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I have been painting Orks, and I have two test examples here (excuse the missing paint on the trigger finger of the Shoota Boy please).



The ork on the left had Goblin Green highlights. The ork on the right (elevated with coins) did not. I don't know if it's my crappy highlights or what, but I think I like the darker green more. I was hoping I could get some comments and advice about how to both improve my highlights and how we'd all feel if my orks were just darker green.

I know, the models are mine, etc. I am asking for opinions and counsel none the less.

Here are the individual models:

(highlighted model attached below)



Please let me know- but, you know, gently.

Personally, I think the ork on the left looks way better.
I'm no expert, but if you prefer the darker color, maybe you could highlight just the edges with goblin green?

I think neither are to my taste sorry mate, obviously not my minis but I think there are better schemes. Do you dry brush your high light or paint it on?

If I had to choose between the two I'd go shoota style I think the higher green makes the crevasses more dynamic

I prefer the Shoota Boy. The bigger contrast is the deciding factor for me.

I thin the paint and brush it on the tops of the muscles. I'm not very good at it. Do you think dry brushing would yield better results?

I think the ork on the left looks better because the recesses show better. As to highlights, I am still new to this, but I thin the paint to where you can tell it goes inside the belly of the brush instead of sitting on the brush, then brush it over a paper towel so the paint doesn't just flood the mini. Then paint as smoothly as you can.

Extra layers means extra work, but it's perfectly possible to have the best of both worlds - start darker and add a course or two of highlights, resulting in skin with the contrast of the Shoota, but with the dominant color being closer to the shade of the Slugga.

If you're not happy with the application of the highlights but like the color well enough, just keep practicing - they'll get smoother (although they don't look bad to my eye, from what I can make out of the pictures - much smoother than most people would get by drybrushing). You can also apply a thin glaze of translucent green over the top after highlighting to help smooth things out and up the color saturation.

When I paint my Orks, I like a very vivid, but not terribly bright, green. My method revolves around the old Thrakka Green wash - I use it heavily, at first, to establish shading, then apply a thin (not diluted, just applied sparingly so as to avoid pooling) coat at the end to intensify the color and smooth out the layers. I take my highlights all the way up to Goblin Green (VGC Sick Green, clone of the old GW Snot Green, is the dominant midtone), but the final result is a somewhat deeper, richer color than those paints would suggest.

You're not using washes at all? I find a dark green wash works really well over a lighter green base coat for quick and easy ork skin.

 oadie wrote:


If you're not happy with the application of the highlights but like the color well enough, just keep practicing - they'll get smoother (although they don't look bad to my eye, from what I can make out of the pictures - much smoother than most people would get by drybrushing). You can also apply a thin glaze of translucent green over the top after highlighting to help smooth things out and up the color saturation.

Both of those used glaze medium+Paynes Grey+water as a final wash. Are you suggesting I wash the skin with a green glaze? What do you use?

I prefer the darker one, if you would like to bring out his highlights more but keep him dark. Prime black, coat of caliban or dark green, nuln oil or any black wash to get into the recesses. Then blend your caliban with a lighter shade, staying heavy towards the darker color and use that. I've always liked darker models tho, my guardsmen almost look like they're wearing black armor!

 3orangewhips wrote:
Are you suggesting I wash the skin with a green glaze? What do you use?

Reverse that - I glaze (as opposed to wash, i.e. thin layer, no pooling) the skin with a green wash (the product, not the act). Actually, the fact that it's a premixed wash (Thrakka Green, as I mentioned) isn't the key - I just have some handy. Any translucent green will do, whether it's a wash, one of the (comparatively) new GW glazes, or a diluted acrylic ink. Point is, glazing over the layers with a darker, richer, translucent version of the color smooths out transitions and/or slightly chalky finishes while intensifying the color (and pulling the brightest greens back from yellow, towards which they generally trend). It doesn't, however, make them significantly darker, like it would if slopped on as a wash and allowed to pool, nor does it destroy the contrast that the initial washing and layering was meant to build. Slightly darker, much richer, much smoother... minimal effort.

it think it is the sharpness of the highlights ... some fine drybrushing and maybe an ink wash would help ...

what i have been using on my orks with good results is P3 Ordic Olive with a drop of white in it ... then a few ink washes of a dark olive green (home made ink wash) ... then with an almost empty brush lightly brush across the muscles with ordic olive again with a little more white in it then the last time.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I ended up trying a 1:2 Snot Green/DA Green Glaze and it lessened the harshness as promised.