Some times ago I suddenly noticed how really good my assets and materials looked back at the time when it was simply Zbrush sculpt +vertex paint + a few subtle Photoshop touches . A workflow I abandoned around 2008. Zbrush forces you to make art decisions , to evaluate your every touch carefully . Super inconvenient micro…
It's sot of hard to resist , a subject somehow looks ok at close inspection that way. Same issue you have when draw something on a canvas up close and often need a few steps back and try to catch an impression your work lefts in a corner of your eye. While Zbrush does it automatically since you go from low res to high.…
you have correctly identified that doing things by hand leads to a more deliberate and (assuming appropriate skill level) more pleasing results than slapping a filter on and leaving it at that.
Yes. maybe. I saw fantastic job people do in SPainter sometimes but Painter sort of rules your hand. While in Zbrush you goes from general low-res form , through mid-frequency details to tiny details and it it makes you select what to do and how smooth vs how sharp. Since the detailing needs extra time you test in game…
I think you just need to be more careful as you work, and less “instinctual”. More conscious and professional, less subconscious and loose. If you want to specific look, then it takes focus to achieve it.