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Yooo everyone, you may have seen my post in the army discussion but if not I have recently decided to return to the hobby. I have chosen to go back to my orks first of all. It has been at least 4/5 years since I have painted anything therefore I have decided to repaint my army in a new colour scheme. Here is my first (almost) completed squad: the Gretchin! I will post more pictures from better angles later on. Constructive criticism is more than welcome! I would love to hear your opinions!!

The Flash Gitz are also well on their way!
What do you think?

I apologise for the lack of camera angles etc meaning you can't form proper opinions yet. Anyway...
I have been painting throughout the last week and have got plenty done. 12 boys including a Nob and a big shoota. The 10 Gretchin are now complete. As well as making a start on 5 Meganobz. I still have a few small details to finish on the boyz such as teeth etc but they will be done soon. Please let me know what you think!

I don't know where to start really, you need to pick a squad and complete it, we will start there.
There is a serious lack of colour all I can see is yellow green and black and silver that's been washed.
The skin is flat due to it not being high lighted.
There bases are bare if you glue some sand to them paint the sand light brown wash it and paint the rim you army will like 2x as good.
You have black orks in there that are not 40k and literaly have no ranged weapons clad in antiquated armour, loose these.
There is some kit bashing in there also which looks a bit silly i think they are supposed to be mega knobs loose those as well.

I tried to be nice as possible here while constructively critisisng your army don't take this badly but there is a lot of work to be done there.

^Prolly onnuv dem pointy ear, pansie playas^
Right good and bad time. Megaknob does have some good points. Your colors are pretty stark, a bit of variety would do wonders. Maybe some brown through tan. With as bright as you're going with the green skin and yellows, black probably isn't the optimal prime color. You'll be fighting uphill trying to go light over dark. Try a grey or white primer and I bet you will really like how the colors go down.
Black orcs can find a place in your mobs but they will take a bit of love to get there.
Basing, even a just bit of sand glued down really pays off.
Overall it looks like you got excited to paint some sweet models and started before they were quite ready. All good, we've all done it. I'd keep working on the ones that still need some modeling tweaks, paint the ones that are ready.
Biggest advice though is finish what you have now BEFORE starting on that cool idea you have for some tankbustas...and lootas...and etc.
Nothing will kill enthusiasm like 15, half-finished projects.
Good luck and keep Krumpin!

Looks so much better then my first orks...

I really like the skin colour, I definitely prefer it over my attempt with a Sick Green (Warpstone glow).
The yellow is also nice, but it looks very clean, maybe give it a few chips here and there. Also, when painting Ork armour (like shoulder pads) try using paint that's meant for vehicle models such as Tamiya. It has a more flat appearance perfect for metal, and it will be more unique looking. Just make sure you know if you're using alcohol-based paints or not. The black IMO looks a bit too bland, and it's pretty much everywhere. Replace all the black body parts with something lighter, just not that dark black. The gun you could add a rusty orange, and the hats could be anything brown, and of course it never hurts to add more highlights.

The yellow parts are what's standing out on your models, so find some good colours to compliment them

I am also a beginner painter, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

What he had done is not bad it's neat there's just not enough there and there's a few models that look really out of place the black orcs are on the wrong bases also which is illegal unless there glasses as normal nobz In which case he does not have enough of them.

You know there is no such thing as illegal bases. It would bx quite legal to have say hive tyrant on square base. Faced that one and it even fits gw's writings

Not as bad as some of the replies make out, these are a solid start and technically tournament ready (3-4 colours).

Your brush control is pretty decent, which is better than I was when I started out.

Start picking out some details; teeth, eyes, wires and lenses etc, as much as you're confident to try. A highlight and/or shade on the flesh would add quite a bit to them, and as others have said basing would help massively.

That said, solid black bases aren't the worst in the world. you should see the spattered mess on the base of a model I've been painting


All in all, a strong start and keep going!

Thanks for the feedback everyone, they are obviously a lot worse than I thought However, I feel the need to justify some of the models to Megaknob, firstly the pictures. The pictures I have taken have not done them justice as all the pants and tops of the ork boyz are brown and highlighted. Also the skin is not flat as it is a base of Waagh flesh, washed with beil tan green, then highlighted with warboss green. Maybe I should take better pictures before posting. Also the Black Orcs are there as 'Eavy armoured nobz with big choppas, some with power klaws however the term 'Eavy armoured isn't there in 8th. They stand as tall as the 40K Nobz I have and they are also not standard fantasy Black Orcs. Plus the Meganob terminators are just there until I buy and build some actual Meganobz!
Thank you everyone else for your feedback too, details like teeth and lenses are next on the list and will do the bases once they are all complete.
I now know to take better pictures and also to not be so confident with my unfished models!
I will go and keep working and will try to take better pictures when I get the chance!
Here is what I mean when I say they are not standard Black Orcs:

Looks ridiculous, completely imbalanced and utterly insane.

