Another Airbrush query

Hey guys,

Ive titled my post as such because i have NO doubt that this has been asked many times, but i havent found anything that specifically answers my question.

Up until recently i did all my work by brush, with Snazaroo and Superstar paints. Both are very creamy and lovely to use.

Ive just finally invested in an airbrush and compressor, so that when doing full body pieces, i get better coverage and blend easier over large areas.

However, im fairly confident that the usual 2.4-4oz bottles of liquid paint wont go very far, even when cut with mixing fluid, and to be honest, i dont much feel like paying £60 just for 4 different colours of paint that might only last for one or two jobs.

SOO...

Does anyone use superstar or snazaroo to make their own liquid paints? Im not fussed about storing it for long periods, just to mix on the day of the job and use it within a couple of hours.

It has occured to me to just scoop some superstar into a bottle, mix in some water and let it disolve, but i'm wondering if there is a more scientific method of doing it so that i dont waste a tonne of paint.

Many thanks in advance

Matt  

Let me know if you get that to work. You'd probably have to filter it several times to avoid clogging.

Ill let you know. im thinking about using isopropyl alcohol instead of water for obvious reasons.

I just bought my stuff for airbrushing yesterday! How funny. Through my research I did read somewhere that if you make your paints from cakes, there is a greater chance at clogging and having problems when painting. Also, time consuming.

I'm eyeing the proaiir hybrid paints because they are universal to face, body and tattoos. They are good in price. The 2 oz bottles can do roughly 50-100 tattoos and 4 oz is needed for full body. That's when it gets costly. Shop around for package deals on paints. So far I've found ShowOffs has but 6 get one free. I'm looking to medina next to see what she's got now... Haha.

I wish you the best of luck!

Here is why this does not work.

Attend one of my classes and boost those airbrush skills and avoid mistakes like making Sanzaroo airbrush goo. I'll give paint samples and really show you the tricks. But trust me on this. Back in the day we had to make our own as there was no product for use. And it will work with some types and brands, but few. And yes you will be clogging and cursing.

Airbrush face and body painting makeup is finely micronized. The particles are tiny made so to flow with ease through an airbrush. They also contain wetting agents designed to help the makeup not dry out.

In fact one should never run regular water through an airbrush. Likewise the alcohol to thin the cake or liquid makeup will not work.

Seriously do not try save a few bucks to then toss it down the drain.  Again classes are well worth your investment when it comes to airbrush. I have classes going on now in California, do travel to teach and will tell you who in your area does likewise.

I have tried close to every brand out there. Currently I use ProAiir, VIBE|Endura, and Airstream.  The cheapest route is certain liquid makeup for which you use special liquids to create a formula to run through an airbrush. You then have to play with it to determine the correct paint to mixing liquid ratio. Other airbrush ready makeups are not to be cut or thinned. Sure some artists may need to slightly rehydrate a makeup but the makeups are ready to go, thinning them will not help make it go farther it will just give you a jinxed formulation, that will not work its best, or at all.

Buy some real airbrush makeup. Do not go by what is posted on how much you will need to do a full body. I assure you I will use far less then any new airbrusher.  So to start you will use more. That is ok, everyone does, so the goal is to really learn to do it right. Once you become pro at it you should find that the cost is not higher than classic brush. They are apples and oranges - the cost of a full body is pretty close.

ProAiir Hybrid like any water based or hybrid will do faces, bodies and tattoos. However this makeup will not be for longer than a day tattoos, for this and super durable FX body art one needs alcohol based makeup, such as ProAiir Inks.

Hey Loretta, do you have experience/an opinion on the
ZeroG2. I want to be well informed before leaping....

My Zero G experience is limited. I should be at EBA this year and will take more time to use it. In talking with Nick Herrera and Dutch Bihary among others the consensus among the top pros is it is a good brush for spraying tattoos less good for body painting.

I like to do more with my brushes than just face and body art. An airbrush can do so much, I have painted walls, costumes, shoes, t shirts, furniture, handmade cards, props, wigs.... You are not going to be doing these things with a Zero G.

Like anything some love it some hate it. For me there are not enough folks who love it for me to own one.

I stopped reading as soon as i read "attend one of my classes" as that usually means what follows is going to be a preachy "my way is the right way" post.

Since i clearly pointed out in my post that i would only be using the home-made stuff for testing and practise and not for professional jobs.

First test with just water worked out pretty well, You could argue that at room temperature, the paint dried quickly enough to make it a feasible option just as water & paint, but my next test will be with alcohol.

It only took about 2 minutes to make enough to cover the front of my torso and i'm 6'4 240lb. I have a black superstar cake with a well in the middle, so i just filled the well up with water, agitated it with a brush as if i were going to paint normally, Let it sit for a few seconds and then empty the well into the jar and repeated a few times.

This obviously isn't a very efficient method if you are doing many jobs or many colours, but for the sake of practising your strokes, etc etc its perfectly fine, and FAR cheaper than wasting £15 a pop on 2.5floz of one simple colour. Will post my results with the alcohol once i've done it.

Just read that back to myself and probably sounds more gnarly than intended.

Dear Everyones_Awesome:
You are right.....
your first paragraph does sound icky.
"gnarly" means either "awesome, or cool", or else it means "gross, or disturbing".

