Do you think those two drawings looked too similar?
Yes and no.
Yes, because I see where the commenter was going from- the overall shape of the two characters looked really similar, if not the same. Not just faces/heads, but the shape of their bodies. So yeah, I can see why they could be confused as the same character but with different hairstyles and clothes.
And no, because I usually don't care about such things For me (as a reader) it's good enough if I can tell the characters apart- and I can still tell them apart by their hairstyles and clothes, as long they don't change in every single scene. So they looked... different enough The advice you got was really good, and as an artist I also try to make my characters have different features etc, and I know it's a good thing to consider, but as a reader I probably wouldn't care.
(talking about the first linked ones https://forums.tapas.io/t/i-drew-some-ocs-for-a-comic-i-might-make-later/76759 )
I have looked at this thread many times and did not see this person. Which person is it?
I meant this comment https://forums.tapas.io/t/any-advice-for-how-to-make-more-visually-interesting-and-expressive-character-designs/77213/57 , one that's saying that there already are shapes in your designs and they just need to be pushed and then listing those shapes. I really liked this one because it was working directly with the drawings you posted
So I dramatically redesigned both characters for an experiment. Does that show an understanding of the feedback I received?
Definitely! I really like both of the new designs! Especially the girl (Penelope?), she looks amazing! And the reader can already guess their personalities from those designs, good work!
And I see that the art style also changed? Is this the style you prefer and are going for, or is it just to make practicing design easier? (both are fine, I'm just curious )
Yeah I think needing to take every suggestion to heart was my problem.
Haha well, the risk of asking for general advice is getting advice on things you didn't even think about changing before