MEET OUR CREW
Fine Line Co Owner & Tattoo Artist – Sheldon Shaw
As co-owner and Head Artist at Fine Line Tattoo & Piercing, Sheldon has played a major role in shaping both the artistic direction and the standard of work at the studio.
He started tattooing in 2015 after beginning his apprenticeship at 18, and later studied Fine Art at the University of the Witwatersrand — a background that still shows in the way he approaches composition, detail and custom design.
But ask Sheldon what style of tattooing he enjoys most, and the answer is not quite as simple as you might expect. He genuinely loves all of it.
Fine line. Black-and-grey. Stipple. Ornamental. Colour. Watercolour. Script. Custom work.
For Sheldon, choosing only one style feels limiting because the part he enjoys most is working with the person in front of him — taking their idea, developing it together and creating something that both artist and client are genuinely excited about.
If he absolutely had to choose one style to tattoo every day though? Trash Polka.
It brings together many of the things he loves most — black-and-grey realism, abstract elements, geometry, linework and bold composition — all within one piece.
His ultimate dream project would be a full Trash Polka back piece, combining female portraiture, dramatic architecture such as cathedrals, and perhaps even elements of war or history.
Which makes sense, because Sheldon is constantly collecting visual inspiration.
If he isn’t tattooing, there’s a very good chance he’s drinking coffee with his iPad in front of him, supposedly doing design work……and getting completely sucked into Pinterest.
Away from tattooing, he enjoys spending time with close family and friends, playing golf when he gets the chance, and getting outdoors despite describing himself as very much a city boy.
And one thing clients may not expect?
He loves getting his nails done — the more artwork and colour, the better.
Sheldon describes himself in three words:
Androgynous. Resilient. Authentic.
Those three words probably sum him up better than any job title could.
After more than a decade in tattooing, what still matters most to Sheldon is not simply producing technically strong work.
It is the collaboration.
Different people. Different ideas. Different styles. And creating something that feels completely right for the person wearing it.
To see Sheldon’s work, check out his gallery at https://finelinetattoo.co.za/sheldon-shaw-tattoo-artist/
Tattoo Artist – Dylan de Lange
With a background in Graphic Design and a lifelong love of drawing and painting, Dylan brings a strong sense of composition, balance and visual storytelling into his tattoo work.
His style is rooted in black-and-grey, realism, florals, script and illustrative tattooing, but the work that gets him most excited is anything that allows him to really focus on detail.
Black-and-grey realism. Colour realism. Hyper-realism.
And, on the opposite end of the scale, he also has a real love for fine-line, dainty work.
That mix says quite a lot about Dylan as an artist — whether he’s working on something delicate and understated or highly detailed and realistic, the appeal is in getting the details right.
If he could choose one dream project tomorrow, he’d go straight for hyper-realism, particularly portraits or floral work.
For Dylan, inspiration doesn’t only come from tattooing either. He loves looking at art in almost any medium, picking apart what makes it work and finding ways of carrying those ideas into his own creativity.
Outside the studio, things get a little more relaxed.
He enjoys visiting his family, fishing and cooking — although clients often discover a few unexpected things about him once they get chatting.
For one, he’s left-handed.
And both of his parents are in the SAPS — which apparently surprises people more often than he expects.
Dylan describes himself as: Passionate. Outspoken. Respectful.
That outspoken side also means he genuinely enjoys interacting with clients. He likes the conversation, the exchange of ideas and the process of taking somebody’s initial concept and developing it into something that works as a tattoo — not simply reproducing an image they’ve seen somewhere else.
When he isn’t tattooing, you’ll often find him looking at other artists’ work, finding inspiration, chatting to clients or thinking about what he wants to try next.
For Dylan, the goal is simple:
Keep learning. Keep creating. And make every piece feel like it belongs to the person wearing it.
To see Dylan’s work, check out his gallery at https://finelinetattoo.co.za/portfolio-dylan-de-lange/
Tattoo Artist – Reagan Smerdon
With 18 years of tattooing experience, Reagan brings a huge amount of technical knowledge to the Fine Line team — particularly when it comes to detailed fine-line work, black-and-grey, realism and larger custom pieces.
The projects that really get his attention are the ones that give him room to work.
Animals. Florals. Realism. Fine detail. Texture. Shading.
And, ideally, enough space on the body to bring all of those elements together properly.
Reagan has a particular love for animal realism, especially when it can become part of a larger composition that works with the natural anatomy of the body rather than simply sitting on top of it.
His dream project would be exactly that:
A large-scale combination of animal and floral realism, with enough space to really showcase the detail, depth and shading.
That passion for art doesn’t stop when the tattoo machine gets switched off either.
Outside the studio, Reagan enjoys painting, spending time with his animals and working on car customisation — while apparently also spending a considerable amount of time thinking about tattooing anyway.
He’s constantly looking for new ideas, new people to connect with and new ways of getting Fine Line involved with the wider community. Even during quieter moments at the studio, his brain seems to be working on the next idea: Who can we meet? What can we do differently? How do we get people through the door?
And there’s something else clients apparently discover fairly quickly.
Reagan knows he can look pretty serious.
