Orks · 12 models · 4 kits
1× Space Marines Lieutenant · 5× Intercessors · 1× Ork Nob · 5× Ork Boyz
How to Paint Orks
Green skin, scrappy metal, rust and weathering done fast
Prices in £ for the UK
Before you commit
How hard to paint
12of 116 easiest
One of the easiest
Model size3 out of 5Detail density3 out of 5Technique demanded5 out of 5
Compare all 116 factions →
What it costs to start
£41.65
Warhammer 40,000: Introductory Set, cheapest shop we track
Compare armies by value →
Painting ratings are our judgement, with the reasoning on the comparison page; prices are live and dated.
Start Orks — boxes & paint sets
The boxes we can price for this faction, cheapest first, and the paint sets that cover most of the recipe below.
20% off RRPOrks · 33 models · 5 kits
£114.80 of contents → £87.20 (save approx £27.60)
Orks · 46 models · 10 kits
1× Captain with Relic Shield · 1× Librarian · 5× Intercessors · 5× Vanguard Veterans with Jump Packs · 1× Land Speeder · 1× Warboss · 1× Weirdboy · 20× Ork Boyz · 10× Gretchin · 1× Wartrakk · 4× Large Manufactorum Ruins · 4× Small Manufactorum Ruins · 1× Shock Array · 1× Capacitor Stack · 2× Rockcrete Barricades · 1× Generator Shrine · 2× Galvanic Pylons
20% off RRPOrks · 8 models · 3 kits
£102.00 of contents → £87.20 (save at least £14.80)
Covers 8 of 13 colours in this scheme
Covers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
Covers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
Covers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic Mega Paint Set
50 paints
£136.00
£160.15-15%
+38
· compare 4 shops· priced 1 OctCovers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
AK Interactive Signature Set - WWII German Uniforms by Calvin Tan (AK11759)
18 paints
£44.55
£49.50-10%
+6
· compare 2 shops· priced 13 SepCovers 5 of 13 colours in this scheme
Recommended recipe
How the scheme reads on a model
Armour — base to highlight
Base coat
Shade
Layer
Highlight
Edge highlight
- Base coatLoren ForestCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951325View paint
- ShadeGreen Ghost DipGreen Stuff World · Dipping InksView paint
- LayerScorpy GreenVallejo · Game Color 72.032View paint
- HighlightJungle GreenArmy Painter · WarpaintsView paint
- Edge highlightOrruk FleshCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Base 99189950319View paint
Additional details
Trim
Weapons
Leather
Skin
Lenses
Basing
Teeth, horns & bone
Red "go-fasta" bitz
- TrimNecron CompoundCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Dry 99189952048View paint
- WeaponsJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy MetalArmy Painter · Warpaints FanaticView paint
- LeatherBeasty BrownVallejo · Game Color 72.043View paint
- SkinElysian GreenCitadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951328View paint
- LensesWarlock MagentaArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3135PView paint
- BasingEnglish UniformVallejo · Model Color 70.921View paint
- Teeth, horns & boneAncient StoneArmy Painter · Warpaints Fanatic WP3088PView paint
- Red "go-fasta" bitzRedVallejo · Mecha Color 69.008View paint
1
Base coat
Lay the foundation colour down over primer, slightly darker than the final tone.
★ Our pick for base coat
Very Close
Close
Close
2
Shade
Wash the recesses to add depth and separate the details.
★ Our pick for shade
Very Close
Close
Approximate
Agrax Earthshade
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Shade 99189953084
from£4.16· compare 5 shops· priced 25 Sep
Approximate
3
Layer
Rebuild the main colour on the raised areas, leaving the shade in the cracks.
★ Our pick for layer
Close
Similar
CloseDiscontinued
4
Highlight
Pick out the upper edges and surfaces that catch the light.
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Close
5
Edge highlight
Sharpen only the sharpest edges for a crisp, finished look.
★ Our pick for edge highlight
Close
Close
Close
CloseDiscontinued
Details & accent colours
Everything else on the model - metals, skin, leather, lenses, basing and this faction's signature accents.
Metal — trim
Trim and bare plate. Basecoat steel, wash dark, then edge bright silver.
★ Our pick for metal — trim
Very Close
Very Close
Very Close
Close
Shining Silver
Army Painter · Warpaints
No shop price tracked yet — the paint’s page has every seller we find.
Metal — weapons
Bolters, blades and casings. Dark gunmetal, washed black, edged with bright steel.
★ Our pick for metal — weapons
Very Close
Close
Close
Adepticon Magnesium
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S42
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
Similar
Leather & pouches
Straps, holsters and bare wood. Mid brown, shaded, then drybrushed a lighter tan.
★ Our pick for leather & pouches
Exact Match
Very Close
Flameon Dark Green Brown
Monument · Monument Pro Signature Series MPA-S25
£4.29at Loaded Dice· priced 13 Sep
CloseDiscontinued
Skin & flesh
Faces and hands. Basecoat, a flesh wash into the recesses, then build the highlights back up.
Elysian Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951328
★ Our pick for skin & flesh
Very Close
Very Close
Eyes & lenses
Lenses, eyes and energy. A bright spot colour that pops against the armour - dot it on and add a white glint.
★ Our pick for eyes & lenses
Close
Genestealer Purple
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951308
from£2.33· compare 5 shops· priced 1 Oct
Close
Similar
Approximate
Basing — earth
Groundwork. Earth basecoat, drybrushed bone, finished with your choice of grass, sand or snow.
★ Our pick for basing — earth
Very Close
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Close
Teeth, horns & bone
Tusks, claws, skulls and bone - basecoat bone, shade brown, drybrush up to off-white.
