Hey man I'm a new bowyer (at it about a little over a year) and I started with the Bingham Projects plans. First one I did did seem pretty big, or "massive" would be the critique I got a few times
. That was following the plans pretty darn exact. Since that bow I've gradually gotten braver about removing material and it seems to me that that is what they intended. The plan leaves plenty of material left so that you can go at it with some sanders and rasps and get to the design you want.
A lot of room for creativity. Both bows used their plans it just depends on how much you remove and your design will change over time as you develop a "style".
Removed a good amount of material but didn't get to crazy.
This one is much sleeker "flowy" as I got more aggressive with it. I really like how it turned out but it can probably be taken even further.
Hope that helps a little bit and good luck and have fun with it.