"Alternative color schemes for "Greenskins"" Topic

I've been collecting some boxes of Mantic's wonderful greenskins, goblin archers and orcs. I really like their plastics. They're expanding a WHF nightgoblin army I was given on the sprue / mint metal. But I'm bored with the business as usual green theme.

I'm trying to think of some other schemes for my "greenskins".

For the night goblins, I was thinking of grey/black robes but do their skin pasty pale grey or white. After all, they live in caves and don't get much photosynthesis to make them green!

The orcs I also want to look unusual, was thinking about a tan / beige color, or perhaps a dunkengelb yellow/brown, I guess ochre is a good description.

anyone seen any good paint jobs around that are not green? Some color pics might help me make up my mind.

Check the AD&D Monster Manual, circa 1977. E. Gary Gygax listed several color schemes, none of them green! I liked the brick red skin color, so I went with that for my Goblins. I've received a lot of complements on them. I have not used any other color schemes he listed, yet. To see some examples (poor quality, sorry), click here. Cheers!

Even a deep, almost dark blood, red can look very nice. Just don't ruin it by adding white for highlights.

I've also seen a brownish-orange, with a nice orange glaze, a light blue (the player called them his "smurf" army), and a charcoal black.

They can look very nice, when not being green.

Orcs of the Frost Fang

Blue Goblins

Ferous Lands

From Bob in Edmonton

Red Orcs

Brown-ish always looks good on orcs. I was amazed how much it fits them when I first saw Flintloque.
I once used old Citadel's Dark Flesh (a rich, reddish brown) on some of my ogres as a base colour and was happy with the results. Tan or ochre might be too close to actual tanned skin colour to really stand out.
Other than that, I once painted comission orc in green gray colour, it was actually Feldgrau paint. Looked good, no resemblance to GW's orks.
That's what I tested.

Unbleached wool is an interesting Orc skin tone.
Gray with a hint of green.

For my 10mm fantasy orcs I will be using blue grey skin (shadow grey if old GW color) and red clothing.

I have always been fond of yellow ochre, kind of like a Brian Froud goblin..

For my Kenobo mini (that Tengu-looking dude from Soda Pop Minis), I used … Think it was Vallejo Model Color "Sunny Skintone" and Citadel "Baal Red" wash. Two or three coats of wash made for a dark red skintone with nice highlights.

On another mini, I used VMC Orange Ochre, which works really well.

More Blue goblins

Those red and blue Orcs and Goblins are fantastic. Heres some of my pale Orcs

  � � �
some are WIP's as i find more of the older models to add , apologies if pics are too big , cheers Tom

Some of the nices "green"skins I've ever saw as a bunch of "chaos orcs" converted from plastic GW Orc Boyz with various extra arms and similar mutations and deep red-brown skin.

Personally I like to use Vallejo's cavalry brown (a deep reddish brown) then add more and more red for highlights little by little.

The orcs I also want to look unusual, was thinking about a tan / beige color, or perhaps a dunkengelb yellow/brown, I guess ochre is a good description.

I've also tried several brownish/greyish shades, such as Vallejo green grey, dark yellow, ochre, field drab… Mostly satisfied with results:

Although a very dark green (like that of champagne bottles, or even darker) uses to look pretty evil-ish too --especially if combined with red eyes… ;)

The DvD, Let's Paint Goblins, from AG Productions demonstrates a variety of skin colors for Night goblins and other Greenskins. I have found it a useful guide.

I use many of the same colors as Lluis of Minairons. I like mixing gray, yellows, browns and gray-greens or brown-greens in the same army.

@ thabear phenomenal looking army

I use vallejo hull red, use a peat brown or similar wash and highlight with vallejo cadmium red. Skin looks 'alive' rather than like clay with this combination. There is no such thing, historically, as green orcs. I'm sure the new Osprey on this will prove me right.

I'm currently doing a batch of orcs in black, figuring that they have (very) short fur, and basing the color scheme on photographs of gorillas.

Space does something to their skin.

Coabeous

Brown lads for me

LordOfSmurfs on the Mantic forums: