“I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading, and you can read it on my arms, my legs, my shoulders, and my stomach.”
At a time when reality TV and tattoo artistry were in unprecedented demand, Katherine Von Drachenberg – best known as Kat Von D – stood out amongst her peers. It wasn’t simply because she was a woman, though she would soon become perhaps the most well known woman in her industry’s history, but because of her workaholic attitude and commitment to creation.
Kat Von D was born in Mexico to Argentinian parents. She came to the USA at age four, and a year later began studying classical music. As she grew older, her love for playing timeless songs on her piano remained strong, even as she diverted from the kind of traditional lifestyle associated with such a refined upbringing.
LA inspired a creative energy within her, further enhanced by a strong attraction to the punk rock scene. When one of Kat’s friends saw her drawings, he asked her to tattoo him. She was only 14, and had no experience, but the appeal of experimenting with a new artistic outlet. The rig she used to produce the tattoo of a Misfits skull was created using a cassette player motor and a guitar string. The very second she pressed ink to skin, Kat knew it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.
She left high school to pursue a career in tattoo artistry at age 16, after spending two years honing her skills on the street. She was fortunate enough to be employed at a local parlour, and spent the next nine years working in various stores, including Chris Garver’s True Tattoo. Under the tutelage of more experienced artists, she excelled.
At the age of 25, she opened her own shop. High Voltage Tattoo. In a heavily populated industry, Kat Von D set herself apart with a distinctive style crafted over almost a decade.
Around this time, a tattoo artist injured himself and had to be replaced on the hit reality TV show Miami Ink. Garver recommended Kat, so assured was he of her skills.
Life on the show was tough. Kat hadn’t owned a television since her youth, so seeing the way editors manipulated her on-screen image for what was deemed a ‘reality’ program astonished her. What’s more, the intense shooting schedules resulted in Kat having to hire a team of assistants to keep her life in check, and the constant hovering of camera teams was starting to impact on her work. “The magic in that part of the tattoo process is definitely gone once you invite the cameras in,” she told Skin Deep magazine back in 2010.
By the end of her time on the show, Kat Von D’s popularity had soared. She left Miami Ink, but her departure resulted in a spinoff, LA Ink, that followed Kat’s work at High Voltage. It ran for four seasons between 2007 and 2011.
It was during the show’s run that Kat started to dabble in other artistic mediums. She released her first book, High Voltage Tattoo, in 2009. It debuted at #6 on the New York Times Best Seller list. The book detailed Kat’s relationship with tattooing through images of her work. She followed it up a year later with The Tattoo Chronicles, which reached #3 on the best sellers list, and Go Big or Go Home: Taking Risks in Life, Love, and Tattooing.
In 2008, Kat launched a line of makeup for cosmetics company Sephora. A new collection has been released each year, and though controversy has surrounded Kat’s naming convention for the products, they have become immensely popular, and brought her artistic expression to a whole new audience.
Kat is also the creator of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival, an all-ages event hosted in Southern California, and in recent years opened an art gallery, Wonderland Gallery, next door to High Voltage Tattoo. Her fashion line, KVD Los Angeles, is available internationally.
For all her success, there have been hard times. Kat has been vocal about her struggle with depression and tumultuous history with men, but keeps an optimistic attitude thanks, in part, to her work. Even when he home burnt down in 2010, destroying her property and killing her cat while she was away, she continued her international book tour in order to meet with fans.
She has accomplished many achievements, but Kat isn’t done yet. She has been working on an album since 2011, as well as a documentary. She hopes to create furniture in the future, and is a keen entomologist.
Throughout it all, she continues to tattoo. Though she has worked with celebrities, and become a star herself in the process, Kat Von D has remained gracious and approachable. Fans know that they may have to wait months, but when Kat shows up to create their new tattoo, she is going to do as good a job as ever before.