You were so patient! Glad to have you back. And hi, new followers: Janine, JBird and Lisa! Check out their respective blogs after today's installment of "The Crab Claw."
The story thus far:
Once there was a girl who was born with a crab claw where her right hand should have been. At first, no one seemed to notice the claw itself, but they did notice what it clung to: words, hair, other people. As she grew, her clutch turned...
Bwahahaha! Tomorrow, darlings, tomorrow.
I finally figured out the skin colors on the last try, and kept reworking the color. Hopefully stapling this page into my notebook will keep me from reinventing the (color) wheel. Again.
I started painting the highlights first with Medium Flesh (Apple Barrel). The lips are Flesh, which seems to be darker.
I mixed Medium Flesh and Burnt Sienna (Golden) for the shadows at the eyes, around the mouth and hairline. Indian Yellow Hue came next. It's translucent, more like a smear unless you load it on, but I thinned it with a little water anyway.
Finally, I did a few coats of slightly watered-down Burnt Sienna (Golden), which I mopped up with a tissue (and dried with a heat gun between coats). I think I scumbled the brush a bit to help blend the edges. 
The hair is Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue, which produces a soft black.
I also sanded and painted the crab pincers all at the same time, so the shapes and colors would be uniform. Which was especially important for the next four cards... that you'll see in the coming days.
The story thus far:
Once there was a girl who was born with a crab claw where her right hand should have been. At first, no one seemed to notice the claw itself, but they did notice what it clung to: words, hair, other people. As she grew, her clutch turned...Bwahahaha! Tomorrow, darlings, tomorrow.
I finally figured out the skin colors on the last try, and kept reworking the color. Hopefully stapling this page into my notebook will keep me from reinventing the (color) wheel. Again.
I started painting the highlights first with Medium Flesh (Apple Barrel). The lips are Flesh, which seems to be darker.I mixed Medium Flesh and Burnt Sienna (Golden) for the shadows at the eyes, around the mouth and hairline. Indian Yellow Hue came next. It's translucent, more like a smear unless you load it on, but I thinned it with a little water anyway.Finally, I did a few coats of slightly watered-down Burnt Sienna (Golden), which I mopped up with a tissue (and dried with a heat gun between coats). I think I scumbled the brush a bit to help blend the edges. The hair is Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue, which produces a soft black.I also sanded and painted the crab pincers all at the same time, so the shapes and colors would be uniform. Which was especially important for the next four cards... that you'll see in the coming days.