Kat Von D

Katherine von Drachenberg

Date of Birth
8 March 1982, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

Height
5' 9¼" (1.76 m)

Spouse
Oliver Peck (8 March 2004 - 23 July 2008) (divorced)

Trade Mark

Tank Tops

Her Unique Eyes

Tattoos all over Her Body

Kat Von D was born on March 8, 1982 in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Her family moved to the United States when she was 4 years and ten years later, she did a tattoo of a Misfits skull. It was her first but certainly not her last as she found herself hooked on body art ever since. At the tender age of 16, she was already working at a local tattoo shop and her expertise has brought her a long way from home, working in California for a shop called True Tattoo and in Dallas, Texas for the shop Elm Street Tattoo. Her latest project is for the TLC reality television show, Miami Ink.

Kat Von D was asked to join the second season of Miami Ink as a replacement for the injured tattoo artist Darren Brass. She is known as the “Queen of Portraits,” as she is deeply drawn to portraiture and realism. Her presence in the show has brought a different energy, as she is the only female tattoo artist in the bunch.

Born on March 8th, 1982 in Nuevo Leon Mexico, to Argentinean parents René Drachenberg and Sylvia Galeano, Kat Von D moved to Colton, California at the age of four. Growing up, she was very close to her grandmother who greatly influenced her love for art. Her grandmother introduced her to playing the piano and listening to great composers such as Beethoven, Kat Von D's favorite. She grew up close to her parents and siblings in Inland Empire, where she was exposed to various cultures and influences. At the age of 14, she got her first tattoo, an English J on her ankle, a tribute to a previous love affair. It was then when she discovered her talent for art and in 1996, she picked up the machine and started honing her craft. Two years later, Kat Von D started working in a professional shop, Sin City Tattoo, and moved on to Blue Bird Tattoo in Pasadena a year later. Other shops she has worked in include Inflictions and True Tattoo, where she worked with Clay Decker, Chris Garver and Tim Hendricks. It was then when she moved to Los Angeles, where she met her husband to be, a talented artist named Oliver Peck.

Kat Von D appears on LA Ink wherein she features her shop, High Voltage Tattoo and her various clients who have willingly shared their tattoo stories. LA Ink is a spin off of Miami Ink, where Kat Von D has also previously appeared in.