Making planets and spaceships is hard!

[WolfNinja]

Took me forever to try to make a planet. Whats worse is I can't even figure out how to make that metalic look in spaceships or even draw one for that matter. :lol:

Any tips for making shiny metal?

[jvolkel]

Hi WolfNinja, Shiny metal isn't really that hard to do. If you get a good reference photo, or even just find a shiny pot or pan at home, look closely at the reflections on the surface. The metal itself shows little color of its own, but reflects everything else around it. The shinier the matal, the more intense the reflections.Also watch how the reflections follow the contour of the object. Once you get the basics down it is easy to design your own metal objects.

The best way to learn how to paint planets is to schedule a short stay on board the International Space Station, then just paint the earth. If you are not a multi-billionaire, then I can't help you here. :roll:

[D Akey]

jvolkel makes good points.

It's a trick that once you learn it in its basic form, you will always be able to do metal, varying the principle to the kind of surface.

One thing shiny metal has is contrast, bigtime. And the highlights have highlights, and even the shadows have highlights. But they're usually not as bright as the main highlight simply because it might confuse the image.

There was/is an old Walter Foster book -- one of those oversized but thin how-to do (whatever). They were a buck or two back in the Dark Ages.

Anyway, one is called by the stupid title of 'The Book of Secrets'. It shows you how to make things look shiny, and wet and all that sparkly surfacy stuff that an artist would do well to know. I strongly recommend it if you're starting out and/or just want a good quick formula.

[WolfNinja]

Thanks for the help, I'll look into the book and getting a shiny metal object for reference.