2018 in Long Beach: One for the Books!

2018 in Long Beach has brought tremendous growth for Paper Crane Studio. As the final days of the year go by, we want to take a moment to reflect on this most recent circuit around the sun. We've had a lot of fun, made beautiful tattoos, formed authentic connections with wonderful people--and we've also said goodbye to some of our favorite artists. Through it all, we are grateful to be part of your journey and to have you be part of ours.

Hello to New Faces

As a studio, we pride ourselves on creating incredible tattoos while providing superior customer service. 2018 in Long Beach brought many new resident tattoo artists to our studio--and we are pleased to say that each new member of our family is dedicated to both our craft and our clients. Our new artists include Lindsey Morehead, who draws inspiration for her whimsical art from American Traditional tattoos and vintage style; Owen Juarez, who is a master of Irezumi tattoos and loves large-scale projects; and Suzanne Shifflett, whose talents include animal portraits and fine-art floral tattoos.We also had the honor of seeing Mikey Vigilante's apprentice Jackie Siu take flight as a fully fledged artist at our studio. With themes ranging from Red Dead Redemption 2 to kawaii designs and tarot cards, Jackie has spent 2018 in Long Beach honing her tattooing skills and personal style.

Goodbye to Good Friends

With another chapter closing, we want to be sure to acknowledge the artists who left us this year and thank them for their special contributions to Paper Crane. Chelsea Jane, Adrian Franco, Jason Paul, and Grace Chun set off for new journeys in 2018, but they remain part of our studio family. (You'll still find Jason on our website, as his travels periodically bring him back to LBC!)

Guest Artists Galore

2018 in Long Beach featured a number of incredible guest artists. David Leon, Zach Black, Anna Pavlovitz, Matt Manning, Sof PMA, Q, and Anna GK (all the way from Australia!) are among the talented individuals we had the opportunity to host. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our guests artists, and we loved seeing our clients leave the studio with their one-of-a-kind pieces.If you're a tattoo artist or would like to see someone in particular at Paper Crane in 2019, send us a message so we can connect for a guest spot.

Best of Long Beach Awards 2018 Nominee

We were very honored to have been nominated as a studio for a Best of Long Beach Award. We were exceptionally proud that Joy Shannon was nominated as an individual artist, as she embodies Paper Crane's commitment to artistry and authenticity. These nominations were because of clients like you, so thank you for your faith in us.

Tattoo Flash from 2018 in Long Beach

Our flash game was stronger than ever this year! From Star Wars designs on May the 4th to adorable Christmas tattoos, our artists had a blast creating unique flash sheets for our wonderful clients. Some of our flash was specifically offered during events like Friday the 13th or Black Friday, while other sheets were offered on a seasonal basis.If you're ever in the market for a tattoo but don't know what you want, we often have flash sheets you can check out. Some are unique in that an artist will only do a certain design once or for a limited time, while others are available year round!

Tattooing at Large

Although Paper Crane is home, we are always excited for opportunities to travel. Destinations this year included Chicago, the Pacific Northwest, Ireland, England, and Denmark, where our artists shared their talents with friends new and old.We love tattooing around Southern California as well. Mikey Vigilante got to be part of a live tattooing demonstration at Catalyst in Westminster, where many of our artists had tattoo flash on display.In January, Tan Vo and Justin Tauch will be at the Golden State Tattoo Expo in Pasadena. We will keep you posted about other upcoming travel plans and conventions!

Paper Crane Pride

In 2018, we added new merchandise to the shop! Our tees and hoodies are all of the highest quality, featuring work by our very own artists. Stop by the shop to show your Paper Crane pride in the new year!

Here's to 2019

As we say goodbye to 2018 in Long Beach, we want to say thank you to you personally for giving us the opportunity to create tattoo art and to be part of your story. We look forward to sharing another great year with you in 2019.