Giving metal an interesting look

Fantasy art draws inspiration from historical sources, so ornate armour and weapons are commonplace. When dealing with metal objects, I often block in solid shapes and use the the Bevel and Emboss option (Layer> Layer styles). This is only to create a quick base to work with and shouldn’t be used as a standalone technique (except perhaps for very small details), because it’ll produce an artificial-looking result. As a final touch, I add a few highlights using a textured brush that’s set on Color Dodge mode.