Kat Von D

Katherine Von Drachenberg, known as Kat Von D is a Mexican-American tattoo artist, model, musician, author, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality television show LA Ink, which premiered in the United States on the 7th. August 2007, and ran for four seasons. She is also known for being the former head of Kat Von D Beauty (now KVD Vegan Beauty). Her Seventh-day Adventist Church missionary parents, father René and mother Sylvia Galeano, were born in Argentina, and are of German, Italian and Spanish descent, respectively. Von D has a sister, Karoline and a brother, 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.

Kat Von D credits her grandmother, Clara von Drachenberg, as an inspiration for her in music and art, and the Latino culture of Los Angeles as a major influence on her tattoo 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.