Sheldon Shaw

from Fine Line Tattoo and Piercing Studio

Give us some insight into how you became a full time tattoo artist?
After school I would hang out at Little Shop of Horrors Tattoo and Piercing Studio, make coffee for the staff and clients, and slowly started learning the basics. I became an apprentice and the rest is history. I studied Fine Art at Wits while doing my apprenticeship, which was about four years before I picked up a tattoo machine.

What advice would you give someone wanting to get their first tattoo?
Take your time, really think about it. Do your research on the studio/s and the artist/s. Make sure you feel welcomed and comfortable with the artist and ask to see their portfolio, do not be shy about that. And, just have a blast, have a laugh, and have the best experience while getting a great tattoo.

What style of tattoo would you say you specialise in, and why?
I can’t choose one. I love so many different styles but my favourite styles are black and grey realism, trash polka, watercolour, and geometry/mandala.