Fish Hook Studio » Work in Progress

Fish Hook Studio » Work in Progress http://www.fishhookstudio.com a log of process, ideas, and inspirations : Artwork by Brynn Metheney Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:31:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Roots http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2012/01/roots/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2012/01/roots/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:45:24 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1519 Continue reading →]]>

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Been working on lots lately. I’m preparing to have some new work ready for Spectrum Art Live in May this year. It’s going to be an exciting convention! If you’re in the Kansas City area, mark your calendars to come out and see some incredible art! I’ll be sharing what I’m bringing here as it gets closer and such.

One project I’m working on in between things is the Flora/Fauna Project. It started with an image I created for Imagine FX magazine a while back – in which I created a creature made from plants. I had so much fun exploring plant-life that I’ve decided to create a mini series out of it. The image above is the first (official) creature from that series. This time I decided to explore Opium – poppies and such. I’ll be exploring other plant groups as I am the Lily beastie below:

Lily (work in progress)

This weekend I created something for a blog I’m part of called Fanartica (finally). I decided to draw and paint one of my favorite comic book characters, Wexter. He was a challenge because I don’t usually get to draw guns too often but he was too much fun to paint!

click for larger view (Wexter is © Ethan Nicolle)

He’s from a comic called AxeCop, which if you haven’t read this comic, you NEED to. It’s amazing. The artist that creates it is incredible and the writer (his 6 year-old brother) is awesomely imaginative. This comic has me laughing and cheering non-stop. It’s a favorite among me and my friends. Go read it here: http://www.axecop.com.

More updates to come soon! Work from The Red Valley is on the way with some new environment and creature studies I’m very excited about along with announcements of some upcoming projects due toward this summer! :)

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2012/01/roots/feed/ 0 Spectrum 18 http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/12/spectrum-18/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/12/spectrum-18/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 00:21:48 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1491 Continue reading →]]>

cover

I came home the other day to find a package by my door and to my surprise it was my artist’s copy of Spectrum 18! I’m extremely excited about being included in this amazing publication! I suggest you pick up a copy of this book because it is absolutely FILLED with amazing artwork. It is an incredible honor to see my own work inside:

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The piece featured in the book was created for Imagine FX magazine to illustrated how to paint a elegant but wriggly fish.

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In other news, I’ve been working on laying out my next collection of artwork. Fish Hooks volume 1 has been taken down from being sold online. I’m currently working on volume two to bring to “Spectrum Art Live!” in May. I’m working on finding a good printer I can go through at the moment. I’ll have the finished book available for purchase in my etsy store, with links on my blog. I’ve been working on a few different pieces lately, mostly for myself. Here is a piece of something I started last week:

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Hoping to finish it up soon.

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/12/spectrum-18/feed/ 0 Autumn http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/09/autumn/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/09/autumn/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:51:03 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1410 Continue reading →]]>

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Finished this up the other day and thought I’d post it here too. It served as a warm up for a few mornings. I tend to forget that I need to take about a half hour to warm up before I start working for the day.

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Also working on another image that I think I might make into a promo-poster. This was originally started for COW over on ConceptArt.org. I haven’t participated with COW in so long!

Anyway, more work to come along with some exciting announcements in October and November! :)

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]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/09/autumn/feed/ 0 Pilgrim http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/08/pilgrim/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/08/pilgrim/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:17:59 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1361 Continue reading →]]>

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I can’t believe it’s already August. 2011 is just flying by! This year has been excellent so far. I’ve learned so much and I’ve gotten to work on some really exciting and fun projects; some of which I have yet to share! I really can’t wait to either. This is a work in progress – a profile study of something I’m working on in my spare time.

Lately, I’ve been trying to work out more human characters and I’m going to need it. I’ll need a lot of practice for another upcoming project I’ll be involved in. This is the more successful out of the few I’ve sketched out this last week:

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This character is actually directly based off of a man I saw in the Mission in San Francisco last month. I was on my way to give a talk at my former college when this man came walking down the street, cat and all. His boom-box was blaring metal too! It was a pretty remarkable sight. This can only mean I need to spend more time in the Mission to observe more amazing people for my sketchbook.

