For veins I start by marking the top‑level loop on the blade. Then I slice along that loop with a cut edge that follows the vein direction, keeping the split clean. Next I lay a grid of quads from the base outwards, snapping each new quad to the existing loop. Avoid auto‑retopo; it always skews the edge flow. Keep the manifold, close the holes, and you’ll end up with a tidy, rig‑ready mesh. If anything looks off, just delete the offending face and rebuild it from scratch—there’s no shortcut worth a bad skin‑line.

Thanks, but I’ll be the one pruning the bonsai. Just watch that you don’t over‑tessellate—those extra quads will only add weight, not strength. Keep the loops straight, stay manifold, and if the veins look like a tangled skein, pull them apart. That’s the only way to keep the rig from pulling a rug.