Honest Tattooer Podcast

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Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano host the Honest Tattoo Podcast with guests Daniela Segal and Gordo. They reminisce about meeting years ago through the No Idols/Bowery shop circle, then discuss a social media project by @martindninja featuring honeycomb-like hexagon tattoos from many artists, using it to compare how different styles and pigments age, including tiny realism, traditional work and fine lines over time. They react to artists complaining about posting process content and connect it to an older black-and-white clip about creative pressure. The episode also covers Pew data suggesting higher income correlates with fewer tattoos, tattoos remaining taboo in Japan, shifting generational trends, tipping culture, and skepticism toward online tattoo schools and claims about fine-line techniques versus skin’s limits.

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Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano do a one-on-one episode about when tattooers need to say no, including turning down projects outside their strengths, designs that are too small, ideas that won’t age well, and clients who change direction or message-bomb before appointments. They discuss balancing honesty with opportunity, sometimes doing simple walk-ins for the experience can lead to bigger work, while also protecting time, enforcing rescheduling boundaries, and avoiding sending drawings that invite outside opinions or theft. Matt shares an email inquiry that shifts from a small spoon tattoo to unrelated references, while Jon recalls a client who switched from a tiger sleeve to a ChatGPT-inspired warrior concept. Vega joins to describe redrawing a flawed, asymmetrical ornamental design into a clean, symmetrical tattoo. They also touch on social media reach, posting choices, freehand vs iPad workflow, and tattoos they no longer enjoy doing.

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Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano are joined by guest tattooer Edoardo Taglioretti, a 12-year artist from Italy who specializes in new school and bio-organic tattoos. They discuss whether current tattoo trends will become classics or future coverups, framing how tattoos “age” physically in skin, culturally, and personally. The episode critiques post-ironic meme/joke tattoos, brand and shock-value pieces, and the role of social media in spreading trends before healed results are seen. They also break down extreme micro-realism, its technical limits, readability, contrast, and long-term longevity, plus the popularity of patchwork/sticker-style collections and finger tattoos with frequent touch-up issues. The conversation expands into laser removal experiences, celebrity tattoo taste, and how styles like new school, Japanese, and bio-organic evolve and remain relevant. 

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This week we talk about the importance of choosing the right artist for the job, what makes a good portrait reference, lining at the end of a large, multi session piece, the cost of a good tattoo in Bali and what is goin on what that back piece?

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Jon Mesa, Matt Truiano, and Matt Buck talk with guest tattooer Charles Arizmendy  and later Skylar Phung about how AI is affecting tattooing, especially as clients bring AI-generated references that look polished but often aren’t tattooable due to skin, body flow, aging, and detail limitations. They compare AI references to Pinterest/Google, discuss when AI is a helpful springboard versus when clients get overly attached to an exact image, and debate what feels acceptable (AI as reference) versus “dirty” (AI stencils/AI flash), plus whether artists should disclose AI use. They touch on environmental concerns, virtue signaling, the rising value of hand-drawn work, AI art accounts selling prints, and even a robot tattoo machine 

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On the Honest Tattooer podcast, Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano sit down with Matt Buck  and guest Fabian, a New York tattooer of 13 years with a graffiti background who now focuses on mostly freehand blackwork sigils—turning phrases into symbols by removing vowels and repeated consonants. The group reacts to a thread about what’s “cringe” in tattooing and debates whether artists who learned online, don’t build machines, and make lots of content are “less” of a tattooer, weighing respect for tradition against modern realities. They discuss influencers teaching without experience, AI and originality, social media marketing tactics, oversaturation, and whether being good at tattooing is enough anymore. The conversation also covers apprenticeships, mentorship quality, tool knowledge, cheap equipment, and the need for financial literacy, retirement planning, and longevity in the craft.

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On the Honest Tattooer podcast, hosts Jon Mesa and Matt Truiano talk with guest tattooer/shop owner Amanda Malia and her apprentice Jacob Satterly. They discuss blurred style lines, Amanda’s nontraditional early apprenticeships and how long it took to feel like a “real tattooer,” imposter syndrome, and how environment and competition affect growth. The episode covers how social media has changed perceptions of legitimacy, differences between Facebook and Instagram, and Meta pushing Reels. They share art and tattoo process habits, longevity-driven simplification, stippling/shading tips, and advice for getting an apprenticeship (draw/paint, get tattooed by the mentor). The conversation also explores shop culture, booth rent vs percentage, contracts, rising supply costs, and how to raise rent while maintaining a positive vibe.

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On the Honest Tattooer podcast, Jon Mesa, Matt Truiano, and guests Joe Capobianco, Ermis and Matt Buck discuss who will shape tattooing’s future as outside biotech and tech companies push new products faster than the tattoo community. They react Pain-Free Tattoo microneedle stamp concept. They also cover Black Dot’s venture-backed automated tattooing system, its current limitations, and skepticism about small-scale fine-line results without long-term healed examples. The group critiques Melanoir’s costly single-use synthetic melanin ink and broader corporate cash-grab motives, then pivots to affirm the lasting value of human-made craft, coils, and tattoo history. Joe promotes the free, tattooer-only TAT Hoedown (Aug 30–Sept 1, Dayton, Ohio)

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This week we take a look at an instagram post that shows Michelle DiDonato Quinones' tattoos fresh vs healed as we learn what works and what doesn't. 

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Jon Mesa, Matt Truiano, and guest Aaron Davis (Atlanta-based tattooer specializing in Afro-Americana, tattooing 7+ years) discuss what makes a tattooer hireable if they had no reputation, including how shop hiring has changed, the importance of portfolio, attitude, reliability, and the ability to pay rent by bringing in clients. They weigh social media presence versus consistent walk-ins, emphasize professionalism and respecting clients’ time, and name major red flags like drug/alcohol issues and personal drama spilling into the shop. The conversation covers the value of peer critique and being around strong artists, how apprenticeships have shifted with information online, changes in needle and machine culture, and secondhand gear marketplaces. They compare illustration and tattooing economics, touch on AI’s impact, and close with advice for aspiring artists: show up, build trust, study fundamentals, curate only your best work, be humble, seek critique, and ask whether you’d hire yourself.

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