That’s it for now. More updates coming soon!

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]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/08/pilgrim/feed/ 0 Stalk http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/06/stalk/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/06/stalk/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:06:15 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1319 Continue reading →]]>

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Working on this among other things this weekend. This is just a bit of a larger subject. Decided to post this work in progress look for twitter. A neat idea came up about posting whatever is on your drawing board (and I assume computer screen) at 10am every day. Of course, you’re also supposed to mark the tweet with #10oclockart. If you’re on twitter, you should join in on the fun! :)

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/06/stalk/feed/ 0 Spring http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/05/spring/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/05/spring/#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 17:59:42 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1248

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Starting the first image from The Red Valley project. Still very much in progress…

trying to squeeze personal work in between client projects :P

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2011/05/spring/feed/ 0 Drawing Blue http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/12/drawing-blue/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/12/drawing-blue/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 04:59:00 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1022 Continue reading →]]>

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some recent sketches in the sketchie book.

I’ve been getting ready for Christmas lately by making all of my gifts. Being an artist in this point in time doesn’t make for lavish spending on gifts so I’ve gotten a little creative and crafted some fun accessories. I’ll post pictures and such after all of of my gifts have been given so as not to ruin the surprise!

Finished and more exciting work coming soon!

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]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/12/drawing-blue/feed/ 2 You and I http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/you-and-i/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/you-and-i/#comments Mon, 29 Nov 2010 05:29:26 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=1008 Continue reading →]]> Some recent doodles, drawings, and whatnot….

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Navigator – Commission work (work in progress)

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doodles for Creature Planets

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Work in progress for Dominance War

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Life of the River – Finished for the Morae River – check out the show at Sagebrush here –> The Morae River.com

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work in progress for a collaborative project involving two very talented ladies – Allison Theus and Tiffany Turrill – Which I’m incredibly excited about!

Lots of works in progress for now… they will all get finished. Eventually…

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/you-and-i/feed/ 0 Pencils http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/pencils/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/pencils/#comments Sat, 13 Nov 2010 18:23:04 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=998 Continue reading →]]>

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Here are two works in progress. This first one is only half of a larger piece for a project. I’ll post the finish when it goes live and everything. There are other parts to it as well, so more creature goodness is coming!

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This second one is for my upcoming show. It’s a selection of species from the Morae River itself. This piece has been in my head for a while now and I’m really excited to finally be able to start it.

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Just wanted to post a reminder about my book. I created a book of artwork through lulu.com. Its 40 pages of full color sketches and illustrations. I’m very proud of how it turned out and I’m hoping to make another volume next year. This volume will only be available until June next year.

It’s also on sale! I’ve marked it down 20 % until the end of December! 2011 will bring it back up to its normal price so get it now while its low at $17.60!

You can view more photos of the book HERE

You can buy the book here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/fish-hooks/12917022

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/11/pencils/feed/ 0 Mean Kitty http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/mean-kitty/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/mean-kitty/#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:10:43 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=897 Continue reading →]]>

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I’ve been posting progress of a recent piece involving BattleCat from the old cartoon, Heman lately. I’ve been asked a few times about how I go about painting something like this in photoshop, so I thought I’d put together a small step by step. I’m really not the most knowledgeable about the program, as I only began working in it about two years ago. I work in photoshop like I would on a canvas – how I was originally trained. I don’t use complicated brushes or fancy filters – only because I don’t know much about them. In any case, I hope this might help and feel free to offer insight if you know any tricks with photoshop.

- My work always starts out with a crappy sketch (above) Just to get an idea of what I want to put in the image.

battlecat 1

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- With this piece, I flipped the image and worked out the pose a bit more until I liked it.

battlecat 2

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- Then its on with the pencil drawing. I work with an irregular shaped brush on a normal setting with opacity at 100%. The brush works with the pressure sensitivity on my tablet so I can get dark and light without having to adjust anything. (the fact that I don’t know how to “talk” photoshop is showing…) I keep my sketch layer on a lower opacity than the final pencil layer so I can see my sketch while I’m drawing.

battlecat 3

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- Now its time to add in some color. I’ve set my pencil layer to multiply (for now) and I have created layers for color – one for the rocks, one for BattleCat’s fur, and one for his armor. I like to use as few layers as possible when I work but in this case I needed to be able to edit the fur and armor separately. I’m adding in some modeling but not too much – just enough to get an idea of where I want my light-source to be.

