Kat Von D
Encyclopedia
Katherine Drachenberg known professionally as Kat Von D and who has given her name as Katherine von Drachenberg in two German interviews is an American tattoo artist
and television personality. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist
on the TLC
reality television
show LA Ink
, which premiered August 7, 2007 in the United States and November 11, 2007 in the UK, and ran four seasons.
, Mexico
. Her parents were born in Argentina. Her father, René Drachenberg, is of German descent and her mother, Sylvia Galeano, is of Italian
and Spanish
descent. Von D has a sister named Karoline and a brother named Michael. She moved with her family to the Los Angeles
area at age 4 and grew up in Colton, California
. Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age 6. She particularly appreciates Ludwig van Beethoven
.
She credits the prominent Latino culture of Los Angeles as being a major influence drawing tattoos in her art and style. She began listening to the Ramones
, Misfits and other punk rock bands at the age of 12. She got her first tattoo at 14 and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.
broke his elbow, preventing him from tattooing. She appeared in the first four seasons of Miami Ink
, the reality TV show taped there for the cable network TLC
. She had a falling out with Ami James which led to her being asked to leave the shop.
She subsequently acquired her own TLC series, LA Ink
, which chronicled her work at her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, in Hollywood, California
. On the show, she gained the Guinness World Record of most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours, with a total of 400. Accomplished in December 2007, it involved a Con D-designed logo for the city of Los Angeles, with proceeds going to the children's-blindness charity Vitamin Angels. Her record was subsequently broken by her ex-husband, Oliver Peck (415) on June 13 2008; As of November 2008 the record is held by Hollis Cantrell from Artistic Tattoo in Phoenix
, Arizona
, with 801. LA Ink ran four seasons, ending September 15, 2011; TLC announced the cancellation on August 18, 2011. Von D maintained on her Twitter page that it was she who chose "to not continue doing LA Ink".
Her first book, High Voltage Tattoo, compiling her artworks and tattoos, with a foreword by Mötley Crüe
's Nikki Sixx
, was released in January 2009 and reached #6 on The New York Times Best Seller list. Von D described the book as "not an autobiography, you know, 'cause I'm too young to do that. But this is just kind of like a picture-driven outline of my career as an artist. So, you see everything from my drawings when I was six to tattoos that have never before been seen." Her second book, The Tattoo Chronicles, an illustrated diary following a year in her life, was released October 26, 2010, and reached #3 on The New York Times
"Hardcover Advice & Misc." best-seller list.
In 2008, Von D created and launched a make-up line for Sephora
. She has released new collections every year and has expanded her line to include fragrances. She is the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, which began in 2008.
On September 2, 2010, Von D opened the art gallery and boutique Wonderland Gallery in the space next door to High Voltage Tattoo.
bassist Nikki Sixx
from 2008 to through August 2010, when Sixx issued a statement that their relationship had dissolved. She later began dating motorcycle customizer, West Coast Choppers
CEO and reality-show star Jesse James
. On August 19, 2010, Von D confirmed media reports that she and James were dating, tweeting
"I think it's pretty obvious that we're dating. " Von D and James announced their engagement on January 20, 2011. Von D announced their split via Twitter
on July 26, 2011. On August 18, 2011, the two announced their engagement was back on. On September 24, 2011, she announced that she and James split again.
Von D has tattooed herself with the emblems of the bands Misfits, HIM, Turbonegro
, ZZ Top
, Guns N' Roses
, AC/DC
, Slayer
, Mike Got Spiked
and "Slutallica", a modified Metallica
logo. She appeared in the music video of Alkaline Trio
's "Help Me", as well as HIM's Killing Loneliness
. Other musical artists that Von D lists among her favorites include The Mars Volta
and Selena
.
song "High Voltage", which was named after her shop and is featured on their third album, Heart On. In an interview, Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes
said, "I wrote that for Kat Von D, because that girl's bad ass."
