Learning to paint shiny objects

I've never really done still life
so I'm trying to learn how to do shiny objects,
in particular metal/stainless steel right now

I was just browsing youtube and found this video
it's a painting of jugs, not metal, but kinda shiny
it's interesting how the artist blends color by dabbing with a sponge
it's a whole lot of dabbing....but it works :)
watch here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6FxEJfvOEI

I also found this artist who does impressive still life
M Collier (works in oil)


and here's my attempt / practice to paint a shiny metallic-stainless steel horn for my next rhino painting.

see what I mean ? I can't get it to shine *pulling hair*
I only used Titanium white, mars black or payne's gray, so.....
I so wanna learn painting shiny object.... what's the secret ?



and another artist
whose technique and color I like
Vivienne St Clair

(images belong to the respective owners)

in the mean time, I'm still struggling how to paint a very shiny metal :)

Ostrich & Dragonfly painting

Baby Ostrich & Dragonfly
Acrylic on canvas
40x60cm
"I come in peace" could be the possible title :)
Reference photo from lady_carol and paintcrazy022 from wetcanvas (thx :D)


Initial sketch and Pink background (Liquitex' light portrait pink)
Time : 3 hours


Baby ostrich's face (beak included)
Payne's grey, Titanium white
a touch of light portrait pink & raw sienna
Time : 10.5 hours in 4 days

I was gonna go for the dramatic effect, just the baby ostrich looking up and that's it, but.....

something was kinda missing, so I added a dragonfly :)
Time : 3-3.5 hours


close up of the dragonfly
wings : Payne's grey and Titanium white

Total time :
16-17 hours in 6 days in the span of 13 days
:)

Peacock Painting

Peacock Painting
Acrylic on 450g/m2 canvas
50x60cm

I really dunno the affects of the different weights/thickness of canvas.....
I saw this canvas and they're sold in different canvas weight, so I chose the "heaviest" one available just to see.
quality, durability, anyone ?

Used a pallette knife and that leftover pint of white winsor newton paint that was too dry and chunky to use with a brush.
I just pressed the paint with the pallette knife onto the canvas, kinda like using a gesso
now at least I know that my almost-dry-chunky white paints won't get wasted :)


Sadistic looking peacock, for fun ;)
Time : 1 hour sketch
then I added messy yellow+white background


Filled in the blue and did the head
Time : 2.5 hours
Blue : Ultramarine blue + a lil bit of Cerulean blue + black here and there


added more blue on the body
Time : 2 hours
did the crown (is it called the crown ?)
Time : 4 hours


started on the lower part of the body
Time : 11 hours n 40 mins
yuppp... lots of staring and wondering what to do
for the greenish feather on the upper of the lower body,
I was tempted to buy cobalt turquoise because I didn't know what color to use
but I finally used
titanium white + ultramarine blue as base
then glaze it with thin layer of phtalo green
and the yellowish highlights, not yellow, but light green from cad lemon light + emerald green

and

Voilaaaa.........


Total time :
21 hours 10 mins
done in 6 days
in the span of 10 days
*phew*
(photos are a bit darker than the actual painting though)
reference photo by stalksthedawn from wetcanvas (thx :D)

Will try to improve on the technique when doing another peacock in the future.
I want to learn how to achieve that glistening glimmer shiny peacock feather.
and I really should learn the names of body parts/feathers of the peacock instead of saying the green part, the blue part, etc ;p