Kat Von D | Taking Tattooing to a Whole New Level

Kat Von D has in a relatively short time rode to fame on the back of the tattooing industry, becoming well known first in Miami Ink, as one of the featured tattoo artists over a two-year period.

What's funny about doing some research on Kat, are the funny ways people spell her name, which was Katherine von Drachenberg at birth, and has obviously been shortened to Kat and D.

But with Von D's persona, even that last name could have been fit into a horror type of movie. It almost has the idea of Dracula connected to it when you first say it.

Anyway, some of the interesting ways people have spelled Kat's name have been cat von d, cat von dee, kat von dee, and katvond, among others.

The funniest one to me was cat von dee, where not only the first letter was wrong, but the "dee" that was added as well.

What's fascinating about Von D is her upbringing, which is so different from who she is today.

Amazingly, she was born of missionary parents from Argentina, but was born in Monterey, Mexico, before the family moved to Southern California.

 A unique aspect of Kat Von D is her diverse tastes. For example, she was trained classically on the piano at an early age, and still enjoys classical music to this day.

While enjoying composers like Chopin and Beethoven, she's also into some of the more radical music like black metal, death metal and power metal.

When talking about her love of movies, she says that more than any other genre she likes comedies, especially romantic comedies. Anything with actress Anna Farris and actor Will Ferrell in she really likes.

Some of her favorite movies are Immortal Beloved, The English Patient and Spinal Tap. Other goofy movies she likes are Super Troopers, Bring It On and Zoolander.

It's funny. After hearing her selection of heavy metal music, you start to think you're going to hear her favorite movies as Saw, and a bunch of other horror types.

Kat Von D is definitely like an onion with a lot of unique layers.

The first big break Kat Von D has was of course being one of the featured artists on Miami Ink. Her passion and skill, along with her dark beauty made her a fascinating and interesting figure which the public connected to. 

After the two tumultuous seasons connected to LA Ink, TLC contacted Von D to be the major part of a new show named LA Ink.

She jumped at the chance to be on the show, as she said the idea of an average or mediocre female becoming the face of female tattooing was close to "blasphemy" to her.

Saying she wanted to show that tattooing was a positive and good thing, and she would work hard at making that a reality.

Kat says she never had the idea of being in the spotlight or being motivated primarily by money. It's the love of tattooing pure and simple that drives her. I believe she really means it.

Again, drawing on a unique and contradictory childhood, Kat Von D says the motivation behind what she does is 'love.' Other things that inspire her within the parameters of love are her family, Los Angeles, music and her heritage.

She adds that all this is the foundation for how she lives, tattoos, communicates, dresses, draws, shops and paints.

Kat says drawing has always been a part of her life as far back as she can remember, and much of her early work was compiled and saved by her mother.

Amazingly, she did her first tattoo at 14-years-old, and by the age of 16 was hired professionally by a tattoo shop, although she is quick to add that she had to drop a lot of things she had learned on her own.  

In an interview, Kat Von D was asked if there were any specific artists that inspired her. In the usual complexity of her life, she includes traditional masters like Michelangelo and Da Vinci, while including contemporary artists like Shawn Barber and Michael Hussar.

Also a major part of her inspiration is Kore Flatmo, who has been a great friend of Von D, and of who she said she would "sell my soul to have one tenth of the talent in his pinky finger." Flatmo is a talented tattoo artist.

With her popularity and star growing, Kat Von D has branched out into new ventures as well, as she now owns her own make-up line called Sephora. 

Typical of the contradictory Von D, I checked out the website thinking I'm going to find something goth-like or that would cater to the heavy metal crowd, and there I found a make-up website that looks like any regular website you would find.

I think this is one of the secrets behind Von D, in that she can be that rebel-like woman who you find interesting, but at the same time seem like the girl next door.

It seems that's why she's so popular, as she can straddle the line between renegade and mainstream without going too far into either one.

What I think of with Von D is something similar to Harley Davidson, which also has that unique persona, but in reality sells more bikes to people that fantasize about the biker lifestyle, rather than truly live it.

It's the fun of pretend, and I think that's what Kat Von D sells to many women in mainstream America, and why she's so popular.

Again, the fun of Kat Von D is just when you think she's mainstream, you check into the Musink festival she personally launched, which in the first year drew over 15,000 people and 200 tattoo artists.

The 2nd annual festival was held in February 2009, and was also very successful.

But this is the other side of Kat Von D, and the somewhat risque photos and celebrations were completely different than what she does with part of her other interests the general public sees.

A Who's Who list of celebrities and musicians have been and are clients of Kat Von D, and the more well known she has become the more flock to her convenient location in LA to be inked by her and her staff.

A small sampling of those tattooed by Von D include Guns N Roses, Eve and Mira Sorvino, Steve-O, Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Bam Margera, Kerry King, Ryan Dunn and Rivaldo, among numerous others.

Early in 2009, Kat Von D released her first book named "High Voltage Tattoo," published by Harper Collins.

The book is a personal and intimate look at the history of Von D and the process through which she developed her interest and love of art and tattooing.

She talks a lot about the TV show, what her inspirations are, and the LA Ink shop. Not only that, she delves deeply into the art of tattooing itself, giving many examples of the tattoo culture and the processes of the art discipline. 

Kat has been married once to another tattoer named Oliver Peck in 2003. They divorced in 2007, and since that time Kat has been connected to a number rock music artists, including Alex "Orbi" Orbison. She actually named an eyeshadow in her True Romance Eyeshadow Palette after him.

That relationship is over now, and she confirmed recently that she's currently dating Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue. 

As with much of Kat Von D, it's really difficult to ascertain the truth about who she really is. She's a living contradiction; at least that's the impression she outwardly gives you.

She definitely has a love and passion for what she does, and you can feel that when she expresses herself about it.

With the rising popularity of tattoos, and the ability to bridge the gap between subculture and mainstream, she potentially stands at the pinnacle of an extraordinary business empire if she chooses to continue going that route.

The question which must be answered, and can only be answered by Kat Von D, is whether she burns herself out on a personal lifestyle that could damage her future.

Again, it's hard to separate truth from fiction, and that part of Kat Von D is what makes her so fascinating to study. Personally I would be surprised if she really is a trainwreck, and more than likely a lot of the lifestyle is created by marketers and handlers to make her extremely interesting. They're doing a good job in that regard.

I think Kat Von D has an extraordinary future ahead of her, and it's only limited by how far she personally wants to take it.

Kat Von D is no doubt now the face of the tattoo world to the mainstream market.

While tattooing is and will be popular with or without her, she is a key part of being a bridge between the subculture that makes up the tattoo world, and those who enjoy hanging out on the fringe of the lifestyle.

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