Erin Blaney
EDUCATION
Ithaca College — BA in Fine Arts and Environmental Science, with a concentration in Sustainable Architecture
STUDY ABROAD:
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin — studied Art History, Architecture & Urban Design, and German language
Hanyang University — studied Documentaries and film
Dingle, Ireland (2-month summer art program) — studied painting the landscape, photography, and printmaking
Belize (2-week cultural immersion) — studied the culture of Belize, as well as local flora and fauna
BIO
Erin has been tattooing for 7+ years, and recently opened up My Friends & I Tattoo. She loves the art of tattooing, as well as many other art forms. Erin started taking private art lessons at the age of 8, and she has enjoyed it ever since. She has experience in many different mediums and art forms, including: ink, oil paint, charcoal, chalk pastel, graphite, colored pencil, acrylic paint, watercolor, graphic design, architectural design, computer animation, stop-motion animation, sculpture, print-making, photography, and multimedia design.
She did her apprenticeship at Model Citizen Tattoo, located in Ithaca, New York. Erin grew up in East Greenbush, NY and then moved to Ithaca, NY for college. She then moved to Newport, KY, in 2020, to be close to her brother. She got a job at Mothers Tattoo, where she worked from 2020-2023, and then later left to go work at Mosaic Tattoo for a year, before deciding to open up her own tattoo studio, My Friends & I Tattoo, in 2024.
INTERESTS
Travel / Hiking — Erin has been to over 17 different countries, and loves being immersed in different cultures and landscapes. Whether it’s trying new foods, hiking in a national park, going on a pub crawl, or visiting art museums, botanical gardens, or ruins, she loves adventure and exploration.
Music — Erin loves attending music festivals and concerts, especially EDM. Her favorite Artist/DJ is Rezz. Erin finds Rezz’ music style as well as visuals very hypnotizing and compelling, which greatly inspires her tattoo art style. She feels most at home at music festivals, and her favorite festival is Lost Lands.
Snowboarding — she grew up snowboarding, and would spend as much of her winters on the mountains as possible.
Film / TV — Erin has a huge appreciation for these forms of storytelling. She even enjoys learning about screenwriting and doing her own writing in her free time, just as a personal creative outlet.
Video games — Her favorites are Zelda, Diablo, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, and Overcooked. :)
