HA! Got this one done on time 😛

I think this page actually marks the first page of this inking exercise that I didn’t mess up on. I’m not saying I’ve perfected the art of inking, I’m only saying that I didn’t make an accidental mark while inking this page.

For the “Splash” panel, I debated drawing a realistic water splash (after all, I did something similar way back on Page 39). Eventually I decided I would draw it poorly and it would look funky, so I went for a stylized approach instead. And yes, I used a really cliche manga scene change with the first panel looking up in the sky.

Fun fact: the last, bottom panel was not in my thumbnail sketch of the page. The original plan was to make the panels taller and end with a “splash!” (sorry, couldn’t help myself). However, I thought an establishing shot would be beneficial to show where they are, and I thought it would be really ambiguous that Dayton had fallen into a fountain without the panel.

So…I would like to dedicate this page to my mom. Alright, confession time. I obviously pull from myself and my experience to help build the characters of MitM. Certain characters have more of me in them than others, but ultimately all of them have a little piece of me (after all, I do draw them…). Dayton’s short-temper with his dad is very similar to one of my traits that I’m most ashamed of. My lack of patience with my mom. I would generally consider myself a decently patient person, but sadly that is a characteristic I rarely show my mother. My reasoning for my behavior honestly is along the same lines as Dayton’s line, “I really don’t know…” however, unlike Dayton, I’m no longer a teenager and I don’t have some lame adoption excuse.

Anyways, I’d like to dedicate this page as a way for me to say, “Sorry mom. I love you and I really don’t mean to be that easily frustrated teenager that never grew up.”

JUMP to page >> Page 117