Beauty and tattoos have something in common: They are both only skin deep. They also have something else in common when viewed in the pictorial context of scarlet-haired raven and model Cherry Dollface: They become the perfect amalgamation of style and substance, and this perfect marriage helps to define the essence of this beautiful stranger. Peel back the layers of the skin and the ink is still there, still visible.

Peel back the layers of Cherry, as her childhood friends have nicknamed her, and the beauty is still there as well, proving the timeless “skin deep” adage to be true. While the phrase itself is cliché and mundane, the model, known to the world as Cherry Dollface, is quite the opposite. Bubbly, sweet, and steadfast in her morals and beliefs, this one-of-a-kind siren is the most down-to-earth person you could ever hope to meet. She’s much more “girl next door” than she is Suicide Girl; in fact, Cherry made her mark without doing nude or lingerie modeling. “I got to where I am just by being myself. You have to think about the future and what you’re going to be able to look back on and be proud of. Morals are something that you just can’t let go of,” Cherry explains when pressed about giving advice to aspiring models.

So how did Cherry achieve the cover girl status she has today? Well, by having an amazing sense of who she is, for starters. This self-awareness led to her first modeling experience and her first cover honor—by accident. “I used to go to car shows a lot since I had an old car. I was just sitting in it, and a photographer took a picture of me without my knowledge, and it ended up on the cover of a magazine,” she says with a laugh.

In our society, very few things are as valuable as having a unique identity. We are taught from an early age to carve our own niche in the world that will set us apart from the status quo; we want to be noticed, remembered, and distinguished. What happens when one’s unique identity is actually defined by the existence of someone else? In the case of identical twins, that is almost exactly what happens. It is believed that identical twins make up only .2% of the world’s population, and the result of this unique circumstance often provides the siblings with a completely different human experience than the rest of society. In this case, a singular identity often becomes a joint identity, as twins are often connected by the same cerebral rhythm, which compels them both to march to the same beat of life, almost as if they were the same person. For art and tattoo enthusiasts Brian and Mark Vaillancourt, being known as “The Evil Twins” has brought them a special attention beyond that of their unique birth. Ironically, tattoos might be the only way to tell these siblings apart, as Mark has a small maple leaf on his neck, while Brian’s is larger and on his stomach.

The brothers Vaillancourt are both heavily tattooed, as they have shared the same love for the artform since they were very young. “I just love it. I think that with the way the artists are now, the work is unbelievable, and if people can put it on their bodies and appreciate it, I think that’s very cool,” Brian says. This mutual admiration and commitment to permanent art began for the brothers at the age of 18, as they both were leery of what their parents might think of their potential tattoo work. This trepidation was quickly squashed after Brian made the first leap for the duo, getting a maple leaf on his stomach, a nod to the brothers’ French-Canadian lineage. Mark immediately followed suit when he etched his last name across his back in a permanent dedication to his family roots. “Dad didn’t mind at all,” recalls Brian. “Our Mom is super rad. Every time we’d get a new tattoo after that, she wanted to see them, she liked the artwork.”

Society as a whole hasn’t been as kind as the boys’ parents, coining the self-professed “nice guys” as “The Evil Twins” because of their sense of style and appearance. Brian had this to say on the topic: “We’re definitely judged on how we look, but once people get to know us, they find out how we really are. A lot of people think that we are mean because of how we look, but we’re very polite, respectful, just very nice to people.”

Necessity breeds creativity. No matter what your background may be or where your home environment is, this statement remains a universal truth that spans generations, places, time, and space. From the earliest civilizations known to those in modern times, human beings have always had the unique ability to make something out of nothing. When human beings have nothing, they automatically create what they feel they are lacking, be it artistic in nature or something more comfort-oriented. Those rare individuals who have the foresight and ingenuity to supplement these deficiencies are often labeled “pioneers” or “visionaries.” Both of these lofty descriptions accurately define the life and times of Peter Antoine, Kieran Mansion, Jake Hollywood, and Sean Mansion—better known as four of Australia’s most influential lifestyle purveyors. As the owners of Shock Mansion, these four Aussie go-getters created a path for the lifestyle they live in an environment devoid of opportunity and access.

