up hints of the environment, which is where subtle color variation comes in. Adding grays, reds, and purples into the shadows creates a more organic look. A dark purple shadow can suggest cooler lighting, while burnt reds can mimic reflections from surrounding objects.
Not all gold needs to look the same. A warrior’s armor might have a polished, regal shine, while a weapon hilt could have a slightly duller, aged appearance. Tweaking the color mix based on the surface tells a better story and makes the model feel more realistic.
FAQs About Painting NMM Gold
Painting non-metallic gold might feel overwhelming at first, but once the basics click, it becomes second nature. There are a few common questions that come up when figuring out how to paint NMM gold, so let’s break them down.
What’s the Best Way to Start Painting NMM Gold?
The best way to start is by focusing on contrast. Gold isn’t just yellow with a few highlights—it’s a balance of deep shadows, midtones, and bright reflections. A dark yellow-green base sets the foundation, while dark purple shadows add richness. Orange oxide and orange-brown bring warmth before layering on yellow ochre and bright pale yellow for the final shine.
Blocking out light and shadow areas early helps avoid confusion later. It might look rough at first, but once highlights are placed, the illusion starts working.
Can You Use This Technique on Other Metallic Colors?
Absolutely. The method works for silver, copper, bronze—any metal effect you need. The difference comes in color choices. For steel, start with a dark blue-gray base, push shadows with dark blue or black, and highlight with light gray and white. Copper benefits from red-brown and orange tones, while bronze works well with deep green shadows and warm gold highlights.
The key is the same: contrast, edge highlights, and proper light placement.
How Do You Avoid Making NMM Gold Look Too Flat?
One of the biggest mistakes is blending too much. Gold has sharp reflections, so keeping highlights crisp makes a big difference. Instead of fading every layer smoothly, let some transitions be more defined.
Another trick is using a variety of colors in the shadows. Purples, blues, or deep reds make shadows more dynamic, giving the gold a more realistic look. Adding reflected light on lower edges also helps, reinforcing the illusion of metal catching light from multiple angles.
What Brushes and Paints Work Best for NMM Gold?
A fine detail brush is essential for edge highlights and reflections, while a soft round brush works well for blending midtones. Synthetic or sable brushes both work, depending on preference.
For paints, anything with good opacity and smooth blending works. Dark yellow-green, dark purple, orange oxide, orange-brown, yellow ochre, and bright pale yellow are excellent starting points. Thinning paint slightly with water or glaze medium helps build smooth layers without losing control.
Final Thoughts on Painting NMM Gold
NMM gold isn’t about fancy paints—it’s about smart color choices, strong contrast, and knowing where the light hits. Start with a solid base, punch in those deep shadows, build warmth with midtones, and hit the right edges with bright highlights. The sharpest reflections make all the difference.
It might look messy at first, but trust the process. Each layer brings more depth, and once those final highlights go on, the gold effect clicks into place. Take your time, experiment with color variations, and don’t be afraid to push the contrast.
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