Perfect for orks. Good job

Do you know what you're gonna do with bases?


With orks and their bare metal, a bit of rust is a real easy way to make them pop. You can try watering down some orange (I use troll slayer, from the GW range) and put it thinly around the odd rivet, joint and corner. Bonus points for using a small brush to drag streaks of it down like trickles.

I think I'll either go for some sand or I'll go down the drybrushing textured paint method, I'll try the rust! Thank you!

I tried a better angle to show off the skin. The Boy on the left has just had his first layer of Waagh flesh. The two on the right have had their skin painted 'fully'.
Hope this helps!

Sorry for yet another post but here's a couple of better pictures of the squad!

I would suggest taking the metal parts and drybrushing a dark orange and some brown over them to make them look rusty and scavenged.

Orky Brad wrote:
Thanks for the feedback everyone, they are obviously a lot worse than I thought However, I feel the need to justify some of the models to Megaknob, firstly the pictures. The pictures I have taken have not done them justice as all the pants and tops of the ork boyz are brown and highlighted. Also the skin is not flat as it is a base of Waagh flesh, washed with beil tan green, then highlighted with warboss green. Maybe I should take better pictures before posting. Also the Black Orcs are there as 'Eavy armoured nobz with big choppas, some with power klaws however the term 'Eavy armoured isn't there in 8th. They stand as tall as the 40K Nobz I have and they are also not standard fantasy Black Orcs. Plus the Meganob terminators are just there until I buy and build some actual Meganobz!
Thank you everyone else for your feedback too, details like teeth and lenses are next on the list and will do the bases once they are all complete.
I now know to take better pictures and also to not be so confident with my unfished models!
I will go and keep working and will try to take better pictures when I get the chance!
Here is what I mean when I say they are not standard Black Orcs:

You don't need to justify the models to me but you definitely cleard that up, I thought you were trying to pass them off for megaknobz with them standing so close to the others sorry for the mix up.

The thing is with criticism is no one truly wants to here it, they are not the worst I've seen by a longshot, but they are not great like other people are telling you there's a huge amount of room for improvement, always strive to better your self and if some one says they are not great but gives you advice on how to make them great listen to it, (constructive criticism)

Honestly your skin is not popping at all you don't need to take better pictures you need to use more paint.

Paint it waghh flesh wash it biel tan green then mix a small amount of white with the wagghhh flesh and hit the very tops of the muscles with it don't let the lighter green go into the recesses, this will make them pop.

Thanks for the tip, do you think warboss green would be better over the raised area?? And honestly I did appreciate the criticism as bases are also a lot higher on my list of priorities due to them being mentioned the most! I'm gonna try a bit of what everyone said like the rust/ weathering, and battle damage.
By the way Megaknob do you mind me asking how you painted your Ork skin particularly of the warboss? I saw your thread too and I see what you mean about brighter skin 'popping'.

I know it's not the neatest but I'll tidy it up later, was just trying different things! Is this better for the skin??

That latest picture is better in ways, now they are "popping" but your paint is to thick the transitions between the muscles is to steep, you need thinner paint but don't use water use lahmian medium it will spread the pigments in the paint evenly and stick to the model better, the thinner your paint the more layers you will need to paint the better it will look.
A good guage for how many layers you need would be something like.
15 layers = table top standard
50 layers = display standard
100 layers = golden demon standard
For my flesh I use waghhh flesh washed with biel tan green, then waghhh flesh again staying out of the recesses, I then start to mix moot green with waghhh flesh very small amounts and I mean very small amounts with every layer very very thin get that lahmian medium in there, I keep doing that until the moot green over powers the waghhh flesh on your pallet I do this for about 15-20 layers after that I ad a minute amount of white to the mix this will completely change the colour of the paint you will think to your self wow how can I paint that on my model but don't worry acrylic is transparent keep it thin and the paint on the model will shine through it, you want to do 5-8 layers of this lighting the very tops of your muscles that paint MUST be thinned with lahmian medium.
If you don't own lahmian medium don't attempt this stage hope this helps, I'm not going to lie this is hard to do but practice makes perfect hope this helps.

 Megaknob wrote:

15 layers = table top standard

Have fun with that.

defwolf wrote:

 Megaknob wrote:

15 layers = table top standard

Have fun with that.

What do you mean by that?

