I'm in need of some help with Lighting and Hair.

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With lighting, my main issue is making the horse seem like a part of it's environment without losing all muscling detail on it's body.

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With hair, my main issue is making highlights and shadows look good, as well as making a solid, nice hair base that looks natural.

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If I could get some advice, filters/brushes to try, etc., that would be very appreciated! I use IbisPaintX.

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Here's some of my recents:

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Still looking for Critique/Help! Here's another recent. Tried something different for the lighting, hair's basically the same T-T

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Heya! I would recommend using a mix of soft lights and overlay layers for lighting, it really helps keep the detail and make the horse fit! For hair I absolutely love your style! I wouldn't say there's anything that needs changing, but I know using an airbrush on force fade is the way I shade hair after all the highlights, and I've found it to be quite easy! <3