He isn’t. As he puts it, clients are often surprised to discover that he’s nowhere near as serious as he looks once they’re actually sitting in his chair.
After nearly two decades in the industry, Reagan still talks about tattooing with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely wants to keep pushing himself creatively.
And while he can work across a broad range of styles, give him detail, realism, shading and a decent amount of skin to work with, and you’ll probably see him at his happiest.
To see Reagan’s work check out his gallery at
Tattoo Artist – Nossi
Since beginning her tattoo career in 2018, Nossi has developed a distinctive style built around delicate fine linework, soft black-and-grey shading, thoughtful composition and subtle red accents.
She’s particularly drawn to detailed floral and botanical work — especially when a client gives her enough creative freedom to really build the piece from the ground up.
And while she loves refined, delicate tattoos, she also enjoys the projects that make her stop for a moment and think:
“Okay… how am I going to pull this off?”
Those are often the ones she enjoys most.
Her dream project would be a large nature-inspired back piece combining botanicals, animals and intricate fine detail — something where she could design the entire composition from scratch and really push herself creatively.
That attention to detail is very much part of Nossi’s personality too.
When she’s not tattooing, she describes herself as a bit of a homebody. She loves cooking for the people close to her, listening to music, watching movies or series, painting and spending time outside in nature.
She’s also much quieter than people sometimes expect a tattoo artist to be.
Nossi describes herself as reserved at first, more likely to observe than dominate a conversation — but once she’s comfortable, that quieter personality is exactly what helps create the relaxed, welcoming environment her clients experience in the chair.
Her three words?
Quiet. Creative. Determined.
And if you’re wondering what she’s doing during a quiet moment at Fine Line, there’s a fairly good chance she’s designing, answering enquiries, chatting to the team…
…or cleaning something that was probably already clean.
Otherwise, she’ll be somewhere nearby with music playing, happily disappearing into her own little world.
Whether it’s a small minimalist tattoo or a large custom composition, Nossi brings the same approach to every piece:
Take the time. Get the details right. And create something that feels personal to the person wearing it.
To see Nossi’s work check out her gallery at
Tattoo Artist – Sam Coetzee
Sam joined the world of tattooing in 2023 and has quickly built a reputation for bold, consistent work with clean linework, strong composition and plenty of visual impact.
His biggest passion is Japanese-inspired tattooing — not only for the way it looks, but for the history, symbolism and meaning behind each individual element.
For Sam, that deeper story matters.
Give him a Japanese-themed project and he’ll happily disappear down the rabbit hole, researching the imagery, understanding the lore and working out how the different elements can come together into something that feels both powerful and personal.
And if he could choose one dream project?
A full traditional Japanese bodysuit. No hesitation.
Outside tattooing, Sam is probably one of the easiest people in the studio to send completely off-topic. One month he’s playing chess. The month before, he was building an app. Next month? Apparently even Sam doesn’t know.
He describes himself as a chronic student because he genuinely loves learning new things, a natural devil’s advocate, and — perhaps unexpectedly — lazy.
Although Sam would argue that last one is a compliment.
As he puts it, “Laziness is the mother of all invention.” If there’s a faster, smarter or more efficient way of doing something, you can safely assume he’ll try to find it.
And while clients might know him as relaxed and easy to chat to at the studio, apparently there’s another side to the story:
“I am completely socially inept outside of work.”
When he’s not tattooing, designing or falling into his latest obsession, you’ll most likely find him reading.
Japanese, traditional, bold colour, script, fine line or something completely different — Sam approaches every piece with the same goal:
Understand the idea. Make it work for the body. And keep getting better with every tattoo.
To see Sam’s work check out his gallery at
Fine Line Owner – Etienne Louw
Etienne Louw is the owner of Fine Line Tattoo & Piercing and a professional piercer with more than a decade of experience in piercing and body modification. As the founder of Fine Line in 2017, his role has extended far beyond ownership. He shape the studio around the values that remain central to it today: exceptional standards of hygiene and safety, respect for individuality, honest advice, and creating an environment where clients feel comfortable and accepted.
Etienne works across a broad range of piercing styles but particularly enjoys elaborate, unusual and advanced piercing and body-modification projects, including scarification. His interest in modification is also deeply personal. Having spent much of his own life exploring tattooing, piercing and body modification, he understands the experience from both sides of the procedure; something especially important in intimate and specialised work, where trust, dignity and respect are as important as technical ability.
Beyond the studio, Etienne has a strong commitment to charitable and community work and is a vocal advocate against gender-based violence. He also has a longstanding fascination with history and human behaviour and has written his own memoir.
Despite an appearance that can occasionally suggest otherwise, clients quickly discover someone considerably more relaxed, approachable and non-judgemental than they may expect. Asked to describe himself in three words, Etienne chooses respectful, determined and OCD. The determination is perhaps best demonstrated by Fine Line itself: once he has a vision, he tends to pursue it relentlessly until it becomes reality. The OCD? Anyone who has watched him straighten something that’s three millimetres out of place probably doesn’t need an explanation.
Whether it’s a straightforward piercing or something far more unusual, Etienne’s approach remains the same:
Respect and understand the person. Respect the anatomy. Get the details right. And never treat individuality as something that needs to be toned down.