A Year to Remember

Posted on by Mikey Vigilante

As 2017 draws to a close, we want to say thank you to our amazing clients, friends, and family for giving us the opportunity to create authentic art each and every day in beautiful Long Beach. We are truly living the dream, all thanks to you!

Flash Tattoo Madness

It’s been a memorable year for the shop, for so many more reasons than we can explain. But let’s start with a universal favorite: FLASH FRIDAY! Flash tattoo events are a time-honored tradition in the industry, during which our artists design original work that we offer at a set price. At our Friday-the-13th Flash, palm-sized tattoos cost just $40 (that’s $31 in honor of 13 plus a $9 tip, in case you’re wondering)—whereas usually one of these designs at bare minimum would run $100. During our October event, we tattooed over 100 people! We’re grateful for such patient clients and artists alike, and we’re proud to say the day was a roaring success.
We did a Black Friday Flash this year as well, to give people an alternative to the insanity of shopping for discount blenders and bamboo socks. The designs were larger than at previous events, which gave us a little more room to stretch our creative muscles.

We’ll be doing more flash events in the year ahead, so stay tuned!

Giving Back

As tattoo artists, we’re extremely fortunate to do what we love for a living, all in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. We care about our clients and our community, and we were so excited to be able to give back in meaningful ways this year. At our “Caring Cranes” event in June, we tattooed for a cause by offering special tattoo designs and origami cranes; the event benefited local charities like the Peter Mayhew Foundation, Long Beach Ronald McDonald House, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
We were amazed by the generosity of our local community at this event—and then just a few months later, we were overwhelmed by the selflessness of our social media followers. We asked you to help rebuild lives in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma by donating to charitable organizations, with the intent of matching your donations dollar for dollar—and we were humbled at how many people gave so generously to those in need.

Let’s keep that kindness rolling forward into the new year: If you have any local, national, or global causes you’re passionate about, let us know. We are always open to fundraisers, big or small.

Growing Our Tattooing Family

We’ve been fortunate to host some amazing guest artists this year, like Keik Balcazar, Buddy Love, Erna Von Pentz, and Annabelle Luyken (who does some seriously artful vagina tattoos). In 2018 we’ll be hosting another round of internationally-renowned artists, so be sure you’re following our social media for big announcements! (And if you’re interested in visiting us as a guest artist, be sure to send an email our way.)
We also are so thrilled to have welcomed a new member to our team in September. The extremely versatile Jade Quail excels at both traditional and neotraditional designs, but she’s also a master of woodcut-style tattoos and intense dotwork pieces.

All of our artists have experienced major growth and achievements this year. We’re working constantly to better ourselves as professionals so that we can offer you the best tattoos in the industry, all in Southern California’s friendliest tattoo studio.

Looking Ahead 

As New Year’s Day approaches,  we encourage you to jot down one last resolution: Come see us at Paper Crane. We mean it: We’d love to finish that tattoo you started last year or to fix that piece you’ve been hiding since freshman year of college. (It’s okay. We’ve been there.)
Remember that tattoos are a way of expressing on the outside how you feel on the inside. Whatever that means to you, we embrace and accept it. Whether you want to cover a surgical scar, memorialize a loved one, finish off a sleeve, or simply celebrate a new chapter of life, we’re here for you. size.

We’ve got big things in store for the new year, from special events at the shop to exciting videos with our artists and more. What would you like to see from us in 2018? Drop us a line at info@papercranetattoo.com to let us know! size.

We wish you safe celebrations on New Year’s Eve and a joyous New Year’s Day. We’ll see you in 2018!