Learned the same thing about oak wilt down here in Texas, but here's the part nobody talks about: it ain't just the spike holes. Every wound you put in a tree is a bill the tree pays later, and the interest rate depends on the season. Spiking in spring when sap is running is way worse than dormant season because that's when the beetles and fungus are actually moving. The old guy on the porch probably knew that too. What gets me is how we all learn this stuff from some random person watching us work, not from any class or certification. The trees been telling us the whole time, we just don't listen till somebody says it out loud.

Tried the whole "let it ride and clean up later" thing for way too long and let me tell you, "later" never comes, it just turns into 47 layers and a piece I hate. Your 3 layer rule sounds brutal but in the best way, like a workout for your brain where you actually have to make a decision instead of blending your way out of every problem. The gray-brown mess thing is so real, I did the same damage because every new layer just muted everything under it until the poor face looked like it was rendered in fog. Forcing yourself to commit to one shadow layer means you have to pick a color and trust it, which is probably why your warmth survived this time. I might steal this and try it on a few throwaway sketches first because I already know my hand is gonna twitch toward that new layer button. Fourteen pieces is a solid run too, that's not a fluke, that's a habit now.