Fallen Heroes Tattoo // Art

I booked a full day with Kyle13 to get my tattoo done and it was such a great experience. Everyone at Fallen Heroes are friendly and super chilled. Definitely going back again one of these days. Awesome place. Great artists. Thank you Fallen Heroes!

I appointed Thys to design my tattoo and it was a process that perpetuated itself into poor service & inevitable failure.My brief was: a surrealist collage consisting of octopus tentacles, raven wings, scorpion legs, ink, and lightning, inter alia.Thys told me that he did not read the brief that I sent them and does not like reading or reading books. But the brief was requested of me. So I am not sure how those two seemingly competing points: 1.) info being requested of me and then 2.) info not being read – are reconciled. I do not think that leads to a healthy “collaborative process” which they told me they encourage. It was an experience like chappie bubble-gum: brightly wrapped and flavourful in the beginning, but rapidly descends into tastelessness.Even so, I explained everything that I wanted, face-to-face in a meeting, and it was still not adhered to. I am as yet unaware of how to communicate with another human being beyond writing and talking. I have not yet tried performance art.I paid 1.4k for a 1-hour “Fitting Appointment”.Here I hoped to hit the ground running, see some cool sketches, & even just hear some compelling ideas. I was presented with a half-traced wing of some bird – clearly inappropriate RE the brief.I had to spend an hour of my time explaining, demonstrating, and coming up with all the ideas. In the end, this too was pointless because the final design wasn’t according to the brief at all.After 5 months the design was still nowhere. I could not continue.The design was far too literal, obvious, shallow, and unsophisticated – for my taste & standard.In the end, what was presented to me I felt was kinda like commercial pop music: Rihanna, Katy Perry, Jay-Z, etc. – easily liked by and popular amongst large and unrefined audiences, devoid of anything deep & inspirational, in my opinion.The design suffered many unsolicited liberties: it had a random gigantic eyeball, and the raven wings were completely omitted (which I never asked for), the scorpion legs & lightning were ignored; I stated that I wanted specific lines drawn on specific parts of my body (also ignored).It was not a collage. It was not Surrealism. It seemed like a picture-stamp of a cuddly pet.After 5 months, to still be talking about basic fundamentals of the brief is not what I’m used to, in my fields of Architecture & Curatorial Design, and in my experience of collaborating with many other artists.When I enquired why they had added elements, that I had explicitly stated that I do not want, they told me “it’s no big deal” – but after 5 months, and them trying so many times, yeah it kinda is.They also told me that it’s a “design process” but no client of mine would ever accept this. Again, it’s worth stating: sure, this may work for others, but as far as my experience and this review goes: no.When I complained about it, they said they weren’t going to read anything else I sent them either (my emails explaining the situation). So they were happy to ignore my brief and blame the problem on me, let the clock run, make their own decisions, and then charge me for it.When I asked for my 3.5k refund, they told me that they “don’t work for free” which, on paper, naturally I accept (as would anyone), but not for 5 months spent guessing and not reading what I had sent & ignoring what I had asked for. I was accused of changing my mind, which none of the information I sent reflects – which was unsettling.Even more bizarre was the fact they asked me for a brief – which was never changed, not once – proven by the fact of the dated info I sent them.On a call with them, enquiring why I could not receive a refund, I was called names, the owner swore on the phone, was rude, & profane. When I asked her to please remain professional, she just said no, and then yelled at me some more. Personally, I remained controlled, elegant & cultivated in the manner of conducting myself – but that could just be me.Not the studio for me.

Best service from any tattoo studio, they take your idea and do research on it and present you with something truly unique and beautiful, best work I have ever had done by a LONG way, definitely going back to get all my tattoos re done by KyleTruly would recommend to anyone looking for quality work

Excellent work by artist Dan.. 1st ink done and extremely happy with the results... Its exactly how I imagined it should look.

La you’re a genius!!! This was collaboration on another level, absolutely thrilled with my piece. Thank you La!!!

All I wanna say is:Google reviews didn't allow me to give 100 stars so we're gonna have to settle with 5...But Joey prodices 100* service and work!!!Absolutely AMAZING!!!!

So a week ago I was at Fallen Hero to get some ink done. Being my 1st tattoo I was so scared and nervous but once I met Dan he made me feel so at home and comfortable. In fact I think after 7 hours of work done he and I have a special bond and I think Dan was more excited about the tattoo and the design than I was. For me this day is a very special and spiritual day that was very personal. Dan made the experience Super super special and something that I will never forget. I have walked away very impressed with the work and can't wait to go back for round 2. The staff were all very friendly and I felt very home I'm the studio, I must mention the light and energy in the room made the day very easy and Dan was caring and took the time to understand my needs. Thank you team Fallen Hero.

Got my first tattoo. Very happy with the result. The artists are gifted and very friendly environment. I recommend getting numbing cream before a tat. It can be very painful on certain areas. Cons: signage isn't great so a bit challenging to locate. If you're having work done on your nether regions they don't provide any privacy. The receptionists and cleaners just walk through so if you're a private person find another parlour. The artists are truly magicians at their craft and I would highly recommend them.

Artists are all incredibly friendly and incredibly skilled. A really great environment that's equally professional as they are welcoming. I've been to over 10 different studios in my life and this one definitely stood out.

There's a reason these guys are always booked! Such an incredible experience and they truly make your experience a special one. Everyone is really friendly and always happy to help and not to mention that they have the best artists in Joburg. It is definitely worth the wait if you want your tattoo to stand out from the rest.