What workflow shifts helped you get painterly lighting in digital painting?

[Mason_C]

I'm a self-taught digital artist who has hit a frustrating plateau in my work; I can create decent pieces but they lack the dynamic lighting and textured, painterly feel I admire in professional concept art. I've been practicing basic blending and layer techniques in Photoshop, but my results still look flat and overly digital. For artists who have mastered a more traditional painting style digitally, what specific techniques or workflow shifts made the biggest difference for you? I'm particularly struggling with creating convincing brushstrokes that follow form, building up color and value in a natural way, and knowing when to use textured brushes versus custom brushes I've downloaded, as I often end up with a messy, overworked piece.