therianthrope said
Yeah, looking back at some of the early ones, there are some things that bother me here and there but I think it's worth preserving their flawed states

I mostly definitely agree with this. It feels pretty good comparing one's earliest work to newer creations. And you can always remake them later, if you are so inclined.

The dwarf looks great! I love the symphony of beards he's got going on, there.
The highlighting looks pretty solid. A trick I use is imagining from where the light is coming (I usually go with the upper left corner). This makes it easier to figure out where shadows and highlights should be placed. The placement of the light source can also affect the "feel" of a picture (a more fitting word escapes me at the moment..). A charging soldier in shining metal armour would look more imposing with the light hitting him in the front, sending reflections from his armour into the eyes of his enemy, while a sneaky bloke might look better with the light source behind him, obscuring his features.

Hope that's of any use. Otherwise, sorry for rambling