I'm going to wait to vote on the SBS for now, in case you'd like to update it first.
For an Step By Step, you kind of left out some steps.
I understand you used a landscape gradient, but there's something else in the background sky. Is it another source image or did you apply a cloud filter and blur it (or something different).
Great work on designing the arm and tail, but you left out how you applied the coloring, dark and light to the line art. Did you use a layer mode like darken, or multiple? Did you reduce the Fill or Opacity of one of the layers?
Also, you forgot to mention how you applied shadowing and reflections, how you changed the color of the Acorn, and ho you blended the Pxleyes logo to the large steel travel mug. I like your completed work, though creating a SBB should allow another viewer to follow along and get a similar result I think.