When it comes to traditional, a lot of artists follow certain common motifs, this is true. Is her skull a typical design? Doesn't and shouldn't matter. It's ugly and hers was poorly done, because just like her, her shit artist doesn't understand the basics. The example she posted proves this. Tbf, I hate most traditional/neo-traditional skull designs so I'm biased. But the blue snake skull has a better balance, a stronger form and line work, the pattern and coloration visually makes sense, and the design elements are pleasing to look at and cohesive. Even the snake's tongue is a better design choice because it mirrors the curve in the upper jaw and it visually cups the curve of the skull's chin. It's also flush to the farthest part of the skull, creating a line that pulls your eyes down the face and around the snake's belly and back up into the eye socket, rounding out the design despite its rectangular shape.
Hers, the scaling is haphazard and poorly done and the lines aren't aesthetically pleasing and are overly angular for a rounded creature, It bounces your eyes around the form. Unlike blue snake, the gaping red mouth actually hurts the illusion of the snake wrapping around the skull just visually speaking. In the blue snake, the blue eye socket compliments the snake's form and keeps your eyes travelling up the snake's body. The red of the mouth, eye, and nose give the impression the skull and snake are two separate pieces forced together-they clash as it erases the effectiveness the red has in the design as an accent color. Not to mention there are design elements that were unsuccessful imo. The curly tongue and the cyan head clash with the overall angular body and pull the eyes away from the skull which is no longer the center piece of the design and it makes the piece seem overly long and needlessly asymmetric. It makes the rectangular layout stand out. Bricks do not compliment arms. *edit for tard run-on sentence
That's not even half of it.