Meet Erin Haines and Allyson Blessing

Hi Erin and Allyson, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
Upon meeting, the two of us quickly became close friends, with the foundation of our shared love of art. Soon after our newfound friendship Allyson began her apprenticeship at War Horse Ink. Erin would follow suit a couple of years later. We discovered that this was a trade we were both passionate about, and could see ourselves pursuing as lifelong careers. We have always worked well together and shared similar interests in styles and subject matter. We threw around the idea of opening our own tattoo studio, with the priority of our clients in mind. A safe and peaceful space, welcoming colors, and local art. Piece by piece it all came together and into a reality. We are both extremely proud of the hard work we have put into this space, that everyone can enjoy and feel at ease in. We cherish the opportunity to make a direct difference in our city, as we adore the Kent community immensely. We wouldn’t have wanted to do it without each other by our sides.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Mostly smooth. We had some issues with getting the space ready within a timeline, however; we had lots of help from family and friends, which made the process a lot easier. Both of us leaving War Horse was a difficult decision to make, but we felt that we had a strong vision of what we were hoping to accomplish with our future, and knew we had to follow our dreams.

Changes are never easy.

The support we’ve received has made the process very rewarding. We never felt as burnt out as we thought we would, as being in this space every day has collectively made us feel accomplished and overall very happy.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Erin- I specialize in human anatomy and animals. Lady’s faces are my favorite and I think what I’d be most known for. It’s a subject I’ve drawn the most frequently since I was very young. I always been inspired and drawn to by animation styles. Faces are very delicate and harder to get right than you’d think! I am very proud of the work I’ve done.

I think what sets me apart is my attention to detail. I aspire to get smooth shading on every piece and to fit in lots of textures and details.

Allyson – My specialty is what I would call illustrative tattooing. A lot of my work could be described as whimsical or witchy; consisting of flora and fauna, nature scenes, or abstract imagery. Art that takes inspiration from traditional tattoo design with my own personalized twist. I feel that my detail-oriented approach, with the combination of bold and fine lines, along with pops of white highlight are what people associate with my work. I’ve often been told that my designs are distinct, something that I was told to downplay early on in my career. My persistence in staying true to myself is what I believe stands out the most.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?

The Covid-19 Crisis didn’t have that negative of an impact on the tattoo industry, aside from being unable to work for a few months. This was a reminder to always set aside a portion of your earnings for unexpected situations such as Covid.

As far as hygienic implications, we already have very high standards when it comes to contamination, cleanliness, and sanitation. These are already daily practices for us, that we take very seriously.

The stimulus checks became unexpected bonuses for some of the average population, and we were fortunate enough to see a good bit of that money be put towards tattoos. That along side the factors of people being cooped up a while, and a sudden influx of people working remotely, the tattoo industry saw a boom in client bookings, post Covid.