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- If I were painting this traditionally I would have layed in the background first. However, with the magic of “layers” I can add in a background after I’ve painted most of BattleCat. For the background I used my “go-to” brush as well as a soft edges brush to make the clouds look softened here and there.

battlecat 5

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-I’ve added in BattleCat’s stripes as well as add in some more shadows to his fur. I’ve done this on a layer above the fur but underneath the armor so I don’t have to worry about erasing too much.

battlecat 6

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- Adding in some more shadows – this time to the armor.

battlecat 7

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- Now I’m starting to add in some darker shadows over everything I’ve painted so far. These shadows are on their own layer and are a deep purple – as opposed to the darker greens and reds I was using for the armor and fur. I’ve also added in some whiskers at this point.

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- Highlights come in at this point as well as some cool reflective light to counteract the warmth in the piece. The highlights on BattleCat are a warmer, gold tone. While I’m painting all of this I will go back and forth in-between steps. I don’t paint the image completely step by step like this but this will give you an idea of how it all come together more easily.

battlecat 9

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- Now I’m adding in some “ultra highlights”. Almost stark-white to give BattleCat some pop in his darker areas. I’ve also pushed back some of his limbs and his tail using a bit of atmosphere. This helps in giving the image a bit of depth.

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- Finally I’ve warmed up the piece by adding in a layer of gold tones on multiply. I set it to around 20% opacity. I’ve also added in some flecks of golds, reds and whites to the background along with some flags and things of the sort – keeping those on a lower opacity as well to keep them pushed back. At the end of the painting I’ll switch my pencil layer from “Multiply” to “Ghost”. “Ghost” is a filter by flaming pear that turns a line transparent. What I like about it is, that the line will become a darker version of whatever color is underneath it. The change is very slight, however if you scan in pencil drawings it will really come in handy. You can find that filter: Here. (It’s the download at the top titled: “Free Plugins”.

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All of the fur and texture on the saddle is created by my brush traveling back and froth on the wacom. I don’t use fur brushes or imported textures. This isn’t to say that they won’t save you lots of time and can’t look great – I just don’t know enough about them to use them confidently and I enjoy painting like I would be drawing in marker. Its just a preference for my personal work. For this image I used these brushes:

which you can download : Here. (That last brush, by the way, is my “go to” brush. I like the bristles and the slight texture it creates.

I also created a color palette to help with keeping the basic colors consistent. I don’t normally do this but it helps with something like this where color has to remain very vivid.

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Anyway, if you still have questions, you can contact me via the contact page or comment on this post. :)

Thanks for reading!

I should also add that BattleCat is © Mattel

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/mean-kitty/feed/ 12 Battlecat http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/battlecat/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/battlecat/#comments Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:29:10 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=892 Continue reading →]]>

battlecat

Here is a work in progress of my take on Battlecat for CGHUB’s Creature Planets current challenge.

Q.E.D.

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This was for a prior challenge for a prompt called “WarBeast”. This was as far as I got on the concept and then I had to drop it. I like the drawing though.

“While most think genetic engineering didn’t get it’s start until the early 1970′s, the science’s beginning can be traced back to World War 2 with the introduction of the Q.E.D. -Quadrupedal Explosive Device (Pronounced “Ked”) Created by The Allies, the animal was a chimera of sorts, bred to chase flairs into battle with explosives attached to their bodies. They were bred without ears to keep the animal from being startled on it’s course. Because of it’s origination in the lab, the Q.E.D. was not considered an animal, but rather a tool of war and was used until they were outlawed and destroyed after the war. With the emergence of the animal rights movement, it was in fact, found to have animal-like qualities. Some argue the Q.E.D. played a pivotal role in defeating the Nazis, however it is still considered to be one of the best examples of how horrific war can become.”

