"we're not alone. right, kaoru?"

pls have in mind that i'm no expert on coloring and that some of the things that work for me might not work for you and that's okay! that's why we keep practicing and studying to improve our skills n get where we wanna be :D

keep trying brushes until u find some that u truly love!! ibis paint has a feature where u can look for brushes online so u could also try that apart from the default ones the app gives u. a brush can genuinely make an entire world of difference trust me

i don't know how to explain it but what i do to choose shadows for my base colors is this:

i not only go down on the diamond thingie (values n saturation) but also on the color wheel, i do this so the colors dont look muddy. i do the same thing but in reverse for the highlights

look for some color theory tutorials on youtube so u can get a basic understanding on how colors work in relation to others, it might help u find out stuff u didn't know before!

covering ur final drawing with a solid color (on a separate layer ofc) and then experimenting with the blending modes and opacity can help make the colors look cohesive! it also helps for giving different moods/vibes to the drawing depending on the color. i say u experiment w blending modes in general; for shadows, highlights, etc.

looking for color palettes online can help u if you're stuck deciding what colors u wanna use for a drawing

study references. study art from ur favorite artists, look for the things u like and try to mimic them to understand how it works (not just copy and paste them, actually try to study and figure out why it looks the way it does)