Crab Friend · Open Pincer Construction

SUBJECT
One original friendly crab character with a rounded body, two stalk eyes, six short walking legs, and two claws. Raise the claw on image-left beside the face and open it wide; keep the smaller claw on image-right lowered beside the body.

COMPOSITION
Show the entire character from a slightly elevated frontal view, centered on a plain pale background. Keep the raised image-left claw separate from the eye stalks and body silhouette so its joint, opposing fingers, and open gap remain visible.

STYLE GUIDE
1. Shape & line
Build the raised image-left claw from a broad palm with two tapering curved fingers: continue the outer finger directly from the palm and attach the inner finger at a visible rounded pivot. Turn their tips toward each other while preserving an open wedge of background between them, and use a clean dark outline to clarify the connections.

2. Color & light
Use warm coral for the shell and muted cream for the claw undersides. Light from the upper image-left, placing broad pale highlights on upward-facing shell planes and soft darker coral beneath the palm and fingers; keep the open gap as bright as the surrounding background.

3. Texture & material
Render the shell as smooth matte material with softly blended shading and only a few broad painted accents. Give the pivot a shallow curved seam that follows its rounded form, keeping grain and surface marks subdued enough that they do not obscure the joint.

4. Composition
Make the raised claw the largest secondary shape beside the body, with generous background space above and to image-left. Arrange the short legs in separated pairs below the body and place a faint soft shadow directly underneath, keeping the character's face and claw opening readable at thumbnail size.

PRIORITY
Preserve the requested identity, count, action, composition and output settings. Apply the style rules within those constraints; a style reference must not replace the subject or layout. Within the style: Prioritize the shared claw joint and the clear gap between the opposing fingers.

AVOID
Avoid detached claw fingers or overlaps that close the visible opening.

OUTPUT
Create one square character-reference illustration with no lettering, captions, logos, or watermark.

SELF-CHECK
Check that both fingers connect to one palm and their inward-facing tips remain visibly separated.