I like your summary of the skin, and really like your name. May I ask, do you have the grizzly swag? :)

Nice original idea! My tip to you is to try different styles of shading, as I did, such as blocky, realistic, and that'll help you become a better skinner :D 1st I recommend trying blocky because it is very easy and fun to make, check out some of my blocky skins if your having trouble :P