When you ask a question on this Forum, be prepared to be dazzled with an amazing array of answers. The folks here are kind and helpful. There is usually not just one answer to a query as there is not only one kind of painter. There are different kinds of painters and different paints and different tools. There is an "edit" button on your post.

Your question was fielded by one of the best airbrush body painters in the field. Sweet Loretta answered your question promptly, and kindly. I am in awe of the talent on this Forum. With very few exceptions, most Forum members here are willing to share their expertise with everyone. Ask a question, and you will get many sincere answers from some experts. I love it here!

I am striving to get better at my craft all the time. I tried to use my more inexpensive paint to practise with in the beginning. The properties of most of the professional paints are usually different than the entry-level paint. (I am not impugning the reputation of Snazaroo...I carry it in my kit, and, it makes excellent bases for face painting). When I started to use Wolfe White for line work practice, my tear drops improved immediately. If you want to just dabble at using your airbrush at home... keep using what you are doing! Have fun! Play and experiment in the paint! If you would like advice from the Pros....you came to the right place!

I used airbrush at art college many years ago. The paint was different back then. I used to get massive clogs in my airbrush, then. I became an "airbrush technician" as I called myself, and less about honing my artistic craft because of the time spent cleaning out the clogs in my gun. Paint has improved so much over the years. What I have realised is that my time is valuable, and the time spent grinding pigment and watering it down is better spent purchasing a few airbrush colours to experiment upon myself.

You don't have to follow any advice on this column. Open yourself up to the possibilities of the answers you are about to hear and you will be directly introduced to the varied and professional world of face and body painting. If you pick on the answers you do not want to hear, you will get less responses to your queries.

Be kind.
Have fun!
Experiment in the paint and get back onto the Forum and tell of your successes and stumbles in your adventures in paint.

And...
I really mean this...
Happy Painting!

Indeed. Apologies for sounding grumpy. Im in the UK and those of us who still use words like gnarly tend to use it differently to our atlantic cousins.

I appreciate loretta taking the time to write a response, and i meant no disrespect in my reply.

I am an engineer by former trade and we don't really deal in "No"s as an engineer is someone who makes things happen.

I will be getting some rubbing alcohol tomorrow and experimenting with it, Got a bunch of mehron liquid paint on its way too, but again i cant justify paying £15 for 2.5floz just for practise, as each piece would cost me about £40, which is crazy if i can do it cheaper and save the good stuff for proper jobs.

Thanks Loretta for your input. It's appreciated!

IF you want to use alcohol, you want to find SD40 alcohol. That is typically the type of alcohol found in hybrid makeups.

Be aware- alcohol, sprayed from an airbrush, is very flamable. Stay away from sparks.

Hi
can I just add that when you mix your products you become liable for any problems that may occur (I am a manufacturer/wholesaler of these products in the UK) There are products available in bigger sizes out there we ourselves sell body paint(alcohol based hybrid) in sizes up to 500ml (16oz) bottles.

Hey anyone can mix up all the cake makeup they want and run it through their airbrush, have at it.

I always say you can use my advice or throw it out the window - I don't care. That is the nature of advice.

When I say take a class - mine or any bona fide instructor, I do so because it really is the best way to learn. Airbrushes are not simply picking up a classic paint brush, swiping it across a cake and learning to paint swirls. Airbrushes are temperamental.

Unless at convention I rarely offer classes. So the plug was mainly to let folks know I had some happening. I don't come onto forums or facebook type social media very often. I do firmly believe, based on years of experience (15 in face and body art and 36 as an airbrush artist) that airbrush classes are worth the investment (even with you tube and all the now free info around).

Heck the most of the best airbrush body painting artists are in the UK. What a gift to take a class and learn from the best. Sad people now discount the experience of that. Not saying that was done here but it is clear with forums like this too many people just want free, free, free.  Hands on with a talented artist instructor....I am there any day.

Had Everyones_Awesome posted more information about himself and experiences then one could answer questions better. By that I mean as an engineer (albit there are many kinds) Matt, you may be more tool handy than many painters here. And I get engineers so yep no for you may mean you have to have your own fails. And trust me cake makeup and water will be an airbrush fail when compared to fine particle makeup. And as an engineer surely then you understand the language and what I mean inregards to micronized particles.

Not sure the intentions but do not mix the Liquid Mehron with alcohol - it is water based. Use distilled water or best Mehron Mixing Liquid at a 35% to 50% ratio. I am a Mehron distributor and know this product. It is a good all around face and body painting makeup for use with sponge or brush or mixed for an airbrush formulation.

Frankly if you need to go cheap buy some paint like Createx to practice skills on paper before moving to more costly cosmetics which are for use on people.

Loretta, I appreciate all the advice you give on this forum. As an artist coming back into this field, I am always willing to learn. I have followed your art for some time and you are right taking a class from some of the best artist is truly a joy for me. Thank you for always being there when anyone has a question.

Thank you. I actually have been laying kind low, not showing much. I have been producing but I would rather show in a gallery with a live audience than online. I am headed to the Midwest Body Art Comp, Donna wrote me today and I hadn't planned to airbrush but yikes! I'd better warm up now - that event will have a wealth of airbrush talents. Donna Nowack, Dutch Bihary, Alex Hanson, Michelle Soltis, Andrea ODonnnel, Pashur......I mean seriously wow!

www.greatermidwestbodyart.com

Wow, I wish I could go. That sounds like a great experience. They are all wonderful talents. Love Donna's products!  Let me know how it was!