Painting 40k Orks: A Step By Step Guide

Painting 40k Orks: A Step By Step Guide

Today I'm going to share with you a step by step guide (my first ever) to painting 40k Orks but before I do, let me start with a little background... 

25 years ago, when i first got into collecting and gaming, my mum put up with a lot... miniatures on every surface, miniature dioramas for birthday presents, clothes covered in paint and glue, hours of complex rules (with no FAQs or Internet for clarification) explained to her so that I had someone to play against... So it was no surprise that she preferred to leave the hobby to me.

But when my sons both became interested in 40k last year, she decided that it was time to get involved (more fool her). So for my youngest son's birthday this year she is going to be giving him a fully painted Ork Warboss  to lead his army. 

The problem is that she's never put a model together and she doesn't have a clue how to paint one. Which is where this post comes in.

Rather than send her a long email full of links to all the great tutorials there are out there, I decided (foolishly?) to put a step by step painting guide together for her based, on my own (admittedly meagre) experience painting up my lad's orks. And seeing as I'm contributing to this blog I decided to put the guide up here. 

Please bear in mind that I class myself as a bit of a noob when it comes to painting. I've had a lot of experience but little confidence and only recently have I started to play with some more advanced techniques (just don't ask me to paint faces).

I should also make it clear that these are some of the first orks I've painted and as such, this is maybe not "the best" or quickest approach. So grab a brew, grab your paints and without further ado...

Things You'll Need

 

• Paints (errr obviously)
• Paint brushes (I use Old skool Citadel brushes that were a Xmas gift from Praetor) ranging from guages 00 - 1 (or a lot thicker if you don't prime with an airbrush)
• Clean Water & Cloth/Tissue/Paper towel For cleaning your brush
• A Palette Optional but useful. There's not really much need to mix paint in this guide. The water/wash mixes are done using a very wet brush with a little wash on.
• A well lit space to paint

 

Step 1: Preparing the model

 

Remove your models from the sprue if necessary. Trim any areas that were attached to the sprue and gently file/trim any cast lines that are left on the model. Then glue your models together (super glue for metals, plastic glue on plastics). Sometimes metal miniatures may need to be pinned before gluing so that the glue holds properly, but that's a whole other article!

 

Step 2: Priming

 

The next step is to put a base coat on the model. Some people recommend priming orks I'm green but I like the depth a black base give so I prime in black. I've just started to use an airbrush for all my priming (Clarke CAB-P2) and use Daler Rowney black acrylic ink which 

 

I'm really happy with so far. I'm not going to go too much into priming or airbrushing as there are loads of good articles on if, made by people with a lot more experience than I have :) 
   

This stage can also be done using a brush, just be careful to not apply too much paint so the detail isn't lost. It may be necessary to thin your basecoat a little but it really depends on the paint you're using. You'll end up with a model that looks this this... 

Step 3: Base Colours

 

Now add the first layer of skin tone. I use  Citadel (for my sins, aside from the D&R ink, all the paints I use are Citadel) Waaagh Flesh but any dark green will do. I make sure I get a good covering but don't go right into the recesses of the muscle definition, leaving some black there. I then give the model a light dry brush; First using Mechanicus Standard Grey, then even lighter on the extremities with White Scar.

I then put the base coat on the details. The belt and straps are done using Bestial Brown. The metal is Leadbelcher... the handle of the choppa is Warplock Bronze. The teeth and fingernails are an old Citadel yellow/brown (something like Tallarn Sand or Zamesi Desert. 

Step 4:  Layers

 

Next I add another "mid" layer. The skin is Warboss Green done using the same technique as the Waaagh Flesh, getting good coverage but leaving the recesses. The straps etc. are done with Snakebite Leather. The bone is done in Screaming Skull. I then drybrush the metals with Ironbreaker and dry brush the fur round helmet in Bestial Brown.

Step 6: Shading

 

I've built up some layers of colour so now it's time to add washes to really bring out the shading (the areas of skin and leather we didn't add paint to). Apply a 50/50 Carroburg Crimson/water wash mix (see introduction) over the skin the water mix will stop the wash gathering on the green but will let it sit nicely in all those recesses. Apply the same Crimson wash in the mouth, then when dry, a apply 50/50 Seraphim Sepia/water wash. Use a pure Sepia wash on the metals, then when dry, add a very dark wash (Nuln Oil or similar). Use Sepia wash for areas of bone.

  

Step 7: Highlights

 

A layer of Moot Green on the skin using the same technique as the previous skin layers (skip this for Nobz, bosses or just for a darker ork). Gorthor Brown for browns. Screaming Skull for bone etc. I use Screaming Skull again on helmet fur followed by another light dry brush of White Scar. 

  Step 8: The finishing touches

 

Apply a glaze of Waywatcher Green (or your favourite green glaze. Touch up any areas that need it. I wasn't happy with the contrast between the handle and the head of the choppa, so I dry brushed the handle with Warplock Bronze. I used Shining Gold on the wristband studs but they can be any colour you like.

I applied small edge highlights to the black areas using a mid grey (I used Mechanicus Standard). I finally add some thin edge highlights to the metal of the choppa and slugga using Mithril Silver.

Last of all, I gave the model a spray of Citadel Purity Seal (currently unavilable from Games Workshop but you can pick it up at Wayland Games and added some flock and cork bits to the base. 

Phew!

I think that's covered everything. If any of the steps aren't clear, please let me know and I'll update the post.

Otherwise... Happy Painting!

CbC

Credits:
Thanks to Gotrek for the paints, thanks to Lee over at Talk Wargaming for this article which helped loads, thanks to my wonderful wife who has put up with me painting this model every evening this week, thanks to my mum who has motivated me to write this... and most of all, thanks to my son for letting me paint up his Orks!!