New project - Aztec serpent

As the project I've been working on has been suspended a little unexpectedly, I didn't have anything else lined up. So, I've decided to do something just for the fun of it!

There's been a lot of coverage recently of the exhibition of Aztec art and artefacts at the British Museum, featuring some amazing items. My favourite is the double-headed serpent in turquoise mosaic:

As luck would have it, I recently bought some turquoise suede from the sales stall at my branch of the Embroiderer's Guild, and it seems ideal for an Aztec serpent done in similar techniques to the Fire Lizard.

So far, all I've got is some reference material and a rough sketch:

You can see several different versions of a design on the same piece of paper here, as I tried to find a layout I was happy with. If you look closely, you can also see the grid I drew to block out the proportions.

I quite like the coils, but I'm not sure about his head - he looks a bit too jolly!