Painting Landsknecht Ogres: Step-by-Step Guide

Quick answer

Start with a dark brown basecoat, then layer on bright colors for the flamboyant Landsknecht-style clothing, and finish with a heavy wash to bring out the ogre's muscle details.

Step-by-step painting process

1. 1. Assemble and prime: Clean mold lines from the plastic parts and glue the model together. Prime with a dark brown spray primer. Brown primer works better than black because it gives a warm undertone to the skin and cloth. Check that all joints are fully seated before priming to avoid gaps.
2. 2. Basecoat the skin: Paint all exposed ogre skin with a mid-tone flesh color like Bugman's Glow or a mix of brown and tan. Apply two thin coats to get full coverage. Avoid pure white or very light flesh tones, which can look unnatural on ogres. Keep the skin color consistent across all models in the unit for a cohesive look.
3. 3. Paint the Landsknecht clothing: Use bright, contrasting colors for the puffy sleeves, breeches, and doublet – for example, red and yellow, or blue and orange. Paint each section separately, using a small brush for the slashed fabric edges. Thin your paints to avoid obscuring the sculpted detail. Don't rush this step; neatness on the clothing makes the whole model pop.
4. 4. Add metal and leather details: Paint the weapons, armor plates, and buckles with a metallic silver or gunmetal. Use a dark brown for leather straps and pouches. A quick silver drybrush over a dark base gives a worn metal look. Metallics look best when applied after the cloth colors to avoid accidental smears.
5. 5. Apply a wash: Use a brown or black wash (like Agrax Earthshade or Nuln Oil) over the entire model. Let it flow into the muscle crevices and cloth folds. Wipe away any pooling on flat areas with a clean brush. A wash is essential for ogres – it defines the muscles and gives the model depth.
6. 6. Highlight and base: Drybrush the skin with a lighter flesh tone to bring back the highlights. Pick out the raised edges of the clothing with the original base color. Finally, paint the base with texture paint or sand and add static grass. Finish with a matte varnish spray to protect the paint job during gaming.

Product facts

• Landsknecht Ogres: Ogre mercenaries have adopted flamboyant customs and dress of their human employers, making them formidable foes on the battlefield. This means you need to paint bright, contrasting colors on the clothing to match the Landsknecht theme, while keeping the ogre skin gritty and weathered.