Some hobbyists fear the task, so I thought I'd do an article to help show how fast and simple it can be no matter what skin tone you're trying to create.
When I began working on my Ogres recently I created a simple three-step process for painting the skin that would give the models some depth and a fully painted look without having to spend too much time per model given that I'm painting a bunch of them.
Keep in mind that this process allows one to get a variety of tones both realistic and fantastic simply by varying the base color, highlight color or wash color. Altering any one, two or three of the colors used will yield a subtly or wildly different result depending on colors used. That's a good thing as it unlocks endless possibilities.
Here's how it works. First, paint the base coat on all the fleshy areas. Then, edge the high areas with the highlight color. Finally, use a wash to blend the two together. Further highlighting is unnecessary, though one can do it to enhance the look if desired.
I wanted a nice golden skin tone for my Ogres so though I varied the base color for the flesh they all got edge highlighted with a nice yellowish-brown color. In this first example I've started with a medium skin color, edge highlighted with yellow brown, then used a red-brown wash to fuse the two.
In this next example I used a medium brown base color for my skin tone, highlighted with the same yellow brown as before, then washed with a red-brown wash.
This picture of the finished unit of Ogre Leadbelchers shows a variety of skin tones. They all have the same yellow-brown highlight color, but by varying the base color and the washes used a naturalistic variance in skin tone is achieved. I used everything from dark brown (Agrax Earthshade to Reikland Fleshshade to Seraphim Sepia to vary my finished results.
I used the same techniques on these Ogre Bulls including the Tyrant conversion in the left of the photo. While the Tyrant has a bit of additional highlighting after the wash was applied, the base troopers were painted only with the three steps described above to conserve time.
The simple technique I've described here will work for any end result you are trying to achieve, whether you are looking for normal human type skin tones or something totally fantastic like green or purple for those more alien or monstrous type models. Experiment and have fun, the possibilities are limitless. For more hobby tips on Ogres please check out my recent article here about avoiding expensive Finecast Ogre characters by converting them cheaply from plastic Ogre Bulls.
I used similar techniques on some of my Chaos troopers, varying their skin through many different natural tones light, medium and dark and into mutated colors like purple, blue and unnatural reds. It's my way of telling the story of how Chaos corrupts people from all over the world, eventually turning them into something barely human at all.