As I was sitting down to do a simple comic, I realized I have had a heavy hand lately and needed to reinforce that the characters are very much in love. I used the same young-character technique I have used before (ripped off, of course, from Michael Jantze of The Norm fame. I recommend the Normathon and the Know-It-Alls, and the Gocomics link takes you to his strips. Otherwise, it`s pretty content-light, but while you`re over there tell Mr. Jantze I sent you and that I was a HUGE fan of his work. Don`t tell him I steal his ideas. Or Jim Davis, for that matter.
Anyway, I wanted the guy`s childishness to be one of the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place. Playing in the mud is neato, innocent fun. If you`ve forgotten, try it some time. It ranks up there with dancing (or in my case, acting like a goofball) in the rain. For her, he`s a constant light rainfall or mud puddle. Sometimes, all it takes is a new perspective, and what was once dirty shoes and suit cuffs become a geological expedition. And yes, I just said neato.
As an interesting side note, the inkwork was lighter on the left side of the mud pit, and when I scanned the original it was not as shaded as the right side. That dictated the lighting for that scene. It was a coincidence, and it actually made my job easier. Win-win! I also tied in the backgrounds from the third and fourth scenes with some gradient work. All in all, I`m much happier with this than I thought I would be.
I`m also thinking about going to the traditional dot-for-eyes you usually find in comics (like the lobster has). Just a thought.