These like-minded entrepreneurs brought their two companies together for a marketing opportunity, and the chemistry they shared instantly became the glue that has kept them working together to this day. Art, music, skateboarding, and fashion are the common threads that have sewn the business relationship of these four men together and united them in a mission to bring Australia to the forefront of youth culture. Without any outlets to promote the lifestyle they lived and were interested in, they simply created the outlet themselves. By starting an online portal and marketing team, they’ve infused their own styles and utilized their influence to help build the awareness to street-wear brands commonly found in the States. To help attract, build, and blossom legions of loyal Down Under supporters, the fellas have a plot for global domination, and it’s a serious one so get with it—or get used to it, because Shock Mansion is about to blow sky high. Their unique marketing skills stretch well beyond street teams and stickers, and they’ve created an identity through design and photography that has gained the attention of the best in the business.

Along standing and rarely recognized form of prison art is called “panos” illustration. By definition, a “panos” is the term which is given to the white handkerchiefs or napkins that inmates use as their canvas of creativity. Homegrown out of the Chicano barrios and Southwest prisons of the early 20th century and designed with ball-point pens, panos illustration affords a great deal of detail and complexity while typically conveying the story of a prisoner that cannot be expressed through words alone.

The tradition of the Chicanos’ panos illustration dates back to the 1930s and 1940s; however, some curators insist that it may be as old as the French occupational prison system imposed on Mexico following the revolution of 1910. During the middle of the 20th century, most prisons only permitted whites to own pens and pencils to send messages to their families outside of prison. Because many Hispanics, Chicanos, and African-Americans within the prison system at that time could not read or write, they found an expressive substitute in elaborate illustration.

With that said, BBI showcases a few pieces of the infamous discipline of artwork. So enjoy, and remember that creativity can never be confined and this is the proof. What’s even more interesting to mention is the fact that all of these pieces are far more than just a canvas created from a concocted landscape. Rather, each canvas tells a true-to-life tale that embodies the pain, the struggle, and the beauty of a life which we are privileged to be able to safely witness as outsiders looking in.

Minnesota and Monaco couldn’t be any farther apart. In fact, in terms of lifestyle and geographic make-up, these two places couldn’t be any different. One is a primarily rural hamlet located in the northern United States that boasts a small-town atmosphere filled with laid-back and conservative people who work to survive and take pride in their families. The other is located off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and is a nouveau-riche wet dream notorious for having a decadent nightlife scene that regularly offers a chance to rub shoulders with the world’s most influential and economically plush social luminaries on a regular basis. While these two places are complete and total opposites, the duality of them is not lost on their common thread: a gifted and cutting-edge photographer by the name of Andy Hartmark. So how did an aspiring photographer from northern Minnesota get his photography on the walls of one of the world’s most exclusive hotels in the South of France?

The unlikely journey for Andy Hartmark began in a small town in northern Minnesota, not far from the Canadian border, where he was raised as the son of a conservative preacher. The rigors of the religious upbringing would serve to be Andy’s earliest lesson regarding duality and ultimately become an influence that would stay with him forever. After realizing that sometimes life isn’t always as hunky-dory behind closed doors as it is on the surface, he began to subconsciously question societal perception and reality. This “beautiful mess” concept runs as rampantly through his artwork as it does through his mind, as the irony and sublime nature of his subjects are not lost on his detailed and visionary eye. The other main influence that would guide him down his artistic path was that of photography—a love for which Andy shares with his mother, whom he can remember “capturing everything possible on her camera.” Once he picked up his first camera at the age of 7, he was never the same as he quickly followed his mother’s blueprint for being prepared to catch all of life’s most interesting moments. Unbeknownst to this budding child of the lens, a big family move was about to change Andy’s life forever.

At age 16, Andy moved with his family to Phoenix (where the 29-year-old still lives). Phoenix was everything that Minnesota was not: warm, urban, and inspiring. This desert city became the perfect backdrop to offer up more opportunities for his photography. Andy also spent time working with the mentally disabled, something he still does from time to time. He realized that he had a special compassion for the patients he worked with, as many of them had fallen victim to traumatic accidents, which ultimately caused their mental deficiencies. In his spare time, he began discovering artistic subcultures and decided to take his photography more seriously after buying a decent camera, a decision that would ultimately lead him to his calling.

