LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kat Von D, of 'LA Ink' fame, built her brand on Satanism. But the makeup mogul recently made a surprising revelation to her fans.
Despite her past association with witchcraft and the occult, she has now embraced Christianity and intends to completely cover her body artwork with black ink.
She revealed that she had decided against undergoing the "extremely painful" procedure of laser removal in favor of just "blacking out" her skin.
The 41-year-old former tattoo artist revealed on Instagram that she is currently "blacking out" her body, a procedure that has required "17 sessions and almost 40 accumulative hours" so far.
Kat Von D, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, is famous for her interest in the "macabre" occult arts and for projecting a stereotypically dark goth style in both her home and wardrobe.
Kat Von D renounced past 'witchcraft'
Kat Von D recently underwent significant life changes, including a spiritual transformation and baptism.
On July 22, 2022, the former Mexican-American tattoo artist Von D and popular TV celebrity said she had given up witchcraft and the occult on Instagram.
She announced that she was giving up her interest in the "macabre" and shared images of her library with books and tarot cards.
The definition of macabre, according to Merriam-Webster, is "having death as a subject, which comprises or includes a personalized representation of death by dwelling on the gruesome."
Originally referring to the "dance of death" in English, the term "macabre" eventually came to apply to anything dark and gruesome.
Von D announced to her followers on Instagram that her interests had changed.
She wrote in the caption: "I don’t know if any of you have been going through changes in your lives right now, but in the last few years, I’ve come to some pretty meaningful realizations — many of them revolving around the fact that I got a lot of things wrong in my past."
Kat Von D's wild wedding dress got everyone talking
On her special day, Von D opted for red attire instead of the traditional white.
Followers' reactions to her striking outfit and headpiece, captured in widely shared social media images, were mixed
In February 2018, the TLC star and singer Leafar Seyer (born: Rafael Reyes) exchanged vows, but on June 2, 2018, they had a gothic wedding ceremony.
The bride and soon-to-be mother wore an original gown made by Adolfo Sanchez.
Fans of Von D were happy to see the tattoo artist celebrating in her own unique way. Some were not so complimentary: "Looks like a Halloween costume," remarked a critic.
Kat Von D gets baptized following her tattoo coverup
The tattoo artist was baptized on October 3, 2023, at a local church in Indiana that she and her family regularly attended.
Von D was accompanied in the video by her loved ones and friends, the majority of whom had body piercings and tattoos.
Together with the choir, the audience saw Von D singing while seated in a pew. At the end of the video, the TV star was baptized as a priest dipped her into the water.
The pastor said: "Katherine Von Drachenberg, upon your profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in obedience to his divine command, I baptize you, my sister, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen."
Kat Von D had her left back side completely covered in black ink
In her most recent video, Von D revealed the entire left half of her back, which was shown to be completely covered in black ink. Her previous vine tattoo, eventually would be covered in black as well, but was still visible on the right side in this video.
She then displayed some of the equipment and videos that were used to blacken her skin.
Von D panned to reveal an angel tattoo on the front side of her waist, mostly hidden by black ink, toward the conclusion of the video.
She also showed off her arms, which, save from a man's face tattoo, are already entirely blacked out.
Per Daily Mail, Von D once had a full arm tattooed with a woman wearing vintage clothing and roses.
She revealed that she was moving from Los Angeles to Indiana and closing her tattoo studio, High Voltage Tattoo, a year before she made her religious transition announcement.
Why is Kat Von D covering her ink?
The 'LA Ink' and 'Miami Ink' star began the process of getting rid of her tattoos in December 2020, per Business Insider, because they "meant nothing" to her and were merely "landmarks in dark times."
In July 2022, Von D posted on Instagram that she had thrown away her books on witchcraft and the occult because they did not fit with "who I am and who I want to be."
According to Unilad, Von D decided her new lifestyle did not fit the tattoos on her body, so she had solid black ink put over the designs on her arms and legs.
She shared photos of herself on Instagram, saying that seeing "all the garbage, drunken tattoos" she'd received before sobering up was "extremely refreshing" because they were "covered by sleekness and simplicity."
According to Von D, she has been sober for 13 years.
