After the basic form was done and my hand agreed with the position of the snake, I added some texture. The "wood grain" I could paint later to look more wood-like, and added some registration for extra grippyness. All I had to do was use the wood modeling tool  to lightly scratch the surface, and then brush off any excess material that wasn't pushed off. 

I would have loved to make a scale-texture roller or stamp for the snake, but the shape was too irregular. I slightly scored the surface for some directionality, and then decided a hammered metal look would be better. To achieve that look, I hit the clay with the butt end of the potter's needle, leaving divets. To make the snake stand out, I used the needle as it was meant to be used and outlined the shape, pushing down the excess material on either end with the wood modeling tool and then smudge the lines a bit with my finger.

And then after lightly signing my name on the bottom, I was done.