even if you find it difficult to work with a reference, you still should or you'll almost definitely never improve. also, you have WAY too many convex surfaces, which makes the whole thing look cartoony and unrealistic. the thumb is actually just about the right length, but because you have no "gaunt" areas(defining the bones underneath the skin)it comes out looking shorter than it actually is. try getting the basic shapes from a reference and then fleshing it out from your imagination afterwards.
edit: the shading is good on the hand itself, but on the flames it just looks flat. try running it more along the bottom.