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/08/battlecat/feed/ 0 Horns http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/horns/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/horns/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:14:12 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=840

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Something new I’m working on for The Morae River – She’s the large predator that terrorizes Yabun forest. I have other things I need to be working on…

photoshop cs3

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/horns/feed/ 1 Night http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/night-2/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/night-2/#comments Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:18:57 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=758

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Something I’m working on for Creature Planets – the weekly activity I help run over on CGHUB.

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/07/night-2/feed/ 2 Flee http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/flee/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/flee/#comments Sat, 22 May 2010 18:49:12 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=712

Another dino piece in the works. Other pieces coming soon – Troodons wearing vests, and human character studies. Stay tuned!

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/flee/feed/ 0 Dio http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/dio/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/dio/#comments Mon, 17 May 2010 04:21:31 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=691 Continue reading →]]>

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Some shots on progress of two pieces I’m working in-between right now. One is a mock Conan cover, the other is a mutant animal. both will be done by this weekend…

On a side note – R.I.P. Dio – this is the month is for the passing of gods…

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/dio/feed/ 0 The Mission http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/the-mission/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/the-mission/#comments Wed, 12 May 2010 15:59:31 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=679 Continue reading →]]>

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Here is a progress shot of a drawing I started yesterday. I’m hoping to get it finished this week along with one other. Trying to get a lot done before I go an vacation. Me and my partner John Mathis are off to The Mission today to do some research for a project he’s working on. Can’t say much about it yet until it goes live.

In other news we’ve also decided to create a small company for our website and graphic design. This is the sketch for the logo but we hope to have it up soon. It says specializing in artists websites but we do other stuff too – this logo will change a bit. Anyway, I’ll post more about Oranda later. I’m off to S.F.

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/05/the-mission/feed/ 0 Wild http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wild/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wild/#comments Tue, 27 Apr 2010 07:46:37 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=638 Continue reading →]]>

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This is where I’m stopping with the male greater fugamus for now. I believe he’s done and anymore work will be fine adjustments here and there. I’ve started work on the next depiction of the species which will be two males fighting over territory.

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Here is the other piece I’ve been working on – a female balandic cula. She’s still a work in progress but I like how she’s turning out so far and I’m excited to finally put one in an environment.

I’m currently making a small art book through lulu.com. Its a small collection of sketches, illustrations and designs – most of what you see on this blog will be included. Anyway I’ll be posting a link to it soon for purchase.

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wild/feed/ 0 Culas… http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/culas/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/culas/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:03:23 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=622 Continue reading →]]>

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I’m revisiting the Balandic Cula next. I’m working on putting together a large hardcover book to sell at APE this year. Since I’m migrating The Morae River to the computer I thought I’d take the opportunity to revisit the animals and refine their designs a bit. Anyway, I’ll have more to show next week…

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this little guy was my doodle for today. I think he might have been inspired by How to Train Your Dragon…

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/culas/feed/ 0 Tree Sprite http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/tree-sprite/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/tree-sprite/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:07:40 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=598 Continue reading →]]>

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Finished “Dinner with Gnolls: The Alpha Females Table”. Now I’m working on a tree sprite for my next piece. I’m enjoying these fantasy pieces but I’m wanting to get more detailed in them from now on. I’m hoping I can capture more detail in this sprite image than the prior two.

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Expect more soon….

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/tree-sprite/feed/ 0 Wyvern http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wyvern/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wyvern/#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:15:33 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=588

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Started doodling today. I think I might finish it…I’m still figuring out the human…(of course)

Anyway, more work coming soon…

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/04/wyvern/feed/ 0 Night http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/03/night/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/03/night/#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:57:21 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=577

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Some sketches and quick finishes from a few weeks prior. I’ve just returned from vacation and am getting back into the swing of things…

]]> http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/03/night/feed/ 0 Lets Prance http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/03/lets-prance/ http://www.fishhookstudio.com/2010/03/lets-prance/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:04:30 +0000 Brynn Metheney http://www.fishhookstudio.com/?p=554

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Just a quick post of my progress…

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