About LA Ink

LA Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo (and, later in the series, American Electric) tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California. The spin-off of TLC's Miami Ink, it premiered on August 7, 2007.

  

Background

After leaving the hit program Miami Ink because of a dispute with her fellow cast members, Kat Von D moved back to Los Angeles to open her own tattoo shop and was offered a spin off show. Initially, she hired her close friend Pixie Acia  to be the shop manager, and her good friend Corey Miller as the tattoo artist. After considering many more artists for the job, Von D hired Hannah Aitchison and Kim Saigh to work for her as well. The cameras follow her as she opens the shop, while capturing everything that unfolds in between.

Each customer coming into the shop usually has a story or reason behind their tattoo. On occasion, even known celebrities make an appearance to get tattooed by Kat or one of the other artists.

Inevitably, as the show progressed, changes occurred. Von D fired Acia during the second part of Season 1. Saigh and Aitchison left the show after the Season 2 finale. Season 3 premiered with a new shop manager, former Rock of Love competitor Aubry Fisher, but she was fired by Von D during the Mid-Season premiere after getting into a lot trouble with most of the people at the shop.
Tattoo artist Amy Nicoletti was hired on a trial basis, but left to work at American Electric, owned by Craig Jackman. Tattoo artist Paulie Tattoo was also hired and quit to go to American Electric, because of lack of work. Fisher soon joined them as a "shop helper" at American Electric after she got fired from High Voltage. Fisher left to pursue her dream of becoming a make-up artist without telling Craig and was later fired from American Electric, but does make an appearance for a couple of episodes in the fourth season when she appeared at the shop's 11th Anniversary as a guest.

Von D broke a Guinness world record on the show, tattooing 400 people with the "LA" part of the LA Ink logo in 24 hours, giving the money raised to charity. The record was broken in June, 2008 by Kat's ex-husband Oliver Peck who tattooed 415 tattoos of the number "13".
During the Season 3, Nikko Hurtado is a guest artist on the show several times while Von D's sister Karoline and her brother Michael also make appearances on the show.

American Electric became the competitor tattoo shop to High Voltage, beginning in the Season 3 and is a major part of the series in Season 4.
 

Ratings

LA Ink premiered on August 7, 2007, averaging 2.9 million total viewers at its time slot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the number makes the show the most-watched series debut for the cable channel since the premiere of the US version of What Not to Wear in January 2003. This is also the highest-rated series premiere in the history of TLC among adults 18-34, with a rating of 2.6 and a viewer count of 1.5 million. The premiere was also the highest-rated basic cable primetime program last Tuesday among several major adult demographics, including 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

L.A. Ink Pictures: Kat's Tattoo Process

You’ve seen the show, marveled at the artwork, and wondered, "How do they do that?" Scroll through this gallery for the step-by-step process on making a tattoo, demonstrated by L.A. Ink’s very own Kat Von D!

Creating tattoos is a skilled art. The basic supplies include gloves, disinfectant, ink, and tattoo needle, which attaches to a foot-pedaled machine that pumps the ink through the needle into the skin.

When clients come into Kat’s parlor, they first work through the design concept. In this photograph, from Season 2, Episode 12, Kat talks with Staind frontman Aaron Lewis about what he wants in his tattoo.

After Aaron makes his decision, Kat begins by carefully shaving, cleaning and disinfecting the location of the intended tattoo. Then, she will trace the outline using an imprint of the design.

Kat creates the tattoo, using a machine designed by Samuel O’Reilly in the late 1800s and modeled after Thomas Edison’s autographic printing pen. It creates the tattoo through quick, repeated punctures into the skin, where ink is deposited.

 

The process, depending on the design, complexity and location, can take a long time. Kat first outlines, then shades in the spaces for depth, and finally adds color as the tattoo requires.

Through every step, Kat makes sure that the client is satisfied with the process. Here she holds up a mirror for Aaron to examine his newest piece, his daughters’ names, which she has completed on the back of his neck., 

The final result is a beautiful rendition of Aaron’s design and Kat’s talent. But it’s not over yet: Like all tattoo artists, Kat has instructions for aftercare, including proper moisturizing and cleaning to prevent infection as the tattoo slowly heals.

Tattoo Model : Joanna Angel

Joanna Angel (born December 25, 1980) is an American alternative pornographic actress, Punk fashion, director and writer of adult films. She used her real first name of Joanna for her stage name.

Early life

Angel was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to an Orthodox Jewish Israeli mother and an American father. She was raised in River Edge in Bergen County, New Jersey, where she attended Cherry Hill Elementary School and graduated from River Dell High School in 1998. After graduating at age 17, she enrolled in Rutgers University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with a minor in Film Studies.
She worked in a Kosher fast food restaurant in Teaneck NJ during high school, then at an Applebees and another restaurant, called Happy's Health Grille during college.
After finishing her degree she relocated to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, and created the website BurningAngel, a hardcore adult site catering to an emerging genre dubbed alt porn, while she danced as a stripper at night. Her website followed in the footsteps of the very popular SuicideGirls, which she has referred to as "the McDonald's of alt porn. "When asked whether she thought that alt porn was turning into a movement she stated, "I think it's a movement. I think I've started something.

Career

Joanna has written, produced, directed and starred in films available exclusively through Burning Angel as well as appearing in more traditionally distributed adult films. She was under an exclusive contract with VCA Pictures which expired in March 2007, and was, at one time, represented by the adult talent agency Bad Ass Models.

Following the success of Burning Angel, Angel has been featured in numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times.[7] She was nominated in 2006 for the AVN Awards for both "Best New Starlet" and "Best Actress," and although she won neither, she did take home the award for "Most Outrageous Sex Scene" for her appearance in Re-Penetrator.

She briefly wrote a monthly sex advice column for Spin. She also contributed a chapter to the book Naked Ambition: Women Pornographers and How They Are Changing the Sex Industry.
She was nominated for the 2009 AVN Award for "The Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year".
In 2010, Angel appeared in a Public Service Announcement for the Free Speech Coalition on the topic of internet piracy of adult content, directed by Michael Whiteacre. The spot, entitled the "FSC All-Star Anti-Piracy PSA" found her in the company of adult performers such as Lisa Ann, Julie Meadows, Kimberly Kane, Ron Jeremy, and Wicked Pictures contract stars Alektra Blue and Kaylani Lei.

In 2011, she was named by CNBC as one of the 12 most popular stars in porn. CNBC noted that she owns her own studio and that the "punk look" that she and her other actors share has created a new genre in the porn industry called Alt porn.

Source: Wikipedia