Hi Bud this is looking good, remember don't judge the finish of the paint straight away, they will look different after a few hours, acrylics paints are opaic and so let a bit of the colour from underneath show through. As for the cross, the Hospitaliers had black surcoats, or robes with a white Maltese cross
Hi bud its looking good, can I suggest that you use a mixture of black and burnt umber as the base coat for black. Black is very harsh to use in a block of colour but also it gives the black a slightly worn look it also means you can use straight black for the deepest shadows.
also for a base coat for white add a touch of yellow this means you can use straight white as the very top of your highlights
Looking very good my friend, the habit is coming along nicely. in stead of dry brushing the highlights just add a bit of white to the base colour and paint it on, you will get a smoother finish