The colour of ghoul...

What colour are ghouls really?

  • Pale caucasian

    Votes: 25 73.5%

  • Green

    Votes: 4 11.8%

  • Gray

    Votes: 5 14.7%
  • Total voters
    34
phreedh

phreedh

Member
Need a few ghouls painted up for a game next week end. I can't make my mind up, I have too many references for ghouls. What's your opinion on properly Oldhammer-coloured ghouls? What colour are they, really? I'll be painting a Talisman Ghoul, a few Paul Mueller ghouls and one of Gary Morley's. Several editions of ghouls there. I have my 80's WHFB ghouls reserved for my Dungeon Bowl teams.

Are they PALE SKINNED chaps?
undead013.jpg

Pic from Heresy

Perhaps are they GREEN to the hue?
main.php

Pic from Necro Tales

Or... are they possibly some shade of GRAY?
ghoul1.jpg

Pic from some random guy on interwebs

Then there are the other options of purple, or regular skin colour etc. I'm not very keen on that.

Inspire me, fellow wielders of the brush!
 
Citadel Collector

Citadel Collector

Moderator
For old skool I'd say go with a green hue but perhaps not quite so green as the middle pic.

Those top picture ghouls really are ace aren't they? Might have to get some of those and go mad with the Tamiya red thingy blood splatter paint.
 
Asslessman

Asslessman

Member
please by all means avoid the cabbage green...

Ghouls living in dark places such as crypts, I like them to have a very pale and nearly translucent skin (showing veins etc...) with white eyes like troglodyte and cavern animals. a somehow bluish bone taint might also work.

The pale skin is what I'd go for (the upper photo is good but maybe too dark in the recesses for what I have in mind). Mine are not painted yet so no pics to show sorry...
 
ardyer

ardyer

Member
Asslessman":1q1zaze2 said:
please by all means avoid the cabbage green...

Ghouls living in dark places such as crypts, I like them to have a very pale and nearly translucent skin (showing veins etc...) with white eyes like troglodyte and cavern animals. a somehow bluish bone taint might also work.

The pale skin is what I'd go for (the upper photo is good but maybe too dark in the recesses for what I have in mind). Mine are not painted yet so no pics to show sorry...
Click to expand...

What he said. Not everything old-school is good :grin:
 
phreedh

phreedh

Member
Citadel Collector":2t4zs8vh said:
Those top picture ghouls really are ace aren't they?
Click to expand...
Indeed they are! A few VERY disturbing minis in the range. Too new-school for me, but they are great!
 
Citadel Collector

Citadel Collector

Moderator
ardyer":3h6r2g5r said:
Asslessman":3h6r2g5r said:
please by all means avoid the cabbage green...

Ghouls living in dark places such as crypts, I like them to have a very pale and nearly translucent skin (showing veins etc...) with white eyes like troglodyte and cavern animals. a somehow bluish bone taint might also work.

The pale skin is what I'd go for (the upper photo is good but maybe too dark in the recesses for what I have in mind). Mine are not painted yet so no pics to show sorry...
Click to expand...

What he said. Not everything old-school is good :grin:
Click to expand...

Ah yes, but phreedh did specify old skool. Well, Oldhammer actually. Same thing :?
 

tancrede

Member
For me too, the pale skinned ones are perfect for ghouls.
The other ones have a too much "comics" look for my taste...
 
Asslessman

Asslessman

Member
Citadel Collector":9hm2fjap said:
Ah yes, but phreedh did specify old skool. Well, Oldhammer actually. Same thing :?
Click to expand...

I asked myself the question but in fact anatomically correct or natural colors are compatible with both oldhammer and oldschool. and let's see this another way : bright ghouls are soooo 4thed ! :lol:
Maybe I should add I like my undead dusty and rusty :roll:
 
Naagruz

Naagruz

Member
Definitely more pale skinned with purples & reds blended in selectively. Covered in filth for sure!

Green would just get them confused with the zombies, who, per Phil Lewis, own the patent on green undead beasties.

Grey just seems all wrong unless they are ghoulgoyles. ;)
 
phreedh

phreedh

Member
I'm leaning towards pale, with washes of blue and purple. My zombies aren't exactly green though... they're more a slight shade of decay.

sbh_zombies4a.jpg


sbh_zombies4b.jpg


Edit: Steve, I think "you" are getting your ass handed to you in this poll! =D
 
bug16

bug16

Member
Interesting thread! Moreso because I've started to think about painting my stripped 3rd edition Ghouls.

I always used to paint mine grey but I was never happy with them. Once I saw The Descent I loved the look of their Ghoul/Vampire/things being very pale:

the-descent-2005-1.jpg


Although they do look quite nifty in grey in the awful sequel:

4540143808.jpg


How am I painting mine? Well I discovered that painting them very pale makes them look a bit weird next to the rest of my army so I'm going with:

Basecoat Bone White
Bone White/ Dead White (25%/75%) drybrush
Bone White drybrush (very very lightly)
Watered down Gryphonne Sepia wash (about 50% water to wash)
Bone White/ Dead White (25%/75%) drybrush
Bone White drybrush (very very lightly)
Leviathan purple into all of the creases and folds in the skin.

Basically I'm aiming for this kindof skin tone which would also work for Genestealer Hybrids:

Pandorum-Custom-Mannequin-Movie-Costume-Display-Statue_1.jpg


It's looking quite good and, yes, I'll take photos! :)
 
phreedh

phreedh

Member
I ended up painting mine almost white.

ghouls1_a.jpg


I'll post more pics in a few days, when I've prepped them for the blog and so on. Rather happy with how they turned out, for being a quick job over the course of a few days. Unfortunately, the game we were supposed to use them in fizzled as we got way too boozed up during the scenario prior to the one with ghouls in it. :?
 
Asslessman

Asslessman

Member
This tone works perfectly for me, just the right balance between pale and dirty, they really look like the sick depraved creatures they are.
 
phreedh

phreedh

Member
Count Von Bruno":12t3p014 said:
I have some Heroquest Zombies that are about to get (hopefully) get the pale treatment, anybody care to share a recipe or two?
Click to expand...
As posted here on my blog:
Phreedh":12t3p014 said:
They were painted with Vallejo Pale Flesh over a white undercoat, then washed with purple and blue washes, highlighted up with layers of Pale Flesh and Skull White and then washed again. Did the eyes reddish, to add some contrast to the models.
Click to expand...
 
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