Rising Stars: Meet Jade Quail of Bixby Knolls, Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Quail

Jade, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born in Long Beach and raised in Southern California, I’ve always been an artist at heart. I grew up drawing and painting, and once I graduated high school I knew I wanted to pursue art full time. I soon found myself drawn to tattooing.
I began my tattoo career in 2012 in the Inland Empire, where I landed an apprenticeship at a local tattoo shop. After some time learning under my mentor and artists there, I began my journey tattooing professionally in the area from 2012-2021. With time, I moved and eventually ended up back In Long Beach at my current shop, Breakwater Tattoo. I’ve now been with the crew at Breakwater for about 4 years. I’ve been tattooing for 13 years as of this January.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s definitely hasn’t been an entirely smooth road… more of a roller coaster than a road, really. Tattooing is a tough career in a lot of different ways. It’s a very unconventional job, to put it mildly. It was especially tough in the beginning, and I took on anything I could to learn and grow in a largely male dominated industry. As my clientele grew and my skills improved, things became more comfortable, but there are still always challenges. I’ve dealt with some interesting situations and people along the way, but it’s definitely all been worth it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For the last 5-7 years or so, I’ve specialized in styles of tattooing known as blackwork and ornamental. In recent years I’ve been working on more projects in large scale, with a lot of bold, intricate, and symmetrical back pieces, sleeves, and such. I work with thicker lines, solid black and soft dotwork shading incorporated throughout. I also do quite a bit of illustrative blackwork and florals as well.
Seeing how my style has shifted into what it currently is has been wild. I would never have imagined I’d have the privilege to alter people’s bodies to the extent that I do now. I’m blown away by how awesome and strong my clients are, and what they trust me with. Doing large scale tattoos is honestly my absolute favorite as it’s so transformative. It’s also quite challenging, and it’s definitely molded me into a much better and more efficient tattooer. I’m most proud of these ongoing projects that always push me creatively and technically.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories was spending time drawing gel pen “tattoos” on all the kids in my neighborhood. I had flash and everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jadequail.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/jadequailart
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/jadequailart