Good job Jean!!! Your branch is beautifully rendered! I think it would help to get your lighting set up properly. You want the dominant light source to be as if the light is coming over your left shoulder at a 45 degree angle. Try to dim or eliminate as much other external light sources as you can. Your light might also be too close and it is washing the tone details out. I can see in your post that the actual branch is not showing much of a highlight or a range of light to dark tones. Conversely your branch is also missing those elements. You are striving to have a range of tones as you have done so well on the bottom arc bar. The one part to revisit on the arc bar is the areas flanking the main highlight. They should be lighter so there is a more subtle transition from the main highlight and it does not like look like a thin white line. You are off to a good start and with a couple of tweaks you will have it!
Good job Jean!!! Your branch is beautifully rendered! I think it would help to get your lighting set up properly. You want the dominant light source to be as if the light is coming over your left shoulder at a 45 degree angle. Try to dim or eliminate as much other external light sources as you can. Your light might also be too close and it is washing the tone details out. I can see in your post that the actual branch is not showing much of a highlight or a range of light to dark tones. Conversely your branch is also missing those elements. You are striving to have a range of tones as you have done so well on the bottom arc bar. The one part to revisit on the arc bar is the areas flanking the main highlight. They should be lighter so there is a more subtle transition from the main highlight and it does not like look like a thin white line. You are off to a good start and with a couple of tweaks you will have it!