In this guide I will being focusing on the main colours I have been using for the Gretchin in my Ork Goffs Kill Team. I like to vary the skin tones of my Gretchin, so if you are interested in this in particular you may want to check out my "Gretchin/Goblin Skin Tone Collection" also available on this site.

If however, you like to keep things simple, here is my go to skin tone for most 40k Orks.

Traditional Ork

1. Basecoat with a mix of Averland Sunset and Skarsnik Green . I make the ratio about 1:1, but add a little more Skarsnik Green , so it reads as green and not yellow.
2. Shade recesses with Biel-Tan Green . Use a combination of glazing and traditional recess shading.
3. Run small amounts of Coelia Greenshade into deep recesses with a fine brush. Mix in a little Contrast Medium if you want to make it easier to handle.
4. Add general highlights to the skin with Ogryn Camo .
5. How apply fine highlights with Krieg Khaki .
6. Add final selective and specular highlights of 1:1 Screaming Skull and White .

This recipe is based strongly on the "40k Ork Skin" recipe, from eavy-archive.com.

Red Eyes

1. Basecoat with Khorne Red .
2. Paint the inner part of the eye with Evil Sunz Scarlet .
3. Paint a small highlight of Troll Slayer Orange in the middle of the eye, to represent the iris.
4. Finish with an even smaller, specular highlight of Dorn Yellow in the centre, to represent the pupil.

Teeth

1. Basecoat with Rhinox Hide .
2. Pick out the teeth with XV-88 .
3. Highlight with Ushabti Bone coverring a smaller area.
4. Spectively highlight with Screaming Skull .
5. Mix a little White into your Screaming Skull and add a specular highlight on the point.

Claws and Nails

1. Basecoat with Incubi Darkness .
2. Highlight with Kabalite Green .
3. Add selective highlight of Sybarite Green .
4. Put specular highlight of Deepkin Flesh on the points only.

Black Cloth

1. Basecoat with Abaddon Black .
2. Apply chunky highlights with 1:1 Abaddon Black & Rhinox Hide .
3. Fine highlight edges with Stormvermin Fur .
4. Selectively highlight with 2:1 Stormvermin Fur and White .
5. Apply specular highlights of 1:2 Stormvermin Fur and White on points, folds and rough looking areas.

Red Cloth

1. Basecoat with Mephiston Red .
2. Shade recesses with thinned 1:1 Mephiston Red and Incubi Darkness .
3. In very deep recesses, add some Abaddon Black to the mix above and shade with fine lines.
4. Highlight with 1:1 Mephiston Red and Wild Rider Red .
5. Apply fine highlights of Wild Rider Red .
6. Selectively highlight with Fire Dragon Bright .
7. Apply small/specular highlights of 1:1 Fire Dragon Bright and Ice Yellow . Alternatively, feel free to use Lugganath Orange .

Khaki Cloth

1. Basecoat with Tallarn Sand .
2. Shade with a 1:1 mix of Tallarn Sand and Rhinox Hide .
3. Deep shade with fine lines of Rhinox Hide .
4. Add chunky highlights of 2:1 Tallarn Sand and Screaming Skull .
5. Highlight a smaller area with fine highlights of 1:2 Tallarn Sand and Screaming Skull .
6. Where relevant, apply specular highlights of Screaming Skull .

Grey Cloth

1. Basecoat with Stormvermin Fur .
2. Recess shade with Stormvermin Fur , Abaddon Black and Incubi Darkness mixed 2:2:1.
3. Highlight with 2:1 Stormvermin Fur and Administratum Grey .
4. Increase the amount of the light grey, so it is roughly 1:2 Stormvermin Fur and Administratum Grey and add finer highlights.
5. Selectively highlight with Administratum Grey .
6. Finish off with very small highlights with a mix or Administratum Grey and White . I would recommend keeping these highlights to points that are very exposed to light.

Brown Fur Scraps

1. Basecoat with Rakarth Flesh .
2. Overbrush the fur portion with White .
3. Apply a layer of Cygor Brown over the fur part, leaving the smooth skin parts untouched.
4. Wash the skin parts with Reikland Fleshshade .
5. Highlight the fur selectively towards the point with XV-88 .
6. Mix some Wraithbone or a similar colour into your XV-88 and pick out fur points.
7. Mix your Rakarth Flesh 1:1 with Pallid Wych Flesh and egde highlight the skin parts.
8. Selectively highlight the skin with Pallid Wych Flesh .
9. Finish off the skin with very small/specular highlights of White on points.

Dark Brown Leather

1. Basecoat the leather area with Rhinox Hide .
2. Glaze most of the leather with thinned Mournfang Brown . Use quite a small brush and drag towards edges in rough lines. This should create some extra texture.
3. Add a chunky edge highlight of Skrag Brown to all edges.
4. Highlight everything again, this time with a fine line of Skrag Brown and Ushabti Bone mixed 1:1. This is a good mix to throw in occasional fine lines as scratches too.
5. With pure Ushabti Bone , selectively highlight corners and exposed edges of the leather. Put a dot of this colour where the additional scratched above meet edges too.
6. Add a little pure white (like Dead White ) to your Ushabti Bone and add dot highlights to corners.

Bandages

1. Basecoat with Rakarth Flesh .
2. Wash with Agrax Earthshade .
3. Highlight with 1:1 Rakarth Flesh and Pallid Wych Flesh .
4. Selectively highlight with Pallid Wych Flesh .
5. Add small/specular highlights with 1:1 Pallid Wych Flesh and White . Be very selective with this step.

Steel

1. Basecoat with Leadbelcher .
2. Wash with Nuln Oil .
3. Glaze Agrax Earthshade in areas where dirt could collect.
4. Add highlights with Ironbreaker .
5. Now selectively highlight with Vallejo Model Air Silver RLM01 Metallic .

If you wanted to add some additional weathering, consider glazes of Rhinox Hide , Mournfang Brown and small patches of Skrag Brown .

Brass

1. Basecoat with Brass Scorpion .
2. Wash with Agrax Earthshade .
3. Mix increasing amounts of Silver RLM01 Metallic into the Brass Scorpion and highlight smaller ans smaller. You should be looking to end with dots of pure Silver RLM01 Metallic .

Dirty Gold

1. Basecoat with Retributor Armour .
2. Wash with Agrax Earthshade .
3. Mix increasing amounts of Silver RLM01 Metallic into the Retributor Armour , then highlight smaller and smaller. You should be looking to end with dots of pure Silver RLM01 Metallic .

Chequered Pattern

1. Basecoat with Black .
2. Sketch out the pattern with Dawnstone and a fine brush. Fill in the white squares with thes colour when you are happy.
3. Brighten the white squares with Pallid Wych Flesh .
4. Now is a good time to shade around rivets with thin Baneblade Brown and enhance with very precise shading of Dryad Bark .
5. Highlight with small amounts of White .
6. Tidy up black squares with Black .
7. Edge highlight with The Fang .
8. Apply selective highlights of Blue Horror if/where needed.

I used these same paint for a few other small details on the models, like black armour panels and white buckles. Mostly to streamline my painting process a little, with me already having the paints on my palette.