Kat Von D, the reality TV star who built her fame on ink, has blanketed her skin with blackout tattoos.
She has kept her fans on Instagram apprised of the process that started five years ago and had her under the gun for close to forty hours.
The change, according to updates from the Mexican-born celebrity tattoo artist, was part of a larger pattern of reform that included her self-proclaimed abandonment of witchcraft for Christianity and her departure from Los Angeles to rural Indiana.
Highlights
- Kat Von D has spent 40 hours in 17 sessions covering most of her body in blackout tattoos.
- The LA Ink alum says the blackout ink replaces tattoos that no longer align with her life.
- She rejected laser removal as too slow and painful, saying blackout ink suited her better.
Katherine von Drachenberg is aware that her new look does not appeal to everyone
Image credits: thekatvond
Footage posted to Instagram by the LA Ink alum shows her darkened side glowing with the fresh black ink.
“[Seventeen] sessions, and almost 40 accumulative hours later, we are about 80% done with blacking out my body,” Von D captioned the video.
“I’ve been consistently flying out to Philly to get tattooed by the amazing @hoode215 at his lovely tattoo shop @blackvulturegallery,” she explained.
Image credits: thekatvond
The 43-year-old seemed fully aware that the new appearance was not everyone’s cup of tea.
The celeb tattoo artist felt lasering would not work for her
“Maybe before commenting on any negativity, just remind yourself: What you consider ugly, might be beautiful to someone else,” she wrote in a bid to preempt fan dissent.
She used the opportunity to tackle another criticism: “IF YOU DON'T LIKE YOUR TATTOOS, WHY DON’T YOU GET THEM LASERED OFF?”
Image credits: thekatvond
Her answer to this was:
“I actually did start lasering tattoos, and although I think laser tattoo removal is effective, I personally wasn’t a good candidate considering how much coverage I wanted to remove.”
She says tattoos are safer than many foods
“Laser is a slow (and extremely painful) process, that depending on your tattoo, can take more than 10 sessions, including long healing periods in between,” Von D wrote in the 2023 post.
She used the opportunity to assert that she would not be tattooing over the black ink with white, although she admitted she had seen “beautiful ones” on other people.
Von D also addressed the concerns about potential health ramifications of having so much ink on her body, saying, “I’ve been getting tattooed for almost 3 decades, and have never felt a negative effect,” and suggested that most foods today are more harmful.
A primary reason for the blackout ink is that she no longer “aligns” with her old tattoos
Image credits: thekatvond
As for her motivation, she wrote:
“I had many tattoos that represented a part of my life that no longer aligns with who I am today.”
“Some people are fine with keeping these types of landmarks in time on them — I personally grew tired of waking up to them, and seeing those constant reminders every time I looked in a mirror.”
She has traded her old life for bible study and church
In 2024, she revisited her desire to reinvent herself. Speaking to Inked Magazine, she explained how she “traded the city life for a simple life in rural Indiana in the middle of nowhere.”
Image credits: thekatvond
“And I love it,” she declared.
“We bought a nice piece of land where we plan to set up our homestead soon, once renovation of our Victorian home is done.”
The outlet also reported that she “attends church regularly, participating in a women’s Bible study and choir practice. It’s all part of a new chapter focused on her faith, which she rediscovered about a year before the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Fans shouldn’t worry, though, Von D shows no signs of stopping her creativity,” the outlet assured its readers.
Von D knows that her change from reality TV to music is a leap
Said creativity entails her love for music, and while Von D acknowledged this may surprise many, she explained that she has been playing the piano since the age of 6.
Image credits: thekatvond
“Music has always been my biggest passion but I think I let a decade or two get consumed by filming TV shows and running my old makeup line.”
“I totally get it. There aren’t too many great examples of people who have shifted from the entertainment industry to music that can be taken seriously.”
It appears that a lot of fans would have opted for the laser removals had they found themselves in her shoes
