Nice design work and the cards definitely give you a direction and focus. I agree with Robert, you should definitely look at Gambit, but not to get ideas from him but to make sure you don't inadvertently copy him and differentiate yourself as much as possible.
The glasses feel odd to me but that's because at the moment we have no context for the rest of his costume or temporal/spatial location. From your earlier costume sketches, I had assumed this would be a fantasy character, so the glasses feel out of place. If most of his costume looks contemporary than they definitely fit. If he comes off more as a fantasy character or a superhero then they might not.
As for process, absolutely no reason apologize for anything. It's not recommended to rush into color before you even have your design worked out. And there is no "one correct way" to develop a character. Some people start with story, some let the design dictate the story, some work from silhouette, some start with pencil sketches. And some people just start painting and evolve the illustration as they go. Just look around the other contest entries (you should!) and you'll see many different valid ways to progress. Yours seems perfectly conventional, no need to doubt if its "the right way."
Good luck! 
