Scottie, Lee and Steven - Thank you.
Steve - Yes, I can see some improvement, which is interesting - glad they're not getting worse!
The main pattern element of splinter is the brown, so it's a case of following the folds and creases with that in as naturalistic a way as possible. The highlighting and shading is then done on each individual patch of colour. The green is added where it helps the composition.
Gala day yesterday, as I found a superb Palaeolithic handaxe while walking the dog:
Wonderful to think that Homo Heidelbergensis was walking about here 200,000 - 500,000 years ago and that I'm probably the first person to pick it up after somebody dropped it all those years ago.
The awful light at this time of year means limited bench time, which is probably no bad thing. Hope the decontamination routine is not wearing you out.