Tattoo artist
A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a tattoo shop, tattoo studio or tattoo parlour...
and television personality. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist
Tattoo artist
A tattoo artist is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a tattoo shop, tattoo studio or tattoo parlour...
on the TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show LA Ink
LA Ink
LA Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California...
, which premiered August 7, 2007 in the United States and November 11, 2007 in the UK, and ran four seasons.
Early life
Kat Von D was born in Nuevo LeónNuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Her parents were born in Argentina. Her father, René Drachenberg, is of German descent and her mother, Sylvia Galeano, is of Italian
Italian Argentine
An Italian Argentine is a person born in Argentina of Italian ancestry. It is estimated up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent...
and Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
descent. Von D has a sister named Karoline and a brother named Michael. She moved with her family to the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area at age 4 and grew up in Colton, California
Colton, California
Colton is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city is located in the Inland Empire region of the state and is approximately 57 miles east of Los Angeles. The population of Colton is 52,154 according to the 2010 census, up from 47,662 at the 2000 census.Colton is the...
. Von D was classically trained in piano beginning at age 6. She particularly appreciates Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
.
She credits the prominent Latino culture of Los Angeles as being a major influence drawing tattoos in her art and style. She began listening to the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Misfits and other punk rock bands at the age of 12. She got her first tattoo at 14 and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.
Career
Von D was asked to work at 305 Ink in Miami when Darren BrassDarren Brass
Darren Brass is an American tattoo artist. He featured in reality television show Miami Ink. He cites Chris Garver, Joe Vegas, Bob Roberts, and Ed Hardy as influences....
broke his elbow, preventing him from tattooing. She appeared in the first four seasons of Miami Ink
Miami Ink
Miami Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida. The show premiered in July 2005 and has finished broadcasting its fourth season...
, the reality TV show taped there for the cable network TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
. She had a falling out with Ami James which led to her being asked to leave the shop.
She subsequently acquired her own TLC series, LA Ink
LA Ink
LA Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California...
, which chronicled her work at her tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. On the show, she gained the Guinness World Record of most tattoos given by a single person in 24 hours, with a total of 400. Accomplished in December 2007, it involved a Con D-designed logo for the city of Los Angeles, with proceeds going to the children's-blindness charity Vitamin Angels. Her record was subsequently broken by her ex-husband, Oliver Peck (415) on June 13 2008; As of November 2008 the record is held by Hollis Cantrell from Artistic Tattoo in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, with 801. LA Ink ran four seasons, ending September 15, 2011; TLC announced the cancellation on August 18, 2011. Von D maintained on her Twitter page that it was she who chose "to not continue doing LA Ink".
Her first book, High Voltage Tattoo, compiling her artworks and tattoos, with a foreword by Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
's Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
, was released in January 2009 and reached #6 on The New York Times Best Seller list. Von D described the book as "not an autobiography, you know, 'cause I'm too young to do that. But this is just kind of like a picture-driven outline of my career as an artist. So, you see everything from my drawings when I was six to tattoos that have never before been seen." Her second book, The Tattoo Chronicles, an illustrated diary following a year in her life, was released October 26, 2010, and reached #3 on The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
"Hardcover Advice & Misc." best-seller list.
In 2008, Von D created and launched a make-up line for Sephora
Sephora
Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries...
. She has released new collections every year and has expanded her line to include fragrances. She is the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, which began in 2008.
On September 2, 2010, Von D opened the art gallery and boutique Wonderland Gallery in the space next door to High Voltage Tattoo.
Personal life
Von D married fellow tattoo artist Oliver Peck in 2003, but they were separated and preparing for divorce by August 2007. She and Peck finalized their divorce that year. She dated Motley CrueMötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
bassist Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
from 2008 to through August 2010, when Sixx issued a statement that their relationship had dissolved. She later began dating motorcycle customizer, West Coast Choppers
West Coast Choppers
West Coast Choppers is a lifestyle brand that began selling screen-printed t-shirts and stickers with the company's Iron cross/Maltese cross logo while founder and "master marketer" Jesse G. James was finishing high school, packaging the accoutrements of the chopper lifestyle long before any...
