We’ve all seen and heard the story a thousand times before; it is the pretty face that always gets everything it wants in life. Brainless models are a dime a dozen, especially in L.A., where every “ten” from high school gets a stern reality check in a pool of the world’s best looking women. They all wait tables and carry their agency cards in the hope that this next gig will be their lucky break. Well, gifted model Kristen Leanne’s story is not one of those stories, so look elsewhere for that kind of fluff. More Lucille Ball than Marilyn Monroe, this tattooed beauty uses her business mind to separate herself from the pack. Perhaps this is why it is Ball that she has chosen to ink on her skin, and not Monroe. “I love her. I watch her show every morning when I’m getting ready. I swear I own every episode that was ever made.

While painting a mural of a 9-foot beetle out on Pico and Vermont, artists Evan Skrederstu and Chris Brand noticed that a small piece of their basecoat started moving (a common occurrence among outside-the-box artists). However, that slight movement got the duo joking around with the idea of really painting on insects, something that came to fruition a few months later. 
They literally bugged out on their first piece, which was done on a wood-boring beetle, followed by another piece on a dung beetle. “It takes a bit of a learning curve,” said one half of the dynamic duo.

In the world of tattooing there are literally no second chances. Las Vegas tattoo artist and Skin Design Tattoo owner Robert Pho begs to differ, as his artistic and personal life are both testaments to the virtues of starting over.  A product of a rough Los Angeles upbringing, it took the utmost of tragedies for this phoenix to resurrect himself. Suffice it to say Robert has clearly been through things that have broken most men, and despite his childhood Robert’s strength remains a quiet resolve; you won’t get this guy to wax about the past or glamorize street life. Instead he is moving forward, a far cry from the frustrating times of his adolescence, which led to a few poor decisions that ultimately left him incarcerated for seven years. While other aspiring artists were receiving classroom lessons and taking inspirational trips to the Getty, Robert was behind bars and even worse—between a rock and a hard place.

Christmas is just around the corner and I thought it would be awesome to throw some comedic cheer your way. Now unless you have been hiding under a rock, Antoine Dodson has literally become a overnight Internet sensation. Long story short, Some dude breaks into his home and attempts to rape his sister (I know, no laughing matter). Despite the circumstances, his sister was unharmed and he gave a televised news interview and had a few words for the would be assailant.

See below.

The famous remix

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Standing outside the front doors of his Shamrock Social Club, tattoo legend Mark Mahoney exhales coolness into the already brisk evening that surrounds his Sunset Strip palace. The building itself, rumored to be Bing Crosby’s secret hang-out where he could associate freely with African-Americans, houses Mark’s passion and trade, both within the same breath. Shamrock Social Club is more than a tattoo parlor for the East Coast–bred Mahoney; it is his sanctuary. A place where Mark continues to find inspiration within the juxtaposition of life’s social circles, the social club has seen its share of notables, like the Notorious B.I.G., Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Mickey Rourke. Even more impressive would be its list of underworld notables, who, for various reasons, shall not be named here. On any given day, this shop is the only place where it is common for a dignitary from England to be receiving her first tattoo, right after an East L.A. street king receives his twentieth, and it’s because of this that Mark’s very own tagline is, “The place where the underground and the elite meet.”

This will definitely be an interesting answer to your question. I spent most of my early life in the hospital for a genetic disease that only five other people have had in the world, aside from me. The disease is like a flesh-eating disease that can liquefy your organs and unfortunately, all five of the other people who had this disease have died from it and me being here is proof of human strength and overcoming adversity as well as beating he odds. Per my physician, I’m actually very healthy right now. I even have this scar on my arm as a constant reminder to live everyday as if it was my last because for me, it was my reality. As far as the name goes, I suppose the name is a testament of what I went through and had to overcome to get here today. Antiseptic Fashion means to overcome adversity, persevere, pain, endurance, longevity, and creativity in my eyes.

Ain’t no such thing as halfway crooks,” according to N.Y. rap duo Mobb Deep in their classic ’90s hip hop song, “Shook Ones Pt II.” The phrase has become part of our national lexicon, as the old adage has now become a way of life and the truth for just about any trade, including artistry. With the world population almost doubling since the ’70s, there’s much more competition in any given industry and just like bank robbers who have to pull off bigger and more elaborate heists to make a name; artists, teachers, and scientists find themselves in the same boat as they also have to turn in bigger feats and develop new benchmarks to set themselves a step above the rest. With that said, Bound By Ink was blown away and enamored when we ran across Kris Kuksi’s artwork. As an artist, he’s found a medium that is both intriguing and inspirational, leaving us no choice but to feature it in our magazine.

The true measure of success has always been best defined as the difficulty in following the path to that success. In a nutshell, if you haven’t been forced outside of your comfort zone, chances are, you haven’t been wildly successful. Of course the amount and degree of that success is all relative, but if you think big and dream big, you will achieve any goal you set your mind to. These are words that 5-foot 8-inch Bridget Blonde lives by, as it is her own struggle that has defined not only who she is, but where she’s going. After making the model’s journey from Hometown, U.S.A. (in her case, Houston) to the kill-or-be-killed environment of Los Angeles, her mettle, just like her talent, has been tested and proven many times over. “It’s so unforgiving here in L.A.,” she coos over the telephone. The culture shock was one thing, but it was the competition that really opened her sapphire-like eyes. “When I got to L.A., I realized that there were a lot of people trying to do exactly what I was, and I got discouraged. I was getting work but not as much work as I would have liked,” she laments. Nevertheless, Bridget has never been one to shy away from a challenge, even one of this magnitude.

I’ve been fighting this cold for a while and decided to go to Walgreen’s and get some good ol’ Zyrtec-D. You know the daytime/nightime, runny nose, itchy eyes, cough suppressant so you can grind and blog better medicine. Anyway, on the way to the counter, I happen to pass by the toy section (I just can’t resist it even at my age) and what the hell do I see? A assortment of press on tattoo kits for kids. Kind of makes me wonder about the rationale behind it but hey, the marketing seems to be working. I’m personally waiting to see some sleeved up 5 year old asking to be in the magazine soon.

Check these out.

Tribal not your flavor?

What about the trampstamp for our daughter?

Ahh, let’s go ethnic with the dragooooon! RAWR!

To label upstart artist Jun Cha as merely a tattooist is to do him a disservice. After all, Jun is a painter, a designer, an illustrator, and a student as well. He has collaborated with shoe giant Circa for his own “Black Tear” shoe line, and collaborated with Los Angeles streetwear collective, the Hundreds, for his own line in its look book. He has traveled around the world with his Lowrider Tattoo family, and received admittance in the highly restrictive Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. While these achievements may seem attainable by certain standards of tenure and work, Jun’s story is much more compelling than you might think; he is only 21 years old.