A more effective character
After my changes, my revised character (wearing a shirt and tie) has become more compact. Previously, a hat gave him longish lines, but after the redesign it’s more harmonious and charismatic; the Mickey Mouse ears fits in better with his companions. It also gives him more personality.
Background colour
At this point, I choose the general background colour, which enables me to start to define the tone of the light that will affect all the colours of the characters and other elements. This provides an overall atmosphere, giving a dramatic look to the scene and establishing some sense of context for it.