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"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." Katherine von Drachenberg, also known as Kat Von D, is one of the more influential tattoo artists in modern memory. She originally rose to fame as an artist on two seasons of the show Miami Ink before landing her own program in 2007 titled LA Ink.
Since her meteoric rise to fame, Von D has turned into a fashion, tattoo, and cosmetic professional. Von D launched her own line of quality cosmetics in 2008. Along the way, Von D has appeared in a number of television shows, feature films, and books. Von D has a clear grasp of her impact on the pop-culture world, so let's see how she became the iconic artist that she is today.
Born in Mexico, Raised in LA
Katherine von Drachenberg was born on March 8, 1982, in Montemorelos, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Von D was born to Rene and Sylvia Drachenberg. Von D was raised alongside two siblings, a sister named Karlone and a brother named Michael. She lived in a household that followed the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Her family lived for a number of years in Mexico before officially making their move to Los Angeles.
While Von D may have been born in Mexico, the majority of her childhood was in Los Angeles. After her family relocated to Colton, California, at the age of four, Von D would immediately find herself immersed in the world of art. By the time that Von D was six-years-old, she had been training in classical piano for two years. One of Von D's early influences was her grandmother, Clara von Drachenberg. Clara was an inspirational force in the world of music and art. Von D has taken inspiration from her grandmother in the style of art that she pursues, including her own work with ink.
As a child, Von D grew into the punk rock style that she still sports to this day. Some of her favorite bands growing up include the Misfits and the Ramones. By the time that Von D was 14-years-old, Von D would have her first tattoo. Within two years, Von D would drop out of school in order to pursue a career as a tattoo artist.
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Making it as a tattoo artist is a tough career path for just about anyone. For Von D, her path to success would end up navigating a different route than most. Von D would end up taking her unique art style to the offices of 305 Ink in Miami. While she was there, she would get included in the TLC show, Miami Ink (2005). Von D would end up taking the position from Darren Brass, another tattoo artist who unfortunately had to miss the show due to a broken elbow.
After getting cast on Miami Ink, Von D would become a breakaway star on the show. Von D would appear in 20 episodes spanning two seasons before deciding to step away from the program. Von D's decision to leave Miami Ink came down in large part to personal disputes with Ami James. In any event, Von D removed herself from Miami Ink but that did not mean that she quit working.
When Von D put 305 Ink in her rearview mirror, she did so with the knowledge that she had more work ahead of her. Von D went straight from Miami Ink to her own tattoo shop in Hollywood, CA. Von D would open High Voltage Tattoo in 2007, just in time for her own series on TLC. Von D would become the star of LA Ink (2007) as well as an eventual producer of the series. The program served to put Von D on the map, thus bringing the talented artist to a whole new level of fame.
While working at High Voltage Tattoo, Von D would set a Guinness World Record for the most tattoos given to a single person over a 24-hour period with 400. Von D would later lose her record to Oliver Peck, her ex-husband. High Voltage Tattoo would run for a full four seasons before Von D once again decided to step away from the world of television. In the intervening years since the peak of her popularity, Von D has appeared in 55 shows, three shorts, two television shows, and a movie titled The Bleeding (2009) as the character, Vanya. Outside of her work on television, Von D has been a prolific producer of cosmetics. Von D would launch her first make-up line in 2008 for the company, Sephora. Since 2008, Von D has released a new collection every single year. In 2016, Von D decided to reformulate all of her products so that they would be compliant with vegan practices. Von D continues to release new cosmetics and fragrances to this day.
Von D has also had a substantial impact on tattoo culture even outside of her work with ink. Von D has used her work in order to support a number of organizations. In 2016, Von D donated 20% of her Project Chimps sales to the charitable organization of the same name. Project Chimps is dedicated to helping care for chimpanzees that formerly worked with scientists in a research capacity. Von D is also the founder of the MusInk Tattoo Convention and Music Festival which takes place in Southern California. In her private life, Von D is vegan and cruelty-free. Thanks to her stance and activism choices, Von D would receive the Compassion in Action Award from Farm Sanctuary in 2016 on behalf of all animal rights. Von D has also released several books about her life including High Voltage Tattoo (2009), The Tattoo Chronicles (2010), High Voltage Tattoo Ff (2011), and Go Big or Go Home (2013).
Kat Von D is currently married to Rafael Reyes, a musician in the band known as 'Prayers'. The couple tied the knot in 2018, and they have one child together, a boy named Leafar Von Drachenberg Reyes.
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