Arrgghhh...well, Vervette has every conceivable blending option and then some (especially in my own edition, hehehe), but Verve only has 3 modes with 2 of them relating exclusively to build-up behaviors [>] {=} and the additive paint mode [+]. However, layers can be set to multiply, which is essentially like painting shadows. Can be very useful!
As for practicing one kick 10000 times, well... it's up to you, of course. I recommend staying focused on something until you feel like you have understood enough to explore other aspects. You will come back to those things all the time anyway. Thing is, you basically prime your observation skills until they become a part of how you paint and how you study what you see or want to see.
Look at your marquette there, for example. You don't really have any internal bounces of light, but when you look at how its right arm (to the left on the image) has a bright enough "biceps", it would certainly bounce some light into the shadow part of the head.
The torso, by the way, would be a bit bright, considering how surfaces that face in that direction appear to get far less light, not to mention the neck, which would be completely in shadow unless it was reflective and then it would reflect parts of both arms as well.
It's all about continuing to think of all your elements and what influence they all have on each other:
• which way do the surfaces face
• how much light will they get when they face in their direciton
• is the material dull, shiny or even reflective
• if it is shiny it should essentially also reflect bright surfaces that are similar to light sources, but just forwarding portions of the light
• what part of the light will get bounced... like if a surface absorbs a lot of color, then it should forward only what's left of the light (aka a red surface only allows red to bounce on and so on...)
• definitely consider drop shadows, when objects are in the way before the light could reach another object (neck in your case has the head in the way for the light to get to the neck)
• global shadows, like when the light that would come from all accessible angles is dimmed by elements in its way. This creates those soft shadows around connecting structures. But one has to be careful to distinguish between that effect and potential bounces.
So, yeah, a lot to think about and to become aware of. Eventually it's all in your mind and becomes intuitive. You will at some point not have to think about this anymore, because you just know. Sometimes even then it's good to think about all of it again.
You can make use of the layers in Verve to consider your light paths. It's fun to only paint light and then carve away where shadows would be, for example. Good fun!
Keep at it!
Mon Apr 03, 2023 3:04 pm 
... right now I am just painting what comes to my mind and with this I'll be all over the place. Would you recommend the bruce lee way? Practise one kick ten thousand times or the oppisite ... 10.000 kicks once. Meaning ... should I more focus and paint the same things repeatedly.