@Marsha-Kay-Ottum-Owen
I think these two look like they belong in the same story & they are both adorable!

I agree with @Nyrryl-Cadiz about adding some fur texture lines to the black areas of your cat.

I'm also noticing that if you look around at the edges of the dog, it's fairly dark all the way around & the shading comes into the body a bit, but the cat isn't dark all the way around the edges, and the shading is much lighter (except for underneath the body / behind the legs). So maybe you could try lightening it up on the dog, or darkening the edges and shading on the cat--or go for compromise and moderation & do a little bit of both.

I think the character's eyes look good together. One thing I'm seeing about them though is the dog's pupils look like they have a rougher edge, and the cat's pupils are have a much smoother edge. Making them more similar to each other may help give a consistent feel.

It looks like this will be a very cute project! I hope you share more of it with us!

@Nyrryl-Cadiz
I think you are right that the notes might be overkill. I love the floral texture background! I've been wanting to do something similar sometime. (Have you seen the British children's show "Sarah & Duck"? The background & environment elements have wonderful textures like this.)

I think the floral texture could represent the song of the bird. Maybe you could add some very subtle notes into the background--hidden in the dotted areas.

@Nyrryl-Cadiz
Fish food?

@Heather-Boyd
Yes, I remember it being a challenge to stick to basic shapes and not try to draw the details.

I like your idea / composition. I like the feeling of the girl & the fish wondering about one another.

I agree with the comments about adding a little space on the left & adjusting the foot / fishes mouth. I like the house and background in the original & agree with other comments that a higher contrast between the fish & the background would be helpful. I really like the girl's pose and the curve of her hair, and how the hair & angles of the girl lead toward the fish's eye. The higher contrast areas of the fish eye, girl's face, & book really draw the focus into that area.

I really like "B". I think she does look like she's yawning & I think it'd be just as good either way--with the roof lifting or just reaching up on the ceiling. I think the perspective on B makes it exciting and interesting. I also like the addition of the family members having items showing what they were doing.

I don't have any experience, but any time you are asked to do more than the original agreement, you can ask for compensation.
You could say something like, "I'd be happy to work on the layout / graphic design as well. I can do it for $---, does that work for your budget?"

@thiskatecreates
Wow! These are great tools! Thanks for sharing them!

@coreyartus
Wow! That Google tool is so cool! Thanks for sharing it!