Airbrushing questions

I am really wanting to dive into body painting.Some of the most amazing pieces seem to have some airbrushing. I'm sure I would use it for faces ,too. I have no clue how to use these and wonder if anyone has ever tried them. I am curious if you do airbrush, how long did it take you to really get the hang of it?

I've been thinking about it since I watched a class by Nix on FABA. I noticed that barefoot Butterfly had even used it to add clouds to a beautiful belly painting she did. Man, the depth it added really set it apart.

I am researching but want to make sure I get the right things because it is such an investment for me right now. Any input would be helpful. Thanks.

Airbrush facepaint is tricky- There are only two brands I like for the face EBA's Vibe and Graftobian's Airstream which DOES have some alcohol in it. but has the benefit of being water resistant BUT washes off with soap and water.

I have NOT tried the WOLFE yet and would like to see them have more colors before I committed to trying them out.

Getting control and learning to use shields and stencils is key to getting crisp lines in airbrush facepaint.

Using things like Stencil Eyes you can get really consistent results, but I found that unsatisfactory artistically speaking.

Also, with small kids, the airbrush scares them sometimes.

I DEFINITELY preferring using co2 over a compressor!

With my body paints, I usually do 75% by hand or more and rest with airbrush. I want to TRY a few all AB body paints soon... but that can be unpleasant for the model since they are alreayd mostly naked, and now you start spraying them with cold paint in every nook and cranny.

Thanks for asking Jody.... it's something I have been pondering, too!

Dean, in your opinion, do you think it's a necessary investment to create what you create ( you must know by now that I'm a HUGE fan of your work!) .... If you are doing 75% by hand, is that because of application ease or is it more economical (price wise) to do by hand?

If I teach someone on the job (doing airbrush tats), after 30 seconds of showing them, they can do one, but then I'm fine tuning what they need to know to do it better (control, layering of colours etc etc) for a while - but I can keep tossing simple ones at them. I don't turn them over to faces till they have control and we've gone over eye/nose/mouth safety etc. Another step is being comfortable fixing the airbrush or taking it apart, or even switching colours or cleaning.

I'd suggest a class - there are so many tricks you can learn best from someone else showing you, yes you will learn on your own, but the class can accelerate the comfort level quickly. I don't know if Neil is still teaching his classes but he'd be good one if he is (and in Ohio).

You can start small on the investment - one airbrush, a decent but smaller compressor, even cutting shields out of paper or stiff plastic or even Glad press and seal - to see if you like it.

I haven't started on any of the hybrids, I use Kryolan airstream etc for faces or when I want it easily removed.

Noella- Are they discontinuing Airstream or something? I Notice Kryolan lists less and less on their own site with regards to colors, and SF has most of it on sale? I have been debating adding EBA or Temptu to what we carry for our business and just can't decide. Have you seen the MAC airbrush makeup- the colors? DROOL!

I Will tell you, I LOVE Graftobian Hybrid... not the PRICE but the performance and it 100% DOES NOT CLOG, ever, never- for me... YMMV.

Miss Ronnie- I do a lot by hand a- for economy (Wolfe is WAY cheaper than most air brush paints) b- logistics (Dealing with overspray, ventillation and stopping to clean the brushes etc) C- Models comfort (co2 on the naughty bits thing again) D, the effects and colors I can get.

I don't think you HAVE to use an air brush to do body paint.... Unless that is a tool you want to use and an effect you want to get. I like the tool and what it can do, BUT I also like the organic feel and look of a brush and I DO think brushes and sponges are a more confortable experience for many models. It also has to do with my experience or lack therof with the tool. I am sure as I get better with the tool, I may very well find it more convenient to use. What ORIGINALY interested me about airbrush, exclusively, was the hygiene factor! NO touching, no germs! if you use cut paper shields, you can toss them out. If you use plastic ones, you cand rop them in ultrasonic cleaner with alcohol and clean and sterilize them.

Before I started working with photo shoots and such recently, I polled a bunch of models in another forum and asked: What do YOU think I need to know as a makeup artist, when working with models for a body paint shoot. What do you wish you had been asked, told or handled differently.

