Old School Ork
In today's article, I am going to show you how to paint an Orc Champion for Warhammer Fantasy Battles/Age of Sigmar.
NOTE: Do not glue the shield to the miniature until both the miniature and the shield are painted.
Preparation:
Take a sharp modelling knife and modelling or similar files in order to remove the excess material resulting from the casting process of the miniature (flash), and mould lines which are the result of the casting material accumulating on the join between the mould halves during the casting process.
Take a black, the more matte, the better spray (I have user Cosmos Matte Black), and spray the miniature by utilising light, even motions until the entire surface of the miniature is covered, taking care not to obscure the details of the miniature among the layers of applied paint, alternatively, the primer paint can also be brushed on, I would use Scale75 Black for that purpose.
Dilute a middle dark shade of green (I have user Irati Green by Scale75) using Citadel's Lahmian Medium, and apply it over 2 to 3 coats (allow the paint to dry in between layers) until you attain even coverage of the skin surfaces.
Using a middle dark metallic silver paint (Ironbreaker by Citadel, Steel from Vallejo Model Air, Heavy Metal from Scale75 etc.), paint the metallic surfaces on the miniature (this includes the armour, the sword blade, the helmet, the armor on the shoulders, the ring in the nose, the blade of the knife on the back and the shoes)*.
Using a yellowish bronze paint (I have user Dwarven Gold from Scale75), paint the tips of the helmet horns, the joins of the helmet horns with the helmet itself, the edge of the helmet above the face of the miniature, and the hilt and crossguard of the sword and knife on the back**.
Using a middle dark shade of brown paint (Beasty Brown from Vallejo Game Color, Brown Leather from Scale75 etc.), paint the horns of the helmet, and the horns of the belt buckle.
Using a pale brown paint (I have used Walnut from Scale75), paint the teeth of the miniature.
Using in sequence reddish and orange brown paints in 3 to 5 shades, gradually lighten the teeth of the miniature (I have used Blackert Brown, Peanut Butter, Cokum Copper, Hykey Yellow from Scale75 Fantasy & Games, and finally Off White from Vallejo Game Color).
The same procedure as in the previous step can also be used for the helmet horns, although a shade such as Bonewhite from Vallejo Game Color or similar was used to finish them off.
Using a darker and more muted shade of red (I have used Deep Red from Scale75), paint the lower lip of the miniature and the visible part of the inside of the mouth. Then, gradually, going from Blood Red to Aldeberan Red by Scale75 highlight the details of the lip using a paintbrush, simulating the look of a dried lip.
Using the Biel-Tan Green Shade (wash) from Citadel, apply a single, thicker coat on the skin areas of the miniature, taking care for it not to gather in the recesses, because it can leave stains that look bad.
Using Nuln Oil Shade (wash) from Citadel, apply a single, thicker coat on the metallic parts of the miniature (see above for the list *), also taking care for it not to gather in the recesses, or in one single point.
Using Agrax Earthshade Shade (wash) from Citadel, apply a single, thicker coat on the bronze parts of the miniature (see above for the list **), also taking care, as in the previous two steps for it not to gather either in the recesses, or in a single point.
Using a lighter bronze paint (I have used Viking Gold from Scale75), highlight the more pronounced parts of the bronze parts of the miniature (see above for the list **), taking care for a smaller portion of the previously painted darker layers to remain visible.
Using a darker brown shade (I have used Charred Brown from Vallejo Game Color), paint the fur parts of the miniature (above the shoes, and the outer part of the sleeve on the miniature's right hand).
Mix a middle grey shade (I have used Wolf Grey from Vallejo Game Color) to the paint from the previous step, and highlight from the middle to the top of the hairs of the fur parts.
Mix in a lighter grey shade in the mix from the previous step (I have used Ghost Grey from Vallejo Game Color), and highlight the last third and the tips of the hairs of the fur parts.
Using a middle shade of brown paint (I have used Brown Leather from Scale75), paint the leather parts of the miniature, these include the laces of the furs above the shoes, the bags on the belt on the back, the belt, the armlet on the right hand, and the shield handle on the left hand***.
Using Agrax Earthshade Shade (wash) from Citadel, apply a single, thicker coat on the leather parts of the miniature (see above for the list ***), taking care for it to not gather in the recesses.
Using reddish and yellowish shades of brown paint (e.g. Red and Orange Leather from Scale75, Scrufulous Brown from Vallejo Game Color etc.), create dot and similar patterns on the leather parts of the miniature, this will give plausibility to the leather, I also advise to Google reference images for corresponding leather parts.
Using a middle dark metallic silver paint, paint the studs on the armlet on the right hand, and the buckle on the armlet on the right hand.
Using a middle dark metallic silver paint (I have used Heavy Metal from Scale75), paint the edge of the shield.
Using a dark red paint (I have used Deep Red from Scale75), paint the inner part of the shield (the frowning Sun).
Using gradually lighter shades of red paint (Blood Red, Aldebaran Red from Scale75 etc.), highlight the bumps on the Sun on the shield.
Using the same procedure as for the teeth of the miniature, paint the teeth of the Sun on the shield.
Conclusion:
I have created a relatively simple base for the miniature, where I have used middle and fine grained sand from Gale Force 9, which I have mixed in a 2 to 1 ratio of fine to middle grained, as well as chincilla sand, which fills in any gaps left by the previous step.
I have also applied some static grass which I have obtained from the company called Gamer's Grass, with arbitrary paint depending on the desired look, season etc.
To conclude, since we are talking about a miniature from the 4th or the 5th edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, a base edge painted in a middle light shade of green is inevitable, I have used Goblin Green from Vallejo Game Color.
Latest articles
- Miniature Painting Workshop - Grimdark Trench Crusade Marko Paunović, 5th March 2026
- AGRAM LEGO SECTION - F1 car: FW14b Krunoslav Belinić, 26th February 2026
- Gallery of winning entries of Black Queen H&MPC2026 Krunoslav Belinić, 25th February 2026
- SFRJ 1986 v2 Diorama part 5 Marko Paunović, 19th January 2026
- SFRJ 1986 v2 Diorama part 4 Marko Paunović, 19th January 2026
Latest battle-reports
- Kill Team - Blooded vs. Vespid Stingwings 28th February 2025, GW - Warhammer 40.000, and Antoni Pastuović (Imperial Guard)
- 22nd April 2022, GW - Warhammer 40.000, Borna Pleše (Space Marines) and Kristijan Kliska (Tau Empire)
- 17th November 2021, GW - Warhammer 40.000, and Nino Marasović (Space Marines)