Hahaha what a rookie..... jk... i think if u changed the opacity of the beard you could still get that dark you were looking for but it will still bleed a little thru the objects kinda make them look like they were stuck in there.. or where the objects are you just go full black where they stick in... i think it's close, you just need to tweak it with a few color details and u got it man... i do love that epic beard.. wanna see him finished for sure!!