a blender user made an addon that improves EEVEE render engine so it is closer to cycles but renders a LOT faster. after i added it in i added a SSS node to try and make my zebra look more natural.
then i spent the rest of the day weight painting "Arnie". i am not using the auto weight painting because it needs a LOT of clean up. also i am referencing the weights on another model that does a lot of good "bending". and i found some more tools in the program i did not know of that help with my painting