Man in a Bear Suit.

[Romulus]

Well obviously an WIP lol. But I would like some suggestions and help with this. First of all, Im bew to PS so im still learning some shit and what have you. I would like some tips for creating light sources and showing highlights better. Also, how do people get their paintings so detailed. When I zoom in to detail some things its really pixelated and I notice alot of people zoom in their paintings and it looks fine. Also how many layers should one generally use. Well anyway, my WIP.

http://img319.imageshack.us/img319/167/bear8qb.jpg

[EccoXile]

Number of layers is a personal preference. Some use only one, maybe a few, some use over 200.
How people can zoom is they make a larger image (3000by2000 pixels for example, will allow you to get really close and it looks fine)
Getting details is a matter if starting with the really large forms, blocking in the basic shapes and forms with color, and gradually decreasing the brush size and how close you get to the piece until its done. Work background to foreground, not concentrating on just the main figure and immediatly goign into the small brushes as you have done here. Getting to the details takes time, so don't rush it or it's not going to look right.
As far as your lighting goes, search through the forums here. I've seen plenty of posts and tutorials about how to get the lighting right. Also just observe, study from life. Look at colors of light shadows at different times of day, all that fun stuff. How much different surfaces reflect and absorb.
Start with the basics and work your way up. ;)