Shall I paint my elephants orange?

[Plynkes]

Right now I'm watching a TV programme about transporting some orphaned elephants from Voi to somewhere else in the Tsavo national park (Tsavo? Watch out for them lions!)

These elephants are bright orange. Presumably they get this way by rolling in the dirt, as it is the same colour they are. I think it is a wonderful look and would like to paint my ellies like this. But I'm worried that if I do they'll look stupid.

What does the team think?

1) Paint them regular grey, then drybrush orangy-brown?

2) Paint them brown in the first place? (As there is no sign of any grey on these fellas on the TV)

3) Just forget the whole thing and paint them properly. They'll look stupid if painted orange, you fool.

This is the nearest I could find to their colour on the net, though the ones on the TV are even more orange than this:



Mine will probably be somewhere in the  Rovuma valley (well a fictionalised version of it), rather than Voi, if that makes any difference.

[PeteMurray]

You must do this thing. And if anyone says "But your elephant is orange!" you can say you got permission from your Mommy.

[Operator5]

I think the paint gray and then add the "dirt" later. From I what I recall seeing, the elephants use their trunks and toss dirt on themselves. Protection from sun or bugs or something else entirely I don't remember.

[dominic]

I'll go with Pete! ::

[Westfalia Chris]

I´m with Operator5 on this. Paint them as regular elephants, then weather and wash them as you would do with a tank.

After all, elephants are antiquity´s tanks.

The dirt thing has to do with parasites, indeed. Elephant skin is thick, but astoundingly sensitive. Bathing first and then re-coating themselves with dust and mud serves to protect them from the sun and parasites.

[Le matou rouge]

I vote for brown-orange (2)

- "Are you a real pulp geek ? So forget realism, and go for tangerine elephant !" says The red tomcat

And, of course, you'll have to play them on a GLOIRious-dark-purple-gothic-gaming-table cause... (you know the anthem)  

Meow,
Matt

[Johan]

all my wild African elephants are brown-red or brown-orange.
My Indian elephant however are grey.
But they have the necessary symbolic painting on them as well.

[Grimm]

you must  fulfil  the cliché  paint them grey then drybrush orangy-brown or green with red dots  :mrgreen:

[Poliorketes]

Pink. With purple stripes and yellow dots. Definitely.

As this was no option in the voting I opted for 2)

[Malamute]

Paint them grey and follow up with groange/brown drybrushes.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

i think not, the pic colors are correct that's because of lighting conditions, the elephants are usually grey and i wouldnt paint them brown/orange, just some higlights maybe like the pic below

 

[W.B.Kurgan]

I'd say it depends on the colour of your table!  If the game is played on orangey-brown dirt they would look wrong in grey. But if the dirt isn't orange the elephants would look very strange in orange!
 

But I voted "Paint them regular grey, then drybrush orangy-brown"  :mrgreen:

[WitchfinderGeneral]

Pink. With purple stripes and yellow dots. Definitely.

I second that. That way you can use them also for VSF adventures!  :mrgreen:

[Argonor]

I think baby elephants are rather hairy, and the combined effect of dirt and sun relecting in the hairs may be the reason for the colour? I have seen a lot of grey elephant babies with dark grey to black hairs, mostly on their backs, but also some on the legs...

But, heck - it's your elephants - you should paint them as you see fit  


They can always be re-done, should you change your mind, anyway...

[Plynkes]

I think it was mud and dust, actually. But I reckon the Prof has a point about the quality of the light making it seem even more orange.