Hello again, I wanted to take the opportunity to ask about the textures you are mentioning. I usually default to dots and lines on plants and mushrooms because usually I don't really see "anything". And if I had to see something it would be a porous surface.

That's because you're still starting out and thus you haven't developed the skills necessary to distinguish the different types of detail information present in a reference, cast shadows are only one of them and when everything is put together it can be quite confusing.

But there are a couple of things that we can keep in mind that will make this process easier.

• Always keep in mind the information mentioned in the texture section of Lesson 2 of Drawabox, make sure to also always take a look at the informal demos present in each lesson as they often contain information that is not present in the main material of the lesson.

• When looking for a cast shadows ask yourself what is the form that is casting said shadow, where that form is coming from, and how best to design that shadow in a dynamic way.

• Don't forget about focal points of detail.

• Choosing good reference pictures. References with a clear, single light source are easier, with high definition and clear cast shadows, the Drawabox discord server has several channels dedicated for receiving live feedback from other students, it has resources linked for plant and other references but you can always post a photo and ask if it has good and clear shadows.

Looking into L4 insects with smooth surface and onwards, how could I face these cases without clear textures?

You can find an informal demo here that explains a little bit more about how to identify texture, but in general make sure to always choose a good reference picture and go through all of the demos, as some of them also focus on texture.

For those who wish to get more practice with texture the 25 textures challenge is a great choice to receive further feedback.