Thank you very much !
Sometimes, the writer and the illustrator don't have the same idea of a character, that's why I always do preparating sketches with different postures and styles. Then the writer can guide me to the version that best matches what he has in mind.
When I drew my very first order (a medieval-fantasy fight scene), I went straight to the top and the atmosphere was not at all what my client had imagined. I had to redesign all the characters, change the coloring and it took me a long time. I'm avoiding making that mistake again now!
Glad that you learned on your own mistakes :) It's important to understand that you have to co-operate with the client for the result that would be good for you both :)