I got lots of answers, but the one that came up over and over was how cold it was.

Thank you all 3 so much for your fast response. I'm sure I would still mostly hand paint but then add some airbrushing for effect. I am going to come back and reread this again later when I have more time. But you have given me some great tips.

uh oh? no idea if they are discontinuing Airstream - I have a lot of it and restock colours as I need each year at the trade shows.... I also have oodles of the Temptu (water based, silicone and alcohol based) and Mehron. If I had to start over (if it all went bad got stolen or something at once) I'd probably go Graftobian starting up again..... I've seen the MAC - it's price scared me - I'd rather do Temptu silicone (and do for photo shoots etc).

I learned 3 things in class that have stuck with me and help for body painting immensely..... and one more I learned on my own...
Give your model a cover (something to lay on, sit on or have over their shoulders) for the areas you are not spraying to stay warmer and covered - and for overspray (a sheet worn like a cape works fine).
Use an air cleaner/filter - keeps the spray in the air down to a minimum and solves some of the ventilation issues.
Mini heaters (like an electric space heater) are great - keeps the spray feeling cool and refreshing not unbearably cold - do *NOT* use with alcohol based sprays though!!!!
And I personally learned that I *hate* cleaning when I'm in the zone..... so I have half a dozen different airbrushes on the go with various colours (in a bottom feed), then another half a dozen top feed brushes I can flush quick or vary colours in. I don't mind popping them with a quick connect, but I do not like having to clean them out to switch. If I'm body painting I also have a series of single action ones for large areas, then I can go back with my dual action ones for finer details......

I use (used) Dinar which is water-based. I much preferred it due to having to work indoors in dressing rooms at the theatre. I did try the Graftobian hybrid but wasn't impressed for the purposes I needed it for (and the shelf-life was limited!)

I do not/did not use the airbrush for face painting - just foundation bases for large theatrical production and some bodypaint for theatre (for "Indians" or "slaves" in various musicals, etc.) to change skin tones as it was quicker.

I have (back in the late 90s) done airbrush tattoos... large volume events (200 kids in 2 hours) and LOATHED it. It is not fun for me to hold a stencil, spray, okay, NEXT!... boring and unsatisfying.

I have dumped the airbrush completely now and gone back to sponge for bases, including bodypaint as I loathe dealing with mechanical equipment that decides at the most inopportune moment to malfunction... !

I traded most of my airbrush kit for make-up and glitter and don't regret it even a little bit. I did keep a couple of guns and compressors just in case... but in the last hmm, six maybe, years I haven't even moved my airbrush kit from the laundry room ... there are spiders living on webs connected to it.

Airbrushing to the skill level that artists like Pashur and Nix show is something that takes YEARS of practise... and techniques to learn... and I am not that patient - either about the learning curve or dealing with the equipment.

We use ours on a different level, not for the art that leaping lizards does (love it) but to hedge the festival tent profit, as I have my daughter doing airbrush tattoos while I paint, and this year will have a second daughter doing balloons and glitter tattoos, so the reasoning is, I can keep the profit margin up on the buisness and the worry factor down. We have been lucky with our brushes, they just do not seem to clog. I do like it for bases but have a top feeder for that and use mehron, but only when I am doing something like a sugar skull and it is a specail makeup kind of gig, for regular face paining, it just did not seem to pan out very well and was too much stuff to have around and complicated the tattoos, which is a cash cow at festivals, so I did not want to mess that up too much.

I like EBA best, but most everything has worked for us pretty well.

You can meet up with us in Columbus some time and try it out Jody!

Thanks Noella ,Shannon and Martha for adding in your comments ,too. I don't think that airbrush tats r for me but if I ever start doing more festivals, I bet my son would like to learn and work beside me. My goal is to do amazing body work. Since I haven't done any body work yet...I better just start with my trusty sponge and brush. But I am going to buy an airbrush set up this year sometime, I am anxious to learn.

