How I did it: Shadespire Orks (Ironskull's Boyz)

"Orcses is nevah defeated in battle.

If we win we win, if we die we die so it don't count.

If we runs for it don't die neither, 

'cos we can come back for annuver go, see!"

- Ancient ork adage

    Hi my friends, ciao! As you have just read Orks nevah lose, only push forward (when they mustn't run away for pushing harder next time). This is not something I'm very fond of, as I play races like Dark Eldar, Stormcast, Harlequins, Marines  - and generally, whatever the system, I like to play using tricks, strategies, well-honed lists and so on.... quite stressing, isn't it? Sometimes, anyway, I have my relaxed time, my dice-throwing in (almost) brainless joy, and everytime that coincides with the sheer use of greenskins. Perhaps casting furious curses with goblins, charging in the fray with my Ironjawz, trying to overtake a scrimmage using my troll as a quarterback or... pushing forward in Underworlds just to see a great brawl unfold before my eyes! 

   Ok today is that relaxed time as in the forthcoming tutorial, we'll speak briefly of the bunch of rascals and raiders that indeed the Ironskull's Boys are!

   Just to say... I made my Ork's warband for Underworlds so that it could fit in my greater Asheaters project; so for leathers, metals, basing, bones etc you can read, if you please, my older tutorials about them (links following). I just made their skin in a more pale hue, to recall the fact they actually are blocked in a dead city where no sun shines for years.

    Check this link. You will find my background post about my orks but under the description of each unit there is another link for the specific tutorial.

    Now... let's start working!

    Cape and Fur

      I tried different airbrush techniques on the cape, I'll try to explain as best as I can but... it was a mess (actually and exactly like the cape itself).

Basecoat the cape with a mix of pure white and vallejo Usaf Light Grey and fur with pure black, airbrushing.

Now take a worn brush and further worsen its situation, perhaps expanding its bristles even more. Sip it in black and hold it in the center between the model and your airbrush and spray, just air. You'd rather obtain something vaguely like the picture, a chaotic dotting pattern; similar to the effects you can achieve with a stippling brush.

Basecoat fur with a light brown, such as Citadel Zandri dust or Karak Stone.

In all the next steps you have to paint the fur in 3-4 different colors, parting it. I used greys (Dawnstone and Administratum) and a bunch of browns (Karak, Zandri, Steel Legion).

Wash all over the fur with Reikland in a 50/50 solution mingled with medium. Then wash strokes of pure Agrax, creating gaps, to further separate the colors and deepening the pattern.

Returning to the cape: spray Seraphim Sepia on it.

Put in a messy way some very dark pigments on the edge of it. I used Forge World Black Soot.

Grab a cotton swab just a little (very little) wet and start to move the pigments.

    Pale Green Skin

    I really love green skin tone and in the last times this love brought me to a more pale hue of it... everything started with my Bloodbowl Troll, about a year ago.

    Basecoat with Ogryn Camo. YES. Directly over black! Add two thin coats of it!

Layer hard with Krieg Khaki (not too hard, and use more water than usual, keep in mind).

Wash with Atonian (30%) and Medium (70%).

Layer again with Ogryn Camo.

Layer with Khaki and edge highlight with a mixture of Khaki and White Scars.

   Thanks for reading! Soon enough (I hope) I'll write a post about my Orks Deck (for now I'm going to keep it for myself until the new league will spring... metagame is a bitch!)

Final model: