@nprofile1q... If you'd ever like advice on any of those things I'd be happy to offer some insight! I'm not perfect but I've picked up some tricks over the years.
For me, learning the right types of construction to use for certain anatomical features was the most helpful--appropriate shapes, how to stack at different angles, use of guidelines, etc.
Re:color, I find utilizing different layer types (multiply, screen, luminescence, etc) combined with the hue slider to be useful. Color theory helps!