Best way to create the effect that part of an object in a picture was broken

[Rexermus]

I'm creating a Sci-Fi picture and I have a character and want to make a metal-like article of clothing that sticks off the character look like it was broken in have by an explosion. If it helps here is the best definition of the substance I can give: Metal-like strength and durability with a feel of plastic 

[Ishi]

Maybe you could perhaps post an image that represents what you want to happen..

[Cc4FuzzyHuggles]

Hello.

I have some questions to ask, so that way maybe I can get a better idea of what you are wanting.

You said :

* metal-like article of clothing
Would looking at some “metal” tutorials help at all? See these :
http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/21454-rust-corrosion/
http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/27764-realistic-roughcast-metal/
http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/26860-glossy-metallic-text/
http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/26665-chrome-effect-chain-links/

* sticks off the character look like it was broken in have by an explosion.
I want to clarify, do you mean “Broken in half from an explosion” ? Or, do you mean have it look like it was broken, and have an explosion by (next to) the character?
Either way, both of those ideas could be a bit harder to do, as both of those ideas will take some image manipulating. Do you have any sample images of the kind of “broken” you are looking for? Because there is broken like a broken robot, or there is broken like splintery wood, and there is even broken like shattering glass, etc.

* by an explosion
If you want explosions, there are good exploding planet tutorials in the tutorials section of this forum, you could learn a few things from those. If you want singed and burnt looking edges, I don't know any tutorials off of the top of my head, but working with layer blending modes will probably be involved. Also, any tutorials that have burned, exploding, or fieriness to them might have some good ideas to making things look burnt. The hard part would be applying what you learn from tutorials as an effect to the edges of your character's pieces, so that they looked brunt or singed.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Cc4FuzzyHuggles