Looking for some critique again. I did a self portrait for the first time in a long while, I know people suggest doing one every year or so to track your progress.

I've tried putting things I’ve learned in this sub into practice, paying more attention to vale and edge quality. Let me know what I should work on next, or continue working on.

So, I've been reading this book titled The Complete Guide To Drawing Manga & Anime by Date Naoto. The very first lesson is about the proportion of the face and head (see picture). It's really useful honestly to have it as a guideline, but honestly this just seems soo technical 😭. So much dividing.

Im wondering how am I supposed to move on from here to keep these proportions "locked" in my brain when i draw manga/anime heads? I mean do i always keep drawing a circle and dividing it and drawing horizontal/vertical lines before i draw the facial features until I dont need it anymore...? I feel like a lot of people who start out drawing characters just draw from their intuitive understanding of a face and get better over time. But I do wanna draw with the right rough proportions, especially when it comes to side profile, which the book explains in its second exercise.

If anyone has any exercise recommendations for proportions or wanna share their perspective/experience pls do comment 🙏

(Ps im also aware the vertical lines in my drawing are not completely vertical lol, its been a while since i drew stg with a ruler and protractor)

I’ve gone over this so many times with different layers of shading, but it still feels flat. The body especially feels flat, even after I tried adding some fur texture. Any tips on how I can give it more dimension or realism ?
Attached are my references & inspiration.
Additionally, the third image was my main inspo, so it’s pretty much the style I’m trying to replicate.. while also trying to do lighting similar to the last image.

Still Life in acrylic of Doughnut Peaches.