The Final Push - Lawnor approaches 100% painted

I finished the ogres at last.  Took over a week due to distractions (See below) and all that fur on that mammoth / cat / thing.

Next up is TTCombats Cockatrice.  I saw this on a Weekender and loved it and instantly backed the KS.  I then won a copy of the Undead Cockatrice too so yay!

Question: Adding grey to paint apparently desaturates the colours.  Is anyone experienced with this and can offer advice?  I want to do that with these colours for the undead version.  If I add a little neutral grey to all the colours will they look dull and lifeless?  Should I go 50/50, or just add a drop?  Should I mix dark greys with dark colours and light with light, or just stick with a mid tone grey?

For my own reference later, here is the colours I’ve used so far:

Zenithal prime
Based flesh first (P3 Khardic Flesh)
Base Secret Weapon Tire Black (50/50 with thinner in airbrush)

spraying with the feathers to try and leave shade in the “steps” between from here on out

High 1 over all but flatter undersides: Secret Weapon Rubber
High 2 Secret Weapon Rubber Highlight towards the tips of outer feathers

Tips base: 6 parts Rubber, 6 parts, VMC 70.966 Turquoise 12 parts thinner
Tips high 1: added 5 parts VMC 70.808 Blue green and 5 parts thinner to what was left in my airbrush
Tips high 2: Added 2 parts VMC 70.918 Ivory and 2 parts thinner to what was left in my airbrish

Undecided at this time, but there will oikely be a pin wash of nuln oil in the cracks/edges.

Its 6pm on a saturday and I’ve just tried to keep painting her but I cannot.  My hands no longer hold a brush well enough for me to keep trying.  They don’t want to hold small things and they shake too much for me to do any precision work.  Nothing medical going on here (I hope).  Just gardening side effects.

The previous owners of my house left a lot of rocks and rubble down the bottom of my garden.  I have new neighbours and they are the first people to go in that back garden in 20+ years (its a nightmare over there).  They are making it habitable and want to redo my fence and have got a skip outside.  They’ve let me dump all my rocks in it so a fence can be put through where they would have been in the way.  I spent a day diging up all the rocks and another carrying everything to the skip that could be lifted.

Today I borrowed a sledgehammer, a pickaxe, a lump hammer and some masonry chisels and broke up the final 4 too-large-to-lift pieces.  A chunk of wall and 3 concrete lumps from the bottom of fence posts.  Right now my hands would happily work with the sledgehammer but they wont do fiddly things like untie my shoelaces, hold cutlery, or work with a paintbrush.  I hope this changes by the morning.  I guess I’m going to bed early and catching up on the Arrowverse tonight.

Pic 1: My garden early on in Lockdown after I started removing all the crap my absent housemate had put up for his chickens (deceased) that prevented us from getting to the bottom of the garden

Pic 2: My garden after the first day of digging with all the rocks smaller than a brick brought up to the patio out of shot for easier disposal

Pic 3: My garden 4pm today.  I am knackered and need new hands, but I’ve done the things I never thought I’d be able to do.