Kat Von D has opened up about her decision to 'black-out' all of her tattoos, along with the lawsuit that followed.
The former LA Ink star, 43, who rose to fame on the TLC show back in 2007, became a household name as both a tattooist and a music artist. In 2020, however, she made the call to cover up much of her tattoos with solid black ink.
Von D said it took nearly 40 hours of 17 sessions to have them all removed.
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The American-Mexican singer confessed that she 'grew tired of waking up to them'.
"I think I had been fed up with a lot of the tattoos I got over the years for a long time," she told Inked Magazine.
"I just couldn't explain how satisfying it was to see all the messes he would clean up with his blackout tattoo work.
"I think at that time I thought I would just black out an arm, but shortly after, I knew I would end up tattooing my whole body."
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The tattoo artist also revealed that it felt right for her to 'finally cover up so many of the tattoos I got back when I used to drink'.
Over on Instagram, she added: "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.
'"Also, I really love the 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."
However, Von D didn't black out all her tattoos; for example, she kept an image of her father with it able to ‘stand out even more’.
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During this same time period, photographer Jeff Sedlik sued her in 2021 for copyright infringement.
Sedlik claimed Von D tattooed a version of his 1989 photo of jazz musician Miles Davis on the arm of a friend. Three years later, a jury ruled that Von D was not guilty of copyright, in what was believed to be the 'first-of-its-kind' lawsuit.
“We’ve said all along that this case never should have been brought,” her attorney Allen B. Grodsky said after the verdict.
“The jury recognised that this was just ridiculous.”
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In her interview with Inked Magazine, she admitted that 'there’s not one part of me that believes tattooing fan art is a crime'.
“I’m just so grateful that the jurors took their time and unanimously agreed. I have a feeling setting precedence like that will only help tattooers and other artists in the future,” she added.
“I lost weight, I lost hair, and I lost many nights of sleep over it.
“As much as I knew this person didn’t deserve a penny from me, there were times that I wanted to settle just to make it stop.
“But I knew if I didn’t fight, the damage to the tattoo industry and other artists would be so immense, that I couldn’t live with myself.”
Topics: Celebrity, US News, Celebrity News
Anish Vij