Your final color is simply the intersection of those two things. If you understand the light source, you know how to shift your color. If you understand the local color, you know your starting point. If you ignore either of these, your colors will look disconnected and flat.
To flush out mental fatigue, you need to step away from the digital world. Simple, low-tech habits like going for a walk, washing dishes, or working on a physical craft are not “boring.”
We tell ourselves we are “gathering references” or “finding the vibe.” We scroll through endless feeds, refreshing our galleries, and telling ourselves that we are preparing to create.
Rapid iteration gives your brain more opportunities to fix mistakes and try new solutions per hour of work.
If you want to protect your creative deep work, you have to treat your attention like a currency. You cannot afford to spend it on random interruptions.
Your brain is a recognition machine. Its job is to identify things as fast as possible so you can navigate the world.