Got my Airbrush System Yesterday!!! How many here do airbrush??

Here's the Dab Dab link.

http://www.australianairbrushedtattoos.com.au/temporary-tattoos-stencils2.htm

Hey Wyndy,
What system did you end up buying?
Also, what inks did you decide on?

I hate to say this but I bought a gun and inks and I tried it out and got bored with it super quick

Tash- any ideas of shipping costs from Australia to the U.S.?

The dab dab stuff just looks like tat ink and cosmetic wedges.

ooooo - suzy..... is that a hint to keep an eye out for it in the swap section?? hahaha

Squiggle - If you fill out the order section it will tell you how much it is before you buy it according to where you need it sent.

We offer airbrush tatts. It's a major PITA. You've got high start up costs, lots of finicky equipment, heavy tanks to carry (if you go the cO2 route), boring designs, at least an hour of work checking everything before you get to the gig, and an hour or more after the gig cleaning all the airbrushes.

The plus side is the profit potential is high. The ink stands up to the hottest weather, and the majority of teens that hate face paint, love tatts. Also, you can tatt 20-30 people per hour.

Yes. I have heard that consistently that the setup, malfunctions, and break down can easily add an hour to your onsite time at a gig which kinda sucks since that isn't a paid hour just like travel!

I see it as an additional service I can offer. I plan on not using CO2 as long as I can avoid it. (Call me paranoid - that stuff can explode and I feel wary in my car and around my kids.) And carry a very long industrial orange extension cord in my rolling setup for my compressor. I have concern about potentially being bored by just using stencils as that takes away from the creative satisfaction and experience of the art of what we typically do.

But I'd rather be working than lose a gig to someone else so I feel I should have it to offer. (Florida is pretty competitive in the face/body painting as there are at least 15 to 20 painters in my area!)

My update! Still don't have my system working/behaving and I have now had it almost a year. My conclusions are 1) I have defective guns in my system as I soaked the parts in alcohol overnight and tried again about 3 times and 2) I NEED A HANDS ON CLASS to overcome my unsatisfying and frustrating experience and make at least the money I already invested in the system back.

I never took a class. But I did talk one-on-one to all the pros. You have to be really anal about the brushes. ANY ink left in the brush before a gig WILL cause you a problem during the gig. It's simple mathematics. For every minute you spend fixing a clog is minutes you won't be earning money. I learned to take a spare hose, a spare brush, and redundant everything else. I spent late nights taking my brushes apart and putting them back together (like military M16 training!). You have to learn to sharpen the points on your brushes (use the bottom of a coffee cup) or paint collects on the tip and you get a big splat!

I use double action brushes. The preferred technique is to blow air (and no paint) through your brush after EVERY spray. This cuts down potential clogs.

I had a 10 port manifold made so I can run 8 brushes and 8 colors at a time. I've got two people blowing tatts. One one each side.

I brought one of the hydrostatic jewelry cleaners ($80?) to clean my brushes. Works great and is not nearly a time intensive.

I have used a compressor. But they don't work well in hot weather. They fail. Then what do you do? They also have condensation problems that will introduce water into your lines. Something you don't want. Water in your ink is the devil! If you paint at an outside venue, you have to deal with where to get electricity. Do you bring an expensive generator? or pay the $100 extra to the venue for electricity?

Each approach has it's problems. And you learn more after each gig.

sparklingfaces wrote:ooooo - suzy..... is that a hint to keep an eye out for it in the swap section?? hahaha

hahaha!! Yeah, maybe... I am still thinking though... I was super excited, got everything put together... got my kids all excited and standing there... and i just sprayed through a stencil. I was like ... uh that was boring and dumb. So I haven't done anything since... I have been trying to think of other ideas though. Might be good at the 3498254 fundraisers I get asked to do, I can spray their 'colored ribbon' on them quickly...maybe... or not.

modernmagik wrote:The dab dab stuff just looks like tat ink and cosmetic wedges.

true--definitely less expensive than a whole airbrush getup and way easier for setup.
anybody have any airbrush inks and sponges to see if they get the same effects?

Those stencils are from the same manufacturer that produces our Twinkle Tattoos stencils.

Thanks for sharing Mike. Yikes! More potential headaches.

I didn't think about condensation and extra costs of venue provided electricity. I don't do many festival/vendor type events. I have a six gun (dual action) system currently.

Hateful thoughts that I have to spend more money to get on my feet!! New gun(s) $100 to $500. New alcohol based paints $100. New stencils $50 to $100. Hydrostatic cleaner $90.

Yes, I am a poor facepainter, but I can do it all!

How much more do you charge for airbrush when you charge hourly considering the additional setup time and expense of cleaning and higher paint cost? Do you use 91% alcohol or buy the 99% alcohol for cleaning?

WyndyO wrote:Thanks for sharing Mike. Yikes! More potential headaches.

I didn't think about condensation and extra costs of venue provided electricity. I don't do many festival/vendor type events. I have a six gun (dual action) system currently.

Hateful thoughts that I have to spend more money to get on my feet!! New gun(s) $100 to $500. New alcohol based paints $100. New stencils $50 to $100. Hydrostatic cleaner $90.

Yes, I am a poor facepainter, but I can do it all!

How much more do you charge for airbrush when you charge hourly considering the additional setup time and expense of cleaning and higher paint cost? Do you use 91% alcohol or buy the 99% alcohol for cleaning?

