Okay, more progress: Reference photos have been taken and retaken again. Now that I finally have a set that I can safely start out with (see below) I've finally been able to really start woking hardcore.

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(note, the roommate who took this really isn't well versed in the art of photographing (ie getting the entire figure in the frame...)

From there I began changing lighting ever so slightly, and skin tone to give that ghostly glow I was going for, as well as eliminating the eyes.

There is still a lot of work left.