Tattoos and Kat Von D

            As I have previously stated in my first blog I have a huge interest in tattoos as well as a big admiration for tattoo artists!  I have grown up seeing them on my father (he has almost 30!) and when I was 17 I got my first tattoo (without my parents permission ha-ha) and today I have 9.  I think tattoos are definitely considered art.  Even though you may see someone and think that their tattoo is silly and pointless, to them it could tell a beautiful story or be in memory of someone special to them.  I love that tattoos stay with you forever.  Just like a painting, a tattoo could be interpreted in many ways to different people, but only the person who has the tattoo on their body knows the true meaning of the tattoo.

            After seeing the project on tattoos in class, and watching the YouTube clips from the show LA Ink I started to research Kat Von D. Katherine von Drachenberg AKA Kat Von D was born on March 8^th 1982 and is an American tattoo artist, model, and TV personality.  She is best known for her work as a tattoo artist on the TLC reality show LA Ink.

Kat Von D moved to LA when she was 4 years old.  She began playing the piano at age 6.  She credits her grandmother as an inspiration for her interest and talents in music and art, and the Latino culture of LA as a major influence on her tattoo art and style.  She began listening to the Ramones, Misfits and other punk rock bands at 12 years old.  She got her first tattoo at 14 years old and quit school at 16 to become a tattoo artist.

            Now although Kat Von D is a very talented tattoo artist, she is one in a million to be famous and as successful as she is today so I wouldn’t encourage or promote a 14 year old getting a tattoo, nor a 16 year old dropping out of school.  But luckily for Miss Kat Von D, everything worked out in her favor!

            People get tattoos for personal reasons.  Just like people chose to style their hair a certain way or behave the way they do or dress the way they dress, some people prefer ink!  For some, they see the tattoo as a way of marking something personal on their bodies, such as a picture of a loved one that has passed on, or an image that reminds them of a past experience in life.  Meaning that they got the tattoo based on important past life experiences.  For others it’s just simply about showing off their personality and letting others see a little bit of whom they are at first glance.  Or it’s a way of incorporating an art form onto their body.

            I think that tattoo artists are very talented.  Imagine being under the pressure of putting a piece of artwork that is PERMANENT on someone’s body!  This is not something that can be erased, or re done.  Once that tattoo is there its staying forever!  Some tattoo artists like Kat Von D for example, have tattooed portraits of people.  I have seen tattoos that are so good and realistic, that the detail is incredible right down to the wrinkles on a persons face or creases on the lips.  The shading and coloring of the tattoo is important.  There is so much work that goes into a tattoo and each one is original because you can never make the exact same tattoo twice.

The first tattoo that I ever got was for my Uncle Eddie who passed away on September 11^th 2001.  It is of his initials and has angel wings around it and 9/11/2001 in Roman Numerals.  I also have the skyline of Manhattan on my rib cage.  My most recent tattoo is lyrics from the song “Free Bird” by Lynard Skynard.  It is a feather with four small birds coming out of it and underneath that it says “and this bird you cannot change fly high free bird”.  I chose that song because it is my family’s favorite song.  My brother, mother father and me are all very close and it meant a lot for me to get that tattoo.  My family loved the tattoo and its important to me because I got it because I love my family and its something that is special to us!

The pictures below are of the tattoo artist Kat Von D

The Pictures below are my tattoos that I spoke about above