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The Compendium · Warhammer 40,000

Orks paint schemes

Clan colours, scrap metal and grime — the most character per model in the game.

No two Ork armies should look alike. Between the green skin recipes, the clan colours and the looted, welded, improvised wargear, an Ork commission is closer to painting a hundred small characters than batch-painting a uniform army.

Weathering carries the scheme: rust, chipped paint, oil stains and checkerboards painted slightly wrong on purpose. Ask any studio for their Orks and you'll learn immediately whether they enjoy the work.

Goffs

Black armour, red trim, and black-and-white checks. The most brutal-looking clan, and the checks — hand-painted, slightly crooked, never decals — are the signature detail worth paying for.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Abaddon Black on the armour plates
  2. ShadeCitadel Nuln Oil into the recesses
  3. HighlightCitadel Abaddon Black + Rhinox Hide (1:1), a chunky edge
  4. EdgeCitadel Stormvermin Fur, then fine points of White Scar
  5. DetailFreehand white checks with Citadel White Scar

Evil Sunz

Red everything, because red ones go faster. A vehicle-heavy clan scheme that lives or dies on weathering — sun-faded panels, exhaust scorch, rust streaks down the rivets.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Mephiston Red
  2. ShadeCitadel Agrax Earthshade in the recesses
  3. LayerCitadel Evil Sunz Scarlet
  4. HighlightCitadel Fire Dragon Bright on the edges

Bad Moons

Yellow armour with black glyphs — flash and loud. Like Imperial Fists, yellow at batch scale is a genuine technical test, here with the added fun of grime on top.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Averland Sunset
  2. ShadeCitadel Casandora Yellow all over
  3. LayerCitadel Yriel Yellow
  4. HighlightCitadel Flash Gitz Yellow, then White Scar on extreme edges

Deathskulls

Blue warpaint over looted everything. The scheme practically demands mismatched panels and stolen wargear in other factions' colours — organised chaos, beautifully done.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Kantor Blue on the blue panels
  2. ShadeCitadel Nuln Oil in the panel gaps
  3. LayerCitadel Alaitoc Blue
  4. HighlightCitadel Calgar Blue, then a Fenrisian Grey edge

Blood Axes

Camouflage patterns on Orks — grey-green fatigues, painted disruption patterns on vehicles. An unusual pick that gives a painter room for genuinely distinctive freehand.

The recipe

  1. BaseCitadel Castellan Green on the military kit
  2. LayerCamo patches of Citadel Zandri Dust and Loren Forest
  3. ShadeCitadel Agrax Earthshade over the whole scheme
  4. DrybrushCitadel Karak Stone to pick out edges and wear

Watch

Tutorials from painters we rate, teaching these schemes brush in hand. Each one opens here on click and links back to its creator.

Goff Waaghhhh! How to paint Goff Ork Boyz for 40K

Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy ↗

How to paint your Beast Snagga Ork Boys for Warhammer 40,000

Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy ↗

A complete Guide to Painting all The Ork Clanz

TableTopReady ↗

The Gallery

The photo gallery opens as studios license their work to us. Every image we show is a real commissioned miniature, credited and linked to the artist who painted it — no stock, no renders, no AI.

Commissioning

Thinking about your own army in one of these schemes? The Warhammer 40,000 studios in the directory take commissions, or you can describe your project and we'll match you with painters who suit it.