"Some Mithril Orcs on my painting blog" Topic

Hi all,

After some time devoted to intensively painting historical 18th century miniatures, I've come back to save a few Mithril orcs from their long oblivion in a shoecase.

You can see the result at my painting blog: link . Sorry the website is not in English, but in my native language instead. You can try translating it by the Google Translate insert top right, although results use to be quite funny…

Intensive WWII wargaming at my local club has no doubt influenced my present colours selection (and my paint bottles stock!!). However, I'm quite satisfied with the final look these colours have given to my little warband…

Nice pics and a chance to give myself 10 points as I asked myself "Is that Catalan?"

I love Mithril figs, pity they are too pricey for full armies

Wow. I think that these two in the front have the absolute best color I have ever seen for Orcs:

picture

I must borrow that skin tone for mine.

Very close to what I think would be natural for a subterranean humanoid:

picture
picture
picture

Thanks.

Dan

10 points, hurcheon :)

Glad you like them, guys. Skin colour was my main challenge at painting these minis, for I had been painting orc skins in a very very dark green colour before, and wasn't satisfied enough with them -although I still believe this to be a good option. And I wouldn't paint them in black -or in any other Human-like colour.

So that I told to myself… why not giving my stock of WWII paints a chance? The first two orcs have been painted in a mix of tan-earth and light grey as a base, another one in yellow ochre (not so satisfying, I believe; a too Human-like look) and the BTD one in yellow khaki.

Personally, I'm thinking on keeping more or less this same line of painting, using a variable proportion of earth browns, ash greys and khakis. Maybe dark green would still be given a chance -not too often.

Should they be darker, maybe? …as a kind of compromise with Tolkien's descriptions. :S

My non tolkien Orcs I always painted as the a kind of beige yellow, what Humbrol call Old Oak, with human flesh lips which works nicely, but Orcs range in different colours and yours are damn good

A lot of them are "sallow" so softening some of your darker orcs towards mediterranean type flesh tones would give you good variations (BTW I have sallow skin ;) )

I love the skin tone! I am tired of seeing these bright green orcs all of the time. I love Mithril's figs, but as others have said, they are just a little too costly for wargaming, but I also have quite a few for RPGs and skirmishes.

I've taken to looking at my fantasy orcs (and painting them) with similar looks to the simians from Planet of Apes – the gorilla warrior caste seems to fit best.

Fantastic work, I'm so jealous of all the great painters on here!

I also use military colors for my Mithril orcs. Although I do mix a little olive drab into the bottle for a bit of greenish undertone. I add something to change the color after every 5 orcs, so over the years I have gotten quite a bit of contrast in skin tones throughout the horde.

Wow, those look fantastic! Exactly what orcs should look like, in my opinion! *applause*