I assume (s)he means that 15 layers is a gross overestimation of what is required to achieve what most would call "tabletop standard," "TTQ," etc.

Definitions vary widely (just search for threads discussing the topic), but most assume that the model is meant to be viewed at arm's length, as they would be on the tabletop, in play. Three colors and a green base might be enough for some people (TTQ used to be synonymous with 'minimum painting standards to participate in tournaments'), while others would want at least an attempt at highlighting, shading, and basing. Others, still, barely care about painting, simply preferring to be able to tell units and armies apart at a quick glance, for purely practical reasons.

Regardless, the focus of the judgment is on the end result, not the method. Sometimes, models that have been based with heavily pigmented paints, drybrushed, and dipped/washed - three layers per area, likely less than half a dozen paints needed, (comparatively) easy to crank out en masse - are more striking on the table than a subtly, even if masterfully, painted army. Sometimes, a basecoat paint covers extremely well and a single edge highlight or wash gives the piece a perfect finish. If two or three total layers get the job done, they were enough. If you have to apply 23 milky glazes of a paint to get the right effect, go for it! Just don't assume that there is any difference to the impartial observer, in either case. A gradient is a gradient, whether layered, glazed, washed, or wet-blended.

Sorry to exacerbate the derailment!

Listen guys if your happy with your half painted models that's fine if you don't seek perfection that's fine, he posted this thread for criticism to help him improve his painting.
Telling him to aim low and not use multiple levels of paint is ridiculous, how can he improve if you tell him his painting is fine I have never had a single game without somebody picking up one of my models and examining it.

Don't hinder other people's progression because you do not have the passion and determination to improve.

 Megaknob wrote:
Listen guys if your happy with your half painted models that's fine if you don't seek perfection that's fine, he posted this thread for criticism to help him improve his painting.
Telling him to aim low and not use multiple levels of paint is ridiculous, how can he improve if you tell him his painting is fine I have never had a single game without somebody picking up one of my models and examining it.

I have actually got a lot of useful information from this thread, like painting layers on rather than drybrushing them for the skin which is what I previously did. Also painting on rust on the metals that I haven't shown yet and I'm going to do the bases once the majority of the models are 'done'. But I would also like to point out that these models are not aiming for a specific 'standard' like table top/ display etc. I am just painting them to the best of my ability and just want completely painted models. But I have also seen people paint things that look absolutely amazing and have not used anywhere near as many layers as you have previously outlined so I think it's a tad unfair to label amounts of layers to model standards and to say that they are unfinished because of that. But thanks for the advice you and everyone else have given because it has been useful and I feel the models look better since following everyone's advice.

Is this looking better?

Yet another post but I've been working on a couple of killa kans trying out some rust. Let me know what you think!

Orky Brad wrote:

 Megaknob wrote:
Listen guys if your happy with your half painted models that's fine if you don't seek perfection that's fine, he posted this thread for criticism to help him improve his painting.
Telling him to aim low and not use multiple levels of paint is ridiculous, how can he improve if you tell him his painting is fine I have never had a single game without somebody picking up one of my models and examining it.

I have actually got a lot of useful information from this thread, like painting layers on rather than drybrushing them for the skin which is what I previously did. Also painting on rust on the metals that I haven't shown yet and I'm going to do the bases once the majority of the models are 'done'. But I would also like to point out that these models are not aiming for a specific 'standard' like table top/ display etc. I am just painting them to the best of my ability and just want completely painted models. But I have also seen people paint things that look absolutely amazing and have not used anywhere near as many layers as you have previously outlined so I think it's a tad unfair to label amounts of layers to model standards and to say that they are unfinished because of that. But thanks for the advice you and everyone else have given because it has been useful and I feel the models look better since following everyone's advice.

Yes there is no exact ammount of layers and my example was just a rough indication of how the paint works, it's like a television the more pixels it has the sharper the image, the more layers of paint used the more transitions you have the smoother the blend is, your painting has definitely improved.

I've spent all today painting up the leader of my Flash Gitz, Badrukk. I am extremely pleased with how he has turned out! Please note that in the pictures the base is not completely and is covered in wet textured paint. I'll post an update once the paint has dried and I've neatened it all up!

[edit] I now realise I have only taken photos of one angle of the model... oops

Brad we must have been bitten by the same Squigquito, your post is an echo of my recent comeback to the hobby even down to the length of time out!

I too have chosen to repaint my orks and also started with the grotz before moving onto the Flashgitz.

I will be following this post for inspiration and motivation.

Great work on Badrukk.

Cheers
CW

The flash gitz models were actually one of the reasons that convinced me to get back into it! Absolutely loved them when I saw them! And thank you, I'll take a look at yours as well!