Tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D has updated fans on her journey to transform her body with an all-black tattoo covering. Last October, she announced her plans to cover her existing tattoos with black ink, sharing a video on Instagram that showed the extensive coverage on her ribcage and back. By then, she had already spent nearly 40 hours under the needle.
In a recent discussion with Inked Magazine, Kat Von D opened up about her choice to cover her famous tattoos and showcased the results in a striking photoshoot. “I think I had been fed up with a lot of the tattoos I got over the years for a long time,” she admitted.
Working alongside Hoode Philly, a tattoo artist renowned for his blackout work, Kat has been systematically replacing her old tattoos with solid black ink. “I just couldn’t explain how satisfying it was to see all the messes he would clean up with his blackout tattoo work,” she said. Originally planning only to cover one arm, she quickly decided to extend the black ink across her entire body.
Kat Von D also shared her deeper motivation for this transformation, stating that her old tattoos “represented a part of my life that no longer aligns with who I am today.” She explained, “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.”
Moreover, she appreciates the new aesthetic: “I know it’s not for everyone but it is very satisfying to me to see a clean slate when I look down onto my arms.”
But Kat Von D’s transformation doesn’t stop with her skin. In 2023, she took a significant spiritual step by getting baptized into the Christian church, renouncing her past engagement with witchcraft and the occult. On the Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey podcast, she reflected on her past explorations for meaning and purpose. “I was just searching for answers and meaning in so many of the wrong places like most people do,” she confessed.
Expressing her newfound faith, she said, “I don’t want these crutches in my life anymore, and that’s what really I saw them as. I just want Jesus, and it’s a very narrow road. I feel like all these other, these breathing techniques, or spell work, nature worship, all these things, they’re just crutches. They’re not really my answer.”
For Kat, eliminating distractions is key to her current path: “And this is just what works for me.”