Slug & Spike (est. 2021) began as a pandemic passion project. I wanted to learn the art of handpoke tattooing, so I made a small series of flash sheets to practice inking my own legs. In doing so, I discovered immense joy in departing from realism (the style I most often employ in my painting practice). Transforming observations, memories, and critters into simple line and dotwork drawings is so fun. And I love to tattoo!

In the realm of tattooing, I am largely self-taught. I've leveraged my experience being tattooed in shops and private studios across the country, online tools created by tattoo artists, written works by tattoo historians, and the feedback of my local community to create Slug & Spike, a forthcoming anthology of tattoo flash. The book has been through several revisions as I have grown and learned, and I am working to finalize the first edition for self-publication.

In recent years, I have shown Slug & Spike prints (excerpted from the book's drafts) at markets and gallery spaces across southern-central Indiana. Since I reproduce every Slug & Spike print by hand, variations are to be expected, making each piece as unique as a work on skin. All designs are for sale (made to order and matted to 8"x10" or framed to 6"x6").

Thank you for browsing! I am grateful for your support.

Cheers,

Allyn

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The Bloomington Collection

line and dotwork drawing of robin with worm — springtime robin

line and dotwork drawing of cow face (long eyelashes) in flowers, with banner: "beautiful boy" — beautiful boy

line and dotwork drawing of fish skeleton lying on its side — washed ashore

line and dotwork drawing of rabbit in potted rosebush (thorny branches without flowers) — that's no rose

tiny frog or cicada husk (a hiking game)

line and dotwork drawing of arching orchid branch above tilted tea mug (splashing) — spilt tea and orchid branch

line and dotwork drawing of a wooden sign reading "look out for your snail friends" with rain — (slow down)

line and dotwork drawing of squirrel running in front of watering can filled with flowers — watering can and garden squirrel

line and dotwork drawing of daisy flowers in Orion constellation pattern — Orion appears in the grass

line and dotwork drawing of perched frog with corn stalks arched behind his head like a crown — cornfield prince

line and dotwork drawing of a chicken walking into a spiral within a large shadow cast ahead of it — Marty!

line and dotwork drawing of deer jawbone with circling vultures in the distance — a buzzard stole this jawbone

line and dotwork drawing of dewy spiderweb — the orb weaver's work

line and dotwork drawing of hands clinking drinks together–right arm is tattooed with acrylic nails — cheers

line and dotwork drawing of a raccoon with hands in the air beneath a cascading arc of trash — I am become trash

line and dotwork drawing of geese flying in formation like a smile — goofy gaggle at Griffy

line and dotwork drawing of fishing bobber in front of cattails — "don't get hung up now"

line and dotwork drawing of oyster mushroom (4 heads in 3 layers) — Yellowwood oyster

line and dotwork drawing of old woodstove — woodstove

line and dotwork drawing of crows flying above simple, rundown house in wooded area — long live the Roost

line and dotwork drawing of squirrel standing while wearing a tree sweatshirt, with firefly above — student squirrel - firefly variant

line and dotwork drawing of bold jumping spider - 4 starry eyes with happy face pattern on abdomen — bold jumper (hey, king)

line and dotwork drawing of starling skull against petunia flower — starling among petunias

line and dotwork drawing of carrion beetle (spiky antennae with dark patch on outer thorax) — carrion beetle

line and dotwork drawing of cicada wings — emerald cicada wings

line and dotwork drawing of mounted rainbow trout fish — catch of '95

line and dotwork drawing of ghost pipe mushrooms against black oval background with stars — the elusive ghost pipe

line and dotwork drawing of deer face behind leaves — through the thicket

line and dotwork drawing of flowers in beer snifter (short, fluted glass) — 12 oz. bouquet

line and dotwork drawing of a tree branch that looks like a deer antler — antler branch

line and dotwork drawing of dead deer with exposed ribcage — memento mori

line and dotwork drawing of iris flower — iris

line and dotwork drawing of potted cactus in shape of hand gesture for 'I love you' — love you

line and dotwork drawing of a triangular-shaped moth with large, fuzzy antennae — backyard moth

line and dotwork drawing of leaves with bug holes shaped like sad face (left) and happy face (right) — comedy/tragedy leaves

line and dotwork drawing of snail with starry shadow underneath — cosmic snail III

line and dotwork drawing of rock shaped like Indiana state, covered in fossils — Indiana fossil

line and dotwork drawing of spiky leaf floating on water — floating pin oak leaf

line and dotwork drawing of possum eating from tuna can — friend-shaped

line and dotwork drawing of 3 stacked bowls and two chipmunks (1 inside, 1 standing outside) — three bowls - chipmunk variant

line and dotwork drawing of small snake peering out of tall grass — grass snake

line and dotwork drawing of spiny orb weaver spider against web — micrathena mitrata

line and dotwork drawing of a cicada close-up, with an "X" behind it to the left — Brood X

line and dotwork drawing of 2 dogwood flowers on L-shaped branch — dogwood branch

line and dotwork drawing of monarch caterpillar (stark stripe pattern) on heart-shaped milkweed leaf — monarch caterpillar

line and dotwork drawing of two carved pumpkins - 1 with an angry face and 1 with a crow silhouette — take me to the pumpkin patch

line and dotwork drawing of a mastodon skull and miscellaneous bones (back, femur, ribs) — mastodon

line and dotwork drawing of box turtle against I-69 road sign — Highway 69 - box turtle variant

line and dotwork drawing of sunflower blooming/aging in a clockwise pattern (all one flower) — a few weeks' time

line and dotwork drawing of a worm twisted into an infinity symbol, text reading "do you love me?" — infinity worm

imposter!

line and dotwork drawing of a wood round with a hole in the center that looks like a snail — snail core

line and dotwork drawing of Ford Bronco (boxy SUV) against sparkling forest silhouette — Bronco - firefly forest variant

line and dotwork drawing of decaying poplar leaf with large spots that look like angry eyes — Griffy's grump

line and dotwork drawing of large beetle with spiky appendages and spots — Hercules beetle (rhino beetle)

line and dotwork drawing of starling with ruffled feathers sitting on telephone wire — lone starling on wire

line and dotwork drawing of swimming beaver — friend at Lake Small Fry

line and dotwork drawing of cardinal displaying half female and half male characteristics — cardinal gynandromorph

line and dotwork drawing of maple leaf with eclipse phases depicted in dew drops, also arcing above — maple leaf - totality variant

line and dotwork drawing of daffodil flower with 3 flying bats — signaling spring

The Bloomington Collection

Fountain Square Mall in Bloomington, Indiana, 2025