Ork Skin Tutorial

Ork Skin Tutorial
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Over the past months I have been asked a few times: "How do you paint Ork Skin". I have replied to those questions but I thought it would be nice of me to make and article about how I do it.
With this method you get a light colored skin tone and the recipe and techniques are quite simple. The key to this is GW's  paint "gretchin Green" of which I still have a few pots but you can't buy it anymore but for you I have also researched the current Citadel colors and used them for this article. I can't say this enough but you need to water down your paints to get the best result. Undiluted paints tend to look "thick" and messy and most of all they obscure the finest detail of your models specially if you use multiple layers.

So here's my step by step recipe:

-First basecoat the Ork model in light grey primer. I used to use the citadel black primer but using a grey primer is much easier.

 -When you start the actual painting use watered down Deathworld Forest (Gretchin Green). I use 60%paint & 40% water, because the paint it has loads of pigment and diluting it will not make it transparent but will make it flow easily and will give you a thin layer.

-Then I wash all of the skin with Agrax Earthshade. I also dilute this to 50/50. You don't have to dilute it but I prefer it so it doesn't pool and doesn't look too thick.

Ork Skin close-up
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-Next I paint all the raised areas like muscles with the same paint I used in the first step, Deathworld Forest. Make sure the wash is completely dry or it will become messy. just leave the deepest areas as they are. this will create the first bit of definition.

-The next step is mixing up Deathworld Forest with Ushabi Bone and again dilute the mixture it water. I use about 60%DF and 40% UB and water this down again to get a nice flowy paint. I use this mixture to paint the higher areas leaving just a bit of the previous layer visible.

-The 5th step is highlighting the most raised areas and edges. For this I use a mixture of 30%Deathworld Forest and 70% Ushabi Bone but I water it down quite a bit so it becomes a bit transparent and blends with the previous layer.

-The last step is to blend it all together a bit and for this I use Biel-Tan Green wash that I water down a lot. 20% BTG and 80% water. If you leave the Biel-Tan Green too thick it will puddle in the deepest areas and it has the nasty habit of leaving a very light color when it pools. If you dilute it like me it will blend all your layers together nicely without any nasty side effects, almost like a glaze. I started with this technique before we even had Glazes so now I just stick with the same method I have always used.

As an alternative you could experiment with the color of washes. I sometimes wash a model with Seraphim Sepia to finish it up or use a purple wash instead of Agrax Earthshade in the 2nd step.

(around the mouth area like lips and the ears I mix in Cadian Fleshtone. This seems to give a nice effect to the Ork's face)

This is a very simple guide on Ork Skin. Of course you can add extra detail by painting in the veins or tattoos.

Faction Focus Orks: Meet the Boyz!

When the green tide attacks the earth trembles and the trees shake. Coming closer and closer you can hear their savage roars swelling to a deafening noise and all you can see are Green Orks and probably a lot of flying limbs.

The Ork Boyz green tide on Belis Alta
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I proudly present you part of my own green tide. I have about 100 normal boyz in a 70/30 ratio of slugga's to shoota's. These are about 60 of them. It takes me a long time to paint up a group as I paint all of the details and use multiple layers but I like the end result.

Here are some more shots of my Boyz:  WAAAAAAGH!!!

You need a few Nobz to keep things running Smootly
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Here's a better picture of a few individual Boyz and you can see why it takes me some time to paint up a new unit. Painting 30 at the time is too much but doing only 10 at the time goes too slow. After all these boys I still haven't found that sweet spot.

Faction Focus: Grey Knights Vindicare Assassin

When the Inquisitorial strike cruiser "Icarus" was within orbit of Belis Alta the vindicare assassin #34.826 had awoken from his cryo chamber. The ships medical staff had slowly turned off the Cryo implants and the assassin regained consciousness. It had been many years ago the the Assassin was last active but now his expertise was needed once again.

Vindicare Assassin on Belis Alta
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Inquisitor Coteaz had ordered the activation of the deadly assassin specially to hunt down the genestealer Patriarch on Belis Alta. Coteaz realised that killing the Patriarch quickly was nigh impossible. He would be protected by his cult followers and would probably not show himself and stay in his lair. But a vindicare assassin was perfect for this job, he would infiltrate deep behind enemy lines and could lie in wait for it's target for days or weeks for that one kill shot. The assassin had been given it's target and when his personal drop pod had landed on Belis Alta assassin #34.826 quickly slipped into darkness and wasn't seen again. The hunt was on...

About Vindicare Assassin Operatives

 The Vindicare Assassins specialise in vengeance and revenge killings. They make use of a specially designed, long-range Sniper Rifle called the Exitus Rifle. The Vindicare Assassin brings inglorious death to the Emperor's enemies with a Sniper's bullet. Vindicare Assassins have been known to wait in a position for as long as two weeks before taking a shot. Many rebellions and cults have been ended with one, perfect shot from a Vindicare's rifle.

The Vindicare Temple teaches the assassin the art of patience and the perfection of marksmanship. These stoic assassins are conditioned by their temple to be unflinchingly loyal to the Imperium, often being trained to limit their vocabulary only to words that are useful for their profession, cutting off all emotional attachments to other humans so that they will never hesitate to eliminate any target.The intense training of a Vindicare Assassin enables them to pick out a single target even amongst roving hordes of enemies on the battlefield.

A Vindicare Assassin scopes
 his target.

Equipment

 The Exitus Rifle of a Vindicare Assassin is his primary weapon, and is chambered to fire a variety of specialised ammunition types, therefore he is equipped to take out targets ranging from well-shielded individuals to monstrous beasts or vehicles. He is also issued with an Exitus Pistol, which fires a shot more powerful than most personal firearms used in the Imperium, providing him with a valuable short-ranged weapon for situations where a sniper's rifle would not do.

Vindicare Assassins wear a Spy Mask, which is able to scan on a wide spectrum to pick out heat and energy sources over long distances. The mask also allows the Assassin to monitor the enemy's communication channels, and comes equipped with concentrated food and water cartridges for extended operations. They also wear a specially designed Stealth Suit, which combines normal synskin with chameleon chemicals to hide their forms in their surroundings.

Source:wh40k.lexicanum.com