To get the look of "silver", you're basically recreating a reflective surface. Due to their shape, this usually means very high contrast between where the light is most "concentrated" and the rest of the buckle.
Try using sharp white lines along the middle of your silver areas against a much darker colour.
Since scratches and other damage to a piece of metal diffuse light, less contrast will give the appearance of duller metal, if that's what you're going for. You can probably look at some Fullmetal Alchemist pictures to get an idea of what I mean. Basically, shiny things are black and white, whereas dull things will have more in-between shades. :)
Felxie
Otakuite+ | Posted 06/09/10 | Reply
To get the look of "silver", you're basically recreating a reflective surface. Due to their shape, this usually means very high contrast between where the light is most "concentrated" and the rest of the buckle.
Try using sharp white lines along the middle of your silver areas against a much darker colour.
Since scratches and other damage to a piece of metal diffuse light, less contrast will give the appearance of duller metal, if that's what you're going for. You can probably look at some Fullmetal Alchemist pictures to get an idea of what I mean. Basically, shiny things are black and white, whereas dull things will have more in-between shades. :)
Kastom
Otaku Princess | Posted 03/08/10 | Reply
Niiiiice man! Looks sweet!
I'd rather see in shades of gray.