Bound by Ink was granted the honor of sitting down with the legendary Horiyoshi the Third. In a very exclusive interview, Horiyoshi III shares with us his odd and very priceless collection of rare and expensive artifacts. Some artists create a fan base, others a cult following, but neither of these can be achieved without years of hard work, diligence, struggle, and dedication. The Japanese title of “Hori” (meaning “to engrave”) can be described in much the same way, as it is given only to a person with a master’s skills in art. This illustrious honor has only been bestowed three times throughout the course of history, and only twice among tattooists.

Horiyoshi III, born Yoshihito Nakano in 1946, proudly carries this honor on his heavily tattooed shoulders, and he is widely regarded by tattoo enthusiasts as the world’s best full-body tattoo artist, or “Horishi,” as it is known in Japan. The 63-year-old Horiyoshi received this honor in 1971, after serving as an apprentice under Yoshitsugu Muramatsu, who was the Horiyoshi of Yokohama, a man Horiyoshi III met when he was only 21. Upon his retirement, Muramatsu bestowed this title of “Horiyoshi” upon his only son and his best student, Horiyoshi III, whom he chose to uphold and carry on his tattoo legacy.

Like the outlines of his drawings and sketches, Horiyoshi III’s existence has been a series of long and winding strokes seeking to ultimately define who he is and what he represents. A man born into poverty, Horiyoshi III was attracted to the secrecy and the power of the Yakuza at an early age, a lifestyle he was only able to escape through the power of his own artistic merit. Principle, tradition, and beauty act as guiding lights in his life now, a life that could have just as easily been filled with darkness had he chosen to stay on the wayward path he walked as a youth. Instead he chose discipline, balance, and righteousness as the inspirations and motivations behind his study of “Horimono” tattoos, ultimately becoming somewhat of a mythical figure himself upon the completion of his apprenticeship.

Tattoos have become much more than just a lifestyle or even a culture. Today, tattoo art sits at the epicenter of a billion-dollar industry, and this permanent commitment to art has influenced everything from television to some of the more profitable clothing labels in the fashion industry. Now some may argue that the once underground form of art has been exploited and used maliciously by others to make money, but then again what profitable culture or lifestyle hasn’t?

Rather than focus on the capitalistic nature of ink exploitation, we’d rather concentrate on the positive influence tattooing has had on artists all across the world. A great case in point would be this rolling piece of art that was painstakingly created by artist/entrepreneur Ernest Sarkisyan aka “SlanG.”

When his good friend Serge Cigdemoglu wanted his 1995 BMW M3 revamped, a brainstorming session found the two men sifting through the pages of an issue of the automotive magazine Heavy Hitters. The magazine featured a Sharpie-emblazoned Lamborghini, and as far as SlanG and Serge were concerned, it was game over. The duo decided that the abstract patterns found on the Lamborghini in the magazine were great, but they wanted to capture a much more personal approach on the M3 that would speak volumes about the Pandora’s Box that is the Los Angeles lifestyle.

After a few months and several boxes of Sharpies, SlanG had finally flipped the script, drawing out a mural that successfully captured the true essence of Southern California’s most influential landmarks as well as its homegrown artists and brands.

Attracting in excess of 20,000 spectators, the London Tattoo Convention is a three-day affair that makes its mark in history as one of the heavyweight events in the European tattoo circuit. Last year, they celebrated their fifth anniversary, and the results were both stunning and spectacular in terms of attendance, venue location, art, and artists. The London Tattoo Convention was covered by newspapers and TV news programs globally and was billed as one of the most important events of the entire cultural season in London.

After the first three years, the enormous flow of visitors forced the organizers to reconsider the space, and the first new element of last year’s edition was the new location. After three years at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, the convention was moved to Tobacco Dock, a beautiful, totally renovated Victorian building located in the heart of London a few minutes from the Tower Bridge.

Name: CHUCO

Artists: CHUEY QUINTANAR AND ANTONIO MEJIA

Studio: GTC TATTOOLAND

Name: SALLYANNE ALVAREZ

Artist: LONELY BOY and CHENTE

Studio: UNDER THE GUN