Why is it that the majority of us gamers paint Goblins with green skin and Orcs with a mixture of skin colours? Why is this the usual way to paint the two races? Does it have foundations in the books/films or just that GW paint their Orcs with green skin?

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard

Yeah, It's only rescently I have started painting my goblins with variation. My high ranking Shaman, captains and prowlers are painted camo green skin, goblin horde goblin green, warg ravagers/riders goblin green, dwarf flesh and durburz catachan green. I did this because I got tired of the same kind of green skin and I was even tempted to paint some of them in muddy colours.

I imagined them in the Hobbit to have murky dark green skin or grey skin before I saw the films.

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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

Backlog Reduction Oath Participant - 6/53

I completely agree. Moria hordes should have at least various shades of green, if not gray and black. I remember a lot of the Moria orcs in the movies as having gray skin.

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Flying is the practice of trying to crash into the ground and missing.

As far as I remember (this a longish time ago as I was read the Hobbit when I was young) in the Hobbit they were described as having murky(or palid) green skin. I havn't read LotR so I would presume that Tolkien kept this the same in the fellowship.

Another interesting thing is that different paint guides from the games workshop suggest different shades of green for painting goblins.

BGiMe (issue 1): Goblin Green (paint supplied with issue)
Mines of Moria (Read me First book): Camo Green
Khazad-Dum (sourcebook): Catachan Green

Interesting...
At least it means more colour variation. Also Khazad-Dum book even has suggestions to make the skin more palid by adding Rotting Flesh.

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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

Backlog Reduction Oath Participant - 6/53

So if it didn't come from the books or the movies where did this "tradition" come from?

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard

I would guess it is indirectly a result of warhammer goblins being green so that to GW it would seem logical for LotR goblins to be green as well.

This is wild speculation so I might be wrong.

It may however link to the colour of orcs. In the books (This is straight from wiki since I've only read the hobbit) it describes orcs as having greyish/yellowish skin.

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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

Backlog Reduction Oath Participant - 6/53

Yeah but GW paint their Orcs green as well; so why is it predominately LOTR GOBLINS that are just painted with green skin and people are often more likely to try different skin colours for their ORCS?
Is it just that ORCS are bigger models and so people feel more confident in trying out new colour schemes?

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard

Orcs in the films have a variety of skin colours so I would guess that would be a reason.

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When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

Backlog Reduction Oath Participant - 6/53

Yeah, that's probably the most simple and obvious answer.

And I suppose when you start the hobby you're told Goblins are painted with green skin and so you learn to paint them so. We probably don't really question this as it was one of the first things we "learnt".

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TO9G - 2010 Isengard