Getting to Know the Delightful Kat Von Dee

Kat Von Dee (from Drachenberg) was born in early 1982, in Neuvo Leon, Mexico. At aged 4, she moved with her parents to Colton California. Growing up, she was taught to play classical piano by her grandmother. Although incredibly intelligent and talented, Kat Von Dee dropped out of high school aged just 14.

Instead of doing nothing, Kat Von Dee began creating work for herself with tattooing. From her first ink of The Misfits logo on a local friend, Kat knew that tattooing was the most important thing to her in her life. It was more than just a career, it was a form of artistic expression that she treasured and cherished; it was a form of artwork she would become incredibly skilled at.

The Early Years of a Tattoo Artist

Despite Kat Von Dee’s delightful beside manner, caring and kind personality and overall fun loving character, Kat did not have the easiest of years as an early tattoo artist. The first two years were spent inking her locals.

During her early teens, Kat Von Dee worked her way up from seedy studios filled with ex cons, and eventually, after much moving around, Kat found her place at ‘True Tattoo’.

Through determination and talent, Kat had managed to work her way into a studio renowned for it’s high profile clients and gifted artists. Kat Von Dee was gifted with overseeing the execution of thousands of tattoos by incredibly talented artists; and her own abilities did not go unnoticed by her colleagues.

Meeting Kat on Miami Ink

For most Kat Von Dee fans, our first experiences and memories of this incredible individual are as a guest artist appearance on the hit TV show Miami Ink.

Kat Von Dee was not originally cast to appear in the show. Darren Brass was originally lined up as the studio artist; however, a broken arm led to a search for a replacement. Kat’s colleague, Chris Garver, recommended Kat for the role; and just like that, Kat Von Dee was suddenly on our TV screens.

Kat quickly became a big hit with the audience, and fans were delighted to see that she was kept on for a total of three seasons. Unfortunately, artistic tempers got the better of Kat and the Miami Ink studio owner; in the end, this led to Kat being asked to leave.

Leading the Way with LA Ink

Rather than disappearing off the face of the planet, Kat fought back with her own version of the show, LA Ink; filmed in her studio based in Cali, High Voltage Tattoo.

Now, Kat Von Dee and her talented team of tattoo artists lead the way, and the show has surpassed the success of the original series.

Kat Von Dee has also ventured into other industries, including makeup products, perfumes and fragrances, books and a boutique, located next door to her studio. Kat Von Dee has since become arguably one of the biggest names in the tattoo industry.