Okay so first and foremost, remember that this is volumetric highlighting. This means we need to keep in mind a few things. How shiny is the material, where is the light, and how strong is that light? How shiny the material is defines how tight or broad our reflections end up being. This is specular vs diffuse highlights. It will also affect how much value contrast we will have (aka the difference between our highest highlights and deepest shadows), as well as how much the ground will reflect onto the surface, though these will be motivated by how strong the light is. Where the light is tells us which direction the highest highlights should face, and which directions should be in shadow. How strong the light is, then uses the previous two points of information to define where and how it's highlighted. Is this under the noon day sun? Is it overcast? Is it under a torch? A candle? A magical glow? Those will give off different strengths of light, and different types of material will react differently to that light. If you need help visualizing this, physically hold the model under a light source. I use my ceiling light for most of my volumetric highlights, both in metal and in cloth, so I can have a unified "sun" for each expected viewing angle. I've also had good success with those party favor fingertip lights you can get on Amazon for like $10 for 50 (those are also useful if you want a colored light, like say a fire nearby). What ends up in shadow, needs to be painted as such. What's in the light needs to When I paint textured cloth (more on this in the link below), I will first, establish my value transition, though I'll stop a step lower than I expect to go. Then I will pick a direction for the lines to flow. Usually I'll go parallel to the hem of the garment, because that will usually make it perpendicular to the way the cloth is folded, therefore making it more interesting. To do the texture, a sharp brush is vital. You want to have paint that flows cleanly and once again, a sharp brush. Note: Nowhere in this did I say thin paint, or a small brush. Thin paint dries faster, because it's diluted, and a small brush will have more surface area for that paint to dry in compared to the volume, so it will also dry faster. I do most of my texture work with a size 2 or 3 sable brush that has a very sharp point. Depending on the brand, I'll thin it so it works for layering, but I generally want the paint to be mostly opaque. I'll then usually do a couple practice lines on the back of my thumb to see how well the paint is flowing, how opaque it is, and how fine my lines are. Once the tip starts to dry, immediately rinse the brush and reload it, because otherwise it will start to splay out, making the lines wider. For further references, see my post on how I painted a cloak, Miniac's How to Highlight Almost Anything, and Vince Venturella's "Using Texture to Blend"
