sorry for the delay - had a few technical issues!
so here is my proof and where i am up to in picture form
so i am nearly there but there are a few problems.
in the flesh the model doesn't look anything like as harsh, and the camera is picking up all the faults. i also didn't paint him to look like a skull!
what techniques can i use both in painting and for photos to soften it without actually altering the image?
in other words how do i make it look on film how it really does? because it really is much better than it looks in these photos!