CEO and reality-show star Jesse James
Jesse G. James
Jesse Gregory James is an American television personality and CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles. James was the host of the reality TV shows Jesse James is a Dead Man on Spike TV and Monster Garage, on the Discovery Channel, and the focus of the documentary...
. On August 19, 2010, Von D confirmed media reports that she and James were dating, tweeting
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
"I think it's pretty obvious that we're dating. " Von D and James announced their engagement on January 20, 2011. Von D announced their split via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
on July 26, 2011. On August 18, 2011, the two announced their engagement was back on. On September 24, 2011, she announced that she and James split again.
Von D has tattooed herself with the emblems of the bands Misfits, HIM, Turbonegro
Turbonegro
Turbonegro is a Norwegian punk rock band that was initially active from 1989 to 1998, and later reformed in 2002. Their style combines glam rock, punk rock and hard rock into a style the band describes as "deathpunk"....
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based boogie rock, has come to incorporate elements of arena, southern, and boogie rock. The band, from Houston Texas, formed in 1969...
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Mike Got Spiked
Mike Got Spiked
Mike Got Spiked are an Irish rock band, from Dublin, Ireland, formed in 2002 by Conall McMahon , Jonathan Myles , Gavin McGuire , and David Lodge ....
and "Slutallica", a modified Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
logo. She appeared in the music video of Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
's "Help Me", as well as HIM's Killing Loneliness
Killing Loneliness
"Killing Loneliness" is the second single released by HIM, a Finnish band, and was released in February 2006 in Germany and in April in the UK from their 2005 breakthrough Dark Light...
. Other musical artists that Von D lists among her favorites include The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
and Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
.
In other media
Von D was referred to in the Eagles of Death MetalEagles of Death Metal
Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998 by Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme. Despite their band name, Eagles of Death Metal are not a death metal band. Hughes stated that a friend was introducing Josh Homme to the death metal genre...
song "High Voltage", which was named after her shop and is featured on their third album, Heart On. In an interview, Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes
Jesse Hughes (musician)
Jesse "The Devil" Hughes is an American musician from Greenville, South Carolina. Hughes is known for his role as frontman of the California-based rock band, Eagles of Death Metal. He cites Little Richard as his biggest musical influence and inspiration.-Early life:At age 7, Hughes' mother, Jo...
said, "I wrote that for Kat Von D, because that girl's bad ass."
Television
As well as cameos and various chat show appearances, TV, film, and video game appearances include:- Miami InkMiami InkMiami Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events that took place at a tattoo shop in Miami Beach, Florida. The show premiered in July 2005 and has finished broadcasting its fourth season...
, 2005–2006 - LA InkLA InkLA Ink is an American reality show on TLC that follows the events of the High Voltage Tattoo tattoo studios in Los Angeles, California...
, 2007–2011 - MADtvMADtvMADtv is an American sketch comedy television series. It licensed the name and logo of Mad, but otherwise had no connection with the humor magazine outside the animated Spy vs. Spy and Don Martin cartoon shorts and images of Alfred E. Neuman that the show featured during the late 1990s. Its first...
, April 5, 2008 - The BleedingThe Bleeding (film)The Bleeding is an action-horror film directed by Charlie Picerni and starring Michael Matthias, Vinnie Jones, DMX, and Michael Madsen.-Plot:...
as Vanya - Tony Hawk: Ride (video game) unlockable skater, November 17, 2009
External links
- Kat Von D interview, InkedInked (magazine)Inked is a high-end glossy tattoo lifestyle magazine that debuted in late 2004 and was published quarterly for one year. In 2006, the magazine was purchased by Downtown Media Group but never published an issue. Donald Hellinger, president of Nylon Holding, Inc. publisher of Nylon magazine, acquired...
- Kat Von D podcast interview at Juliland.com
- Kat Von D Biographical Feature and Tattoo Gallery at TattooDesigns.net