Getting to know you

So I've got some story ideas pinned down and I know where to start now. I feel like this is going SO slowly, especially because I got my domain back in around April, but this seems to be one baby that's taking its sweet time coming. Today I'm working on the clockmaker, he makes the robots that I'm designing. I'm keeping in mind some of the things I overheard at the Pixar class I attended. Two that stick out in my mind with respect to not writing exactly what went on at the class (as they asked us not to):

1)know your characters: Right now I'm working on a character that I've taken my time acquainting myself with. He's not much of a talker, more of an observer. Being that clockwork is his thing, I'm working on a few visual metaphors that will work with his character and his interactions.

2)BASIC SHAAAAAAPES: This is a concept I struggled with as an artist. When I was younger I always admired the way my father could draw. It was like magic and when I would ask him about it, he would say "figure it out." One day he gave me "Drawing the Marvel Way", a book he had had for years. One of the first exercises in that book is stick figures and basic shapes. I was in middle school when I got this book and I thought I don't want to do stupid cubes and triangles and stick figures.... I JUST WANT TO DRAW PEOPLE. It was because I didn't understand how much better starting with basic shapes can make things, and how it gives you something solid to start with. It would be a year or two before I fell in love with the stick figure. A good stick figure is a beautiful thing, and much longer until I understood that a solid basic shape is a good start. Some things I herd in the Pixar class reaffirmed this fact and I'm trying to work accordingly. So since today is my day off I will be working chiefly on character silhouettes, maybe getting into some designs, but silhouettes.

here is my start for the day: