'Eavy Metal Explained
A Guide to Miniature Painting's Most Popularized Style
About ‘Eavy Metal
‘Eavy Metal is the style developed by Games Workshop’s expert painters in the studio of the same name during the 1980s. Over the years it has been used extensively across the hobby, having been popularized by the boxart for Games Workshop’s Warhammer, which is currently the most well-known Wargame in the world. At that time the internet and Warhammer were still in their infancy, and the now-widespread tutorials, resources, videos, and photos detailing this hobby and the variety possible within it were nonexistent, Games Workshop’s boxart style was often the only reference miniature painters had access to, and thus became iconic in the following decades.
The name ‘Eavy Metal’ was conceived almost by accident; an article in Games Workshop’s monthly magazine White Dwarf contained a hobby and painting section titled “Heavy Metal”, which was prominently advertised on the cover — complete with a miniature goblin depicted smashing the letter ‘H’ off the word with a hammer.
‘Eavy Metal as a style is defined by crispness, a term used to define perfect execution of a very specific set of techniques. Execution refers to a standard of perfection, or how well something is ‘pulled off’, where a given technique or effect is painted without mistakes, exactly as intended. This style primarily utilizes one technique: edge highlighting. This technique tends to produce a very ‘crisp’ result, one where the miniature’s features are clean, and visual distraction is minimal. The artists in the ‘Eavy Metal studio also use stark jumps in contrast as well as bright colors, incredible details and textures, and clean execution to clearly display and accent the features on the model.
Below you can see how these techniques, combined with proper execution produce a result that comparatively is extremely readable, or easy for the eye to define the shapes. The leftmost miniature is painted using less precise techniques which are intended to create a weathered finish, and due to the large variation in value across the mini, as well as consistent dirt, rust, and verdigris, it is very ‘busy’ with a lot of visual distraction and details that cause the eye to wander.
On the contrary, the ‘Eavy Metal style mini on the right displays characteristic bright colors, high contrast, and accentuated details and features that ‘Eavy Metal is known for.
Painting ‘Eavy Metal
‘Eavy Metal can be quite a challenging style to use, and it’s almost impossible as a absolute beginner, as its primary defining technique as previously mentioned, is edge highlighting. Some techniques in miniature painting are easy to explain, but difficult in practice — glazing, wetblending, and edge highlighting among them. Edge highlighting is difficult because it requires a relatively high amount of brush control, compared to other techniques beginners are expected to learn, like drybrushing or basecoating.
If ‘Eavy Metal is something you’d like to try on your army, or just a singular display piece; perhaps a leader or just a miniature you really like, then I here’s a couple of tips.
The right brush: Brushes are predictable important in a hobby centered around painting, and this technique is no exception. Before I recommend specific brushes it’s important to understand three things. First, smaller brushes dry out quicker, and dry paint will hinder your ability to edge highlight successfully. thus, a smaller brush is not necessarily better. Second, sable brushes are superior for detail work, but not necessarily for other applications, And lastly, should you invest in a sable brush, or any expensive brush for that matter, it is crucial to purchase a puck of dedicated brush soap. Brush soap preserves the integrity of the tip and the health of the bristles. Brushes are a complex subject and to learn more about the right brushes for miniature painting I would recommend this video.
The right consistency: Every technique has an ideal consistency, and while due to discrepancies between paints there is no exact ratio, you want paint that is thinned around 6:1 with water. However, sometimes this ratio will not be the ideal consistency, and here’s how to tell. If you’re struggling to make a mark, as if the paint doesn’t want to leave a line, the paint is too dry, meaning it wasn’t thinned enough in the first place or has dried on the brush. If the paint is too translucent or runny, it is too thin. Edge highlighting is another complex subject that I cannot possibly teach in-detail here, so if you’re interested check out this video, along with countless similar ones on Youtube.
Brush loading: An often-overlooked step in the edge highlighting process is unloading the brush, because to achieve the thin and precise edge highlights seen from the ‘Eavy Metal studio, it’s important wipe some of the paint off on a paper towel. This step is called unloading and it ensures that the amount of paint present on the brush is lower and therefore the amount of paint deposited with each stroke is lower, leaving thinner lines.
Position: It is important when painting to have a stable painting position that reduces shaking in the arms and hands, so bracing your wrists together, your elbows on a table, or any other comfortable position your can find that reduces shaking. A helpful tool to eliminate accidental dropping and shaking of the miniature itself is a painting handle. They are available commercially like the ones from Citadel® and Redgrass Games®,but making one yourself with a wine cork and some superglue is often a cheaper and more convenient alternative, as you can make multiple to hold subassemblies (when you don’t fully assemble a miniature to enable easy painting of otherwise hard-to-reach areas).
Be Patient: Edge highlighting is a difficult skill to learn, and it’s likely that you will not find success your first couple of tries, but as you practice your brush control will improve and it will become easier. I would encourage you buy a box of Primaris Intercessors (from GW) and some paint and ‘ruin’ that box of Space Marines. When you’re not painting minis for your army, and they are dedicated to learn on, I’ve found that this allows for expedited improvement, because you have let go of the fear of ‘messing up’.
If you’d like to learn more about the specific colors and techniques used by the ‘Eavy Metal studio, visit The ‘Eavy Archive, a website that catalogues all the paint schemes used by the Studio on the GW boxart! It is a great resource!
Thanks for reading! I hope you learned a bit about this iconic style, if you have any questions please comment below! If you’d like to learn a bit more about my experience with this style please request a dedicated post and I’ll consider it.