"L.A. Ink" airs on the TLC cable network. It is based on the life of tattoo artist Kat Von D, who owns a tattoo shop called High Voltage Tattoo.
The series premiered in August of 2007, with hour-long episodes similar in style to those of its predecessor, "Miami Ink." About 30 minutes of the episodes are spent on tattoos and artwork, while the other half focuses on the personal stories of Kat Von D and the other members of the shop staff.
Aside from regular tattoo customers that come in for work, many celebrity musicians and athletes have made appearances on "L.A. Ink," including Sebastian Bach, Dave Navarro and Nikki Sixx.
There are four regular tattoo artists that are featured in "L.A. Ink," in addition to Kat Von D. Most of the artists work at High Voltage Tattoo Shop during filming of the show, but also own and operate their own tattoo shops in other locations where they work when the show is not filming. Kat Von D is known for her black and white tattoo artwork, as well as her skill at doing portraits tattoos. She has tattooed celebrities including musicians, athletes and actors. Aside from living in Los Angeles, she also owns a home in Dallas and goes there to tattoo several times a year.
Kim Saigh is a professional tattoo artists with over 16 years of experience. She owns her own shop in Chicago and spends time there when the show is not filming. Corey Miller is the only male tattoo artist on "L.A. Ink," and has the most experience tattooing (25 years). He specializes in portraits, black and gray tattoos, and dragon art. Corey likes to freehand designs directly onto the skin instead of using traditional tattoo stencils.
Hannah Aitchison does mostly colorful tattoo work as well as pin-ups and traditional style images. The original shop manager was Kat's friend Pixie Acia, but after arguments with other cast members and problems in the shop, she was eventually fired and left the show. The new shop manager is another friend of Kat's named Naheed Simjee, who previously worked in the music industry as a supervisor and even a record label general manager. Two other people that work in the tattoo shop throughout the filming of the show are Kat's brother and sister, who act as assistants and shop helpers.
The tattoo artists that work on "L.A. Ink" do their tattoos during filming based on casting decisions made by the show's producers and TLC. A person cannot just make an appointment or walk in to get a tattoo during filming, but instead must submit casting information to show producers, which usually includes a short tape and pictures. It is a similar process to being cast for any type of reality show, though anyone cast to get a tattoo on "L.A. Ink" is still required to pay the normal price for their tattoo and may be expected to cover the costs of their travel and stay in Los Angeles.