Kat Von D made Houston a last-minute stop on her High Voltage Tattoo book tour, signing more than 600 copies Tuesday at the Barnes and Noble on Westheimer and Voss. The popular tattoo artist has made her name as one of the most recognizable faces in her industry, helping bring the art form to the mainstream.
Von D’s signing drew a diverse line of fans, including a 65-year-old woman.Age disparity aside, the rabid fan base crossed demographics from the tattoo enthusiasts to soccer moms.
Von D’s reality shows, ‘Miami Ink’ and ‘LA Ink,’ on The Learning Channel are successful-ratings draws. She has tattooed some of the biggest names in music – M’ouml;tley Cr’uuml;e singer and boyfriend Nikki Sixx, Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro, Ja Rule, Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, Jeffrree Star, Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and many others. The wait for an appointment at Von D’s shop is said to be six months.
Fans even brought Von D gifts, from a hand-drawn portrait to stuffed animals, and the ‘LA Ink’ star was gracious and warm to every person in line.
‘I went to her shop in Los Angeles and didn’t get to (see her), so this is my way of meeting her,’ said English senior Krystal de la Garza. ‘I’m really excited to read the book, too.’
The event was put together by Nuestra Palabra, an organization for local Latino writers, who have previously worked with George Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Cheech Marin and Oscar De La Hoya.
The group also runs a TV program on HCC Television and a radio show on KPFT and will be bringing Sandra Cisneros to Houston to discuss her book The House on Mango Street on April 1.
‘Now and then, we get blockbuster events and Houston is a great market,’ founder Tony Diaz said. ‘Houston was not on her tour list originally. This show (happened) because of Nuestra Palabra.’
