Step 2: reference, hands

The white has been set down for the color of the hands. that means that I had to paint the shape of where the hands are going, white. the white is used to refer back to canvas so we can build solid colors, on top.

Step 10: finished hands

After the flame on the candle has been done, we can call the hands done (for now). I'll add that the way to achieve a glow for the flame is use of a gradient using only white paint.

Step 11: The Hands, part 3

Here, the shading and the highlighting was applied to the hands. The light casing down from above was perfect from the picture I took. Most often times, it ends up being easier to go out and shoot the reference, yourself, rather than hunting online from stock photography or whatever.

Step 1: White

After the background is done, White paint is applied, in order to refer back to canvas and to make the other colors on top solid.

Step 4: Skull Details

The main details in the skull were definitely the teeth. The smallest brush was used. Shape corrections in the skull were made also.

Step 4: Shaping with Darks

In this image, the image is being sculpted using darks, subtle darks. The forward feathers begin to come to life as well as the feathers that take up most of the composition. Notice that there are no outlines, only shading (when it comes to the feathers). Details include shading as well as the "eyes" of the feathers.