Martha, Let me know if you gals ever schedule a jam or something up that way. It is only a 2.5 hr drive and I have a young apprentice that is very good and eager to learn that would love to come ,too. R you going to the Haunters Convention this yr? That would usually not be my cup o tea but I want to meet the Wolfe brothers and take their workshop if possible. Hope I'm not booked already.

Also ,this is off topic,too,Martha, do you work the Ohio State Fair? Many of our 4-H kids go each yr ,(hopefully mine this yr,too) I want to tell them to stop & get painted by you if so!

Not me at the fair, but I just joined the guild, and I am sure that has to be something that more than one compay takes on, it is just way too long. We have a face painting jam at the Guild meeting every third Monday, we could bring airbrushes for special guests It is at the MCL in Upper Arlington.

I have been checking the Haunters Convention for classes, but missed the Wolfe Brothers! I will look again, that would be outstanding! I have to do that on the sly, my oldest has a sick obsession with haunting, and if she knew of this convention, we would be in deep doo doo, but if I do not have a gig, I will be at their class! We have to meet!

Martha, you made me have to google haunters convention..... cool, but yuck. I am not a lover of gross make-up. I completely respect it and think it's cool, but I don't like to watch zombie shows or gory movies. HOWEVER, I am co-founder of a ghost hunting group in my area.... love to investigate all things dark and creepy.

I really appreciate the airbrush info everyone!

Too funny Ronnie! I am just the opposite, we have to keep our daughter on a short leash in the investigating the dark and creepy department, long story, but it is an autistic obsessive thing, and her obssession scares the crud out of one of our other kids, so it is a big deal round here! But I love to see the art work, and have a good time (on the down low, my oldest can't know!) painting zombies and gross make up at Halloween! Too funny. Any chance to meet the wolfe bro's...I am going for it!

http://www.midwesthauntersconvention.com/2012/01/special-effects-makeup-with-brian-and-nick-wolfe/

Not sure how to only sign up for this day class, though. It's all I want to attend.

Jody, Nix is teaching an air brush class on the 8th...all of my trys at festivals for this weekend have fallen through. I am thinking that I may just sign up for everything I can, even if it is a bit on the gory side. We should do Lunch at Thurman's (2 die 4)

Honestly, Take a class. It will save you may questions down the road.
All of us who teach airbrush in the face an d body art community agree we have ended up re-teachng or solving student problems when an upfront class would have saved headaches.

If you email me I will send you the resource sheet I share with my students. I am getting ready to send on this week from a recent class.

The airbrush has it's place in every body painters tool box. Most every top pro I know uses, or at least certainly knows how to use both classic brush and airbrush.

I can't say how long it took me to get the hang of it, I have been airbrushing for over 30 years. But like any new medium it is not hard, but you have to practice. It is practice and the elusive natural talent some have that set artists apart. like any class too on a new medium one class just points and starts you. Three consecutive classes may really serve most people best.

As for Airstream no it is not being discontinued. It is an amazingly wonderful airbrush makeup, however a year and a half ago or so Kryolan raised prices by 30%. Consumers are really just now seeling prices go up in many stores. And each year many manufacturers raise prices. And with fuel prices prices are going to rise again. It's a difficult sell to consumers at the high price, so many shops will phase it out.

It is also than most face and body painters airbrush improperly. They spray looking to create one shot results. Airstream work best when applied properly in layers.

Am airbrush is an excellent tool during Halloween season and for FX makeup in general. If you can't make the MidWest Haunters try the West Coast convention.

http://www.westcoasthauntersconvention.com

If you need help with what to buy, systems, how things work - many do email me and ask questions. I am happy to help.

Martha, I think Nix's airbrush class is just the thing I need. I looked and I thought it said June 10th and if I read it correctly the Wolfe Bros have their workshop the same day. If I have to choose, I will choose the airbrush class. And yes, I would love to go to lunch with you.

Sweet Loretta, thank you for all of the great insight and info. I'll send you an e-mail.

I sent a note to Brian Wolfe on Facebook and asked if he knew how we could sign up for just the classes and if the workshops were at the same time. Maybe he can give us the inside scoop! I was having trouble figuring out many details about when, how, etc on the web too. Sounds like you did a little better Jody!