In the case of this image, since I was creating a desert environment, I knew I wanted to use more orange lighting so I selected the cobblestone street night and angled the sun accordingly. Afterwards I applied some bloom and color levels and that was it for the lighting and colors.

Then I adjust the sun's angle, strength, and color til I'm satisfied. If there are any other adjustments needed, I then start to play with ambiant, the locals, and color levels.

The main tools I use for lighting are the environment and sun. Once I've gotten an idea for the background and framing, I then go through the environment and figure out the underlying color for the lighting. I also tend to lower the environment strength drastically to create a stronger contrast.

If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask

Thanks!

This was definitely a model where everything had to be locked in before the next steps could be implemented. (And I still had to go and change/adjust things after the fact).

I used two shoulder capes, one on each arm, and stretched them until they met in the middle, lining them up, and repeating that on the other side.