★ Our pick for teeth, horns & bone
Exact Match
Exact Match
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Red "go-fasta" bitz
Glyphs, fluids and details - everyone knows red wunz go fasta.
Very Close
Very CloseDiscontinued
Very Close
Evil Sunz Scarlet
Citadel (Warhammer Paints) · Layer 99189951303
from£2.33· compare 4 shops· priced 1 Oct
Buy It as a Box
Paint sets that cover this recipe - a set is usually cheaper than buying pots one by one.
Covers 8 of 13 paints in this scheme (62%) — base coat, layer, highlight, leather & pouches and more.
Or cover 92% of the recipe with 3 boxes (£303.25 total):
· compare 2 shops· priced 25 Sep
Your paints
Tick off what's already on your shelf — whatever's left is your shopping list.
13 paints in this scheme
Price this recipe
13 paintsfree UK delivery over £20
- not stocked: Jungle Green, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
£4.99 UK delivery, 1-2 working days, free over £65
- not stocked: Green Ghost Dip, Jungle Green, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
- not stocked: Green Ghost Dip, Jungle Green, Orruk Flesh, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, English Uniform
postage per seller
- not stocked: Loren Forest, Green Ghost Dip, Jungle Green, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
- not stocked: Loren Forest, Green Ghost Dip, Scorpy Green, Orruk Flesh, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Elysian Green
prices shown on Amazon at checkout
- not stocked: Jungle Green, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Warlock Magenta, English Uniform, Ancient Stone, Red
free UK delivery over £75, from £2.66 below that
- not stocked: Loren Forest, Green Ghost Dip, Jungle Green, Orruk Flesh, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Elysian Green, Warlock Magenta, Ancient Stone
- not stocked: Green Ghost Dip, Scorpy Green, Jungle Green, Orruk Flesh, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Elysian Green, Warlock Magenta, English Uniform, Ancient Stone, Red
postage by parcel weight and destination, shown at checkout — no free-shipping threshold
- not stocked: Loren Forest, Scorpy Green, Jungle Green, Orruk Flesh, Necron Compound, John Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal, Beasty Brown, Elysian Green, Warlock Magenta, English Uniform, Ancient Stone, Red
totals excl. delivery · affiliate links
Loren Forest
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctGreen Ghost Dip
Green Stuff World
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepScorpy Green
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepJungle Green
Army Painter
at 3DJake UK· priced 30 SepOrruk Flesh
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Wayland Games· priced 25 SepNecron Compound
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctJohn Blanche Masterclass: Heavy Metal
Army Painter
No price tracked yetBeasty Brown
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepElysian Green
Citadel (Warhammer Paints)
at Merlin's MiniaturesWarlock Magenta
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctEnglish Uniform
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 SepAncient Stone
Army Painter
at Merlin's Miniatures· priced 1 OctRed
Vallejo
at SnM Stuff· priced 24 Sep
Recommended Box Set
Warhammer 40,000: Introductory Set Affiliate links — how we make money What's inside this box
The fastest way to start a Orks army — a boxed force to paint with this scheme.
1× Space Marines Lieutenant · 5× Intercessors · 1× Ork Nob · 5× Ork Boyz
Best price
£41.65Merlin's Miniatures
in stock · priced 1 Oct · free UK delivery over £75, £3.99 below that
cheapest of 3 UK sellers · save £7.35 vs the most expensive · excl. delivery
Prefer a bundle? At Loaded Dice (UK):save £22.51 vs RRP
Every Orks kit and box, priced
Prices compared across the shops that stock them — boxes ranked by cost per model.
Orks are a brilliant army for painters who want character over precision. The whole aesthetic is scrappy, mismatched and weathered, so clean lines and perfect blends are not the goal - energy, contrast and a bit of grime are. They paint up fast and look better the rougher they get.
The signature look
Orks are defined by green skin and improvised metal armour and weapons. The skin recipe above gives you the ramp from a dark shaded green up to a bright, almost cartoonish highlight on the nose, brow and knuckles - that bright pop of green is what makes an Ork read as alive and aggressive.
Painting Ork skin fast
Green skin is the perfect candidate for the fast contrast/wash method:
- Basecoat the skin a mid green (or undercoat and use a green contrast paint in one pass).
- If you went the classic route, wash it with a green or black shade to sink the recesses.
- Layer the original green back on the raised muscle, then a final bright highlight on the very top - the brow ridge, nose, fists and shoulders.
For a whole mob, the one-coat contrast approach over a light undercoat gets you tabletop-ready in a fraction of the time.
Metal, rust and weathering
The armour is where Orks come alive. Keep the metal dark and grimy, not shiny:
- Basecoat plates a dark metal, wash heavily with a brown or black shade.
- Stipple or sponge rust (orange and brown) along edges and rivets.
- Add chips with a fine brush or a torn sponge so the metal looks beaten and scavenged.
- A few spots of bright clan colour (red, blue, yellow) break up the green and metal.
Clan colour variations
A spot colour ties a mob together and follows Ork "logic":
- Goffs - black and white checks, red details.
- Evil Sunz - lots of red (because red wunz go fasta).
- Bad Moons - yellow.
- Deathskulls - blue, plus a bit of everything looted.
Tips and common mistakes
- Embrace the mess. Sponge weathering and slightly sloppy chips look intentional on Orks - this is the army to relax on.
- Vary the skin. Don't paint every Ork's skin identically; small differences make a mob look like a horde, not clones.
- Batch the green. Skin is most of the model - do the whole mob's skin through each step at once, then individualise the gubbinz.
Recipes are generated by perceptual colour matching against our cross-brand paint database. Use them as a strong starting point and test paints in person when precision matters.