Need help with shading/drawing in general

[prince_freeza]

Although using both of these feel like cheating since you just scribble the color you want on to the place and then smudge and blur it until you like it.

why would using the blur/smudge tool be cheating?! yes they do make the job easier sometimes but their tools put there so you can make use of them :P

good! my suggestion for improvement next time is that you try adding more and firmer strokes with the brush to define hair strands (similar to the way you did it in the back side of the hair) it will result in your hair having a more natural texture rather than looking doughy.