Originally Posted by Shook

Well shit, that's really good! If i am to channel my inner nitpicker, here's a few things: If you're going for anatomical accuracy, the skin on the dogs head shouldn't be perfectly level with the skull. Also, the skulls nose hole should be a bit further backwards.

Considering that you DIDN'T mirror this (... i think), though, level of (implied) symmetry is pretty damn impressive! Also i love the shading, mmm.

Also, regarding delicate shading, i'm not entirely sure what you mean...? 6B isn't exactly what i'd call delicate, but it is lighter than 9B, for sure. Do you happen to have an example? I don't want to bore you with entry-level tips (read: most of what i know) that you're already familiar with, but i also don't want to pretend to know something that i don't. :v

Originally Posted by Shook

In that case, you should probably check out the Flow parameter (often found close to Opacity), since that emulates pencil on paper more closely. It's more fidgety than a real pencil, but hey, might as well get used to digital and traditional handling differently (at least until you get some super fancy Cintiq or something). I don't usually use anything but 100% flow and opacity (i love me some big fat lines), but pressure-sensitive flow certainly seems like it's something you might be looking for. (and then you can vary the hardness of the brush and so on)

Also, most entry-level tips for paper also make themselves relevant for tablets (keep your arm mobile, follow the contours when shading, that kind of stuff), though i've personally noticed one big difference: On paper, you can get away with digging your pencil in and drawing a line relatively slowly. On a tablet, that's likely going to look unsteady as hell (depending on how rough the surface of it is and how good you are at keeping the pressure even), so you'll often get smoother lines with relatively fast strokes. Well, at least i do, can't speak for others. (post scriptum testing reveals that i might actually be wrong, good job me)