UV Mapping Dragon

So I've spent about 2 days uv mapping my dragon, I originally scheduled myself about 3 days to do it, but even so it was a lot more work than I was anticipating. I knew that I had to get the map done correctly so that seams wouldn't show up around the dragon. Normally I would planar map different sections and cut edges where I would want the seam, then on the other side I would use those uv's to unfold that section. The problem I have found using this method is that seams are very visible and it doesn't always line up correctly. One way to visually see how your texture may turn out is to use a checker shader on your object or character. I did this for my dragon and using this enabled me to see where my seams were and ensured that I had each section in proportion to one another. After watching some tutorials on Digital Tutors, I ended up using automatic mapping through my whole dragon. This may have been why it took a lot longer, with automatic mapping it takes your selected section and produces many small pieces in which you then have to reconnect back together. Any piece left unconnected will ultimately become a seam.

There are some parts on my dragon that aren't connected together but this isn't a huge problem as those areas will be flat colours so the seams won't be visible. When uv mapping before, if there were parts that would be flat colours e.g the mouth or claws I would leave the sections unwrapped, however as I am taking this model into Mudbox to add detail, everything needs to be unwrapped and have the correct uv's. I've done the best I can and in theory the texture should come out okay, there are a few seams that are visible in the image below but the majority of my dragon has the same colour all over so hopefully it won't show up too much.

Below is my uv map for my dragon, the first is laid out how I would normally position each section; laying it out so I have a clear idea of which section is which in relation to the body. Legs coming off the torso, head next to the neck and other features at the bottom. I found a button in the uv texture editor in Maya that would position all your sections automatically. The second image shows the layout that it produced. As you can see it makes use of the space and fits the pieces accordingly, the only problem I have with this is that it could be hard to distinguish each section from one another. Personally I also like having the sections lead off from one another so it is easier to blend colours and create a more uniform texture. It's good to know that this button is there and I can see it coming in handy when there is even more sections than my dragon. It would save time and make use of all the space that is available.