I charge another $75 per hour to do tatts. I only use 91% to thin the paints. I can clean everything with the cheap stuff.

The compressor I use (from European Body Art) has a moisture trap attached to it. NOT the BEST Idea, as in the hot humid summer, you have to stop, unscrew it, wipe out the moisture, and replace. If it's really humid....(let's see, that would be every day here in the summer) I have to stop every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to dry it out.....or SPLAT!! you have a mess!!! (on someone's arm)
Cleaning it afterwards & the stencils, I agree with Smitty PITA!!
Hourly rate is $80-$100 here for airbrush tats

Linda Adams wrote:Hourly rate is $80-$100 here for airbrush tats

You must have a two hour minimum at that rate. After the big heavy tool kit, display boards, two chairs, table, and c02 tank, I gotta get over $200.

I'm $200 for the first hour and $175 per hour after that. I probably have less then 10 gigs a year like this. During the summer, its all pay-per-face (ppf).

Wyndy,
before you buy new guns.... do you have a moisture trap for your system?
The bubbling and sputtering problem you talked about could be from moisture getting into the lines.
An in-line moisture trap costs about $10.

I agree with Smitty, it's a PITA, but we offer it only at festivals or high end events (or contracted events).

Dammit I've been charging $60 an hour for airbrushing Tats.
Think I better lift my rates!

YA!~

The most common rate range that I have heard from those all over the US is between $125-$150 for single color tats per hour and $150-$200 per hour for multi-colored tats.
So, I bet you could raise your rates if you wanted and have no trouble getting the higher rate.

Having been an airbrush artist for over 30 years this thread gave me a good chuckle. When we say take and airbrush class - take a class it we save you many headaches. And not everything is for everybody. My friend Marta Fischer who produces the original stencils made just for face painting can't paint faces with a regular paintbrush - it's not her thing, but she can wipe out airbrush face and body art with never a problem with her equipment or makeup.

For me and my one main airbrush artist there is never a day we think or experience airbrushing as a pain, my systems are dialed in, my brushes never clog, and the makeup always runs smooth. Experience. Now I have a new airbrush artist with her first gig in 2 weeks - she, I promised will have a a moment of frustration on that job. But it will have nothing to do with equipment or makeup issues it will come in holding the stencils to the body, getting overspray, and in comparing her work to mine.

I have to run but I'll come back and see if there are any questions I can answer. Funny I was talking with Step at Trendy Tribals last week and we were remembering when...........no body save about 12 of us did airbrush tattoos - besides Star I didn't know any one who painted faces other than me.

Anyone can make a paint brush work - maybe you work doesn't look like Shannon's, Lone Wolf's or Lisa - who just got her brushes, ..... airbrushes everyone thinks oh you just spray thru a stencil too easy -and then they learn the equipment is a great divider, and if you want your work to stand apart and not look like every guy who bought a kit....... then there are things to learn to make your tattoos and face art stand apart.

I was going to come back and answer some things but ou internet is a bit haywire these days........

If you blow out a compressor you needed a bigger one to begin with.

If you are getting so much moisture, to the pint of having to open your trap during a gig......... try a longer hose - there is a reason there are 10' hoses - and even 20'. Be sure to bleed out the lines and empty your compressor after each use. Even in high humidity that's too much moisture.

This had been discussed before search around........ Dinair and Kett are great makeups and most widely used by MUA's not by face and body painters as they are pricey and don't not run the depth of FX colors as some brands directed at face and body art. If you paint faces, bodies or do tattoos you will most likely find as Lone Wolf noted you will use different brands.

And there was some discussion on another thread about stencils - yes glitter tattoos stencil and be used for AB - we don't because they are so thin as they are made for 1x use (cover w/glue n glitter - toss it!), ab stencils adhesive are thicker. You can reuse them but it is not advised - it's a choice on your part. Learn to use/hold a stencil and you won't need to tac them on....... it's practice but there is a learning curve. So stencils, templates and rails come in 3 mil to 10 mil with 5, 7 and 10 as as the most common.

There was a day when the two did not cross, classic painters painted and aibrushers sprayed - now the vast majority of top body artists know how to do both and a big handful do use both.

Transporting Co2 is not dangerous if you are smart and safe. And yes it is cold when being spray in the buff.

I thought Calif ran top prices - most here do not make $150-200 pr hr for colored tattoos.

I just reinvested in my tattoo and face art systems, I have been doing this 10 years and airbrushing for 32 - I just put in about $1500 and have that in my personal stencil tattoo book alone. I also have a book I use for faces and body art - different brushes and makeups for that - and have other artists.......

In compressors, airbrushes, and stencils I have about $6500 - then I have makeups, displays, custom workstations, marketing, and a zillion misc things that make our kits a dialed system.......

And Ashley - you know anytime you want to learn.......... you have me and plenty of top names who know you and will help you....

Hi Wendy,

Do you have your system up and running yet? If you are still frustrated with it, and decide to sell it, please let me know. I live in Pasco County Florida, close to Tampa, maybe we can JAM sometime. I own a hair salon, maybe you would be interested in trading hair services for the setup for you and family, or let me know a cash price if you wanna sell
PS I LOVE doing festivals, and carnivals and AM willing to do some traveling, but as a lone painter it doesn't usuallly pay well enough to do the more expensive venues, but to share expenses with another face painter, temp tattoo artist or other, may be worth it.....are you doing this full time?

Thanks