Hi @Richie Watzlaf, I come from a digital painting background so unfortunately I won't be able to tackle your question about blending acrylics. However, I can give you some pointers about your painting on the left. So, I see you like to work with a bit more of a graphic style focused on shapes, with a general ambient light source. I think my main critique would be to slow down a bit on your studies, and really make sure that the 'drawing' or 'construction' of your piece feels solid. I think the sweater and jacket areas can use a bit more indication for how fabric folds to give your piece a greater sense of believability. I've attached a stylized piece by a concept artist named Alex Konstad. Even in a piece where the shapes and proportions are highly stylized, he still makes sure that there is a sense of believability in light and materials to ground the image. The drawing may feel a bit 'wiggly', but he still makes sure that the way the fabric folds on his figure also adheres to the rules of fabric in real life. Additionally, some slight indications of ambient light on the face and hands could also ground the image a bit. Adding darker values where the light isn't reaching could help to add form to your image. Hope this helps! Additionally, I made some assumptions of the style you'd want to be going for based on the images you posted. If you want help in making your pieces feel like a specific artist, please feel free to drop references of their work below, and I'd be happy to adjust my critique based on that!