Kat Von D

Kat Von D, 28, is one of the most respected and sought-after tattoo artists in the world. She's also the star of TLC's series "L.A. Ink," a spin-off of "Miami Ink," which Kat was featured on for two seasons. The hit series "L.A. Ink" will be airing new episodes this July centering on the talented artists working at Kat's tattoo shop - High Voltage Tattoo. Since "L.A. Ink" premiered in Aug. '07, averaging over three million viewers a week, the shop has become a noted destination point for LA denizens and tourists alike.

Last year, Kat wrapped her first film 'The Bleeding in North Carolina', alongside Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones and DMX, and currently has her own exclusive makeup line for Sephora in all stores nationwide. In addition to those projects her first book "High Voltage Tattoo" (Harper Collins) debuted in January '09 on The New York Times Best Seller List, and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks. "High Voltage Tattoo" is a collection of 100 incredible examples of Kat's finished work and personal stories behind each piece. Her follow-up book, "The Tattoo Chronicles" is set to be released by Harper Collins in the fall, 2010.

Playing by her own rules, Kat lives a fast-paced, rebel lifestyle. Hers is a life of freedom: she sets her own schedule, picks her clients, all while running and maintaining a burgeoning business.

A true L.A. woman, Kat finds her inspiration in the City of Angels. Whether she's partying at the hottest bars and clubs or checking out bands, Kat is constantly finding interesting ideas for her art. Through her active lifestyle, she's forged close friendships with and often tattoos several of the actors, athletes and rockers who live in L.A. Celebrities who have flocked to Kat for her signature fine-line, black-and-gray life-like portraits include Eve, Jenna Jameson, Jared Leto, Eric Balfour, Margaret Cho, rockers My Chemical Romance, Metallica, Slayer, Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Scott Ian and Sebastian Bach. In April '08, Tony Hawk presented Kat with the first "Hot New Picasso Award" at the Young Hollywood Awards, hosted by Hollywood Life Magazine. Kat was also named as one of "Maxim's Hot 100" in 2008.

While Kat has lived most of her life in Los Angeles, she was born March 8, 1982, in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Kat's family moved to the United States when she was 4, settling in Colton, Calif. Her father and mother were born in Argentina, though her father's family origins were German and her mother's was Spanish-Italian.

Kat is close with both her parents and her siblings, however; it was her paternal grandmother, a professional pianist from Germany, who turned Kat onto the arts. Pushing Kat to take piano lessons, her grandmother introduced her to some of the great composers, including Beethoven, whose work Kat immediately fell in love with. This encounter in turn led Kat on a never-ending journey to discover other composers, painters and sculptors from that time period.

As Kat became a teenager, she was exposed to punk rock music and became immersed in its culture. At age 14 she got her first tattoo, an old English "J" on her ankle, a memento of a love gone-by. Shortly thereafter, Kat did her first tattoo. She tattooed a Misfits skull, representing one of her favorite bands, onto one of her friends. Ironically, she ended up tattooing one of the original members of the Misfits years later.

By age 16 she was hooked and working at tattoo shops in and around Los Angeles. There, she further honed her signature style, developed her hard-core following and came into her own as an artist.

Tattoos aren't just everything to Kat Von D, they are her life.