Temporary tattoos with water based paints.....

[Joseph DiGiugno]

Hey all.... I have recently been thinking about trying my hand at doing some airbrush tattoos at some of the local events in my area, but looking at just using cheaper water based paints to start with. If it is something that gets me anywhere, I know I will be investing in more of the alcohol based paints eventually..... just don't want to spend the extra money right now not knowing it will work out. I know the water based paints are not as long lasting as the others, but was wondering what is the best way of making them last longer? After some research, I have seen that many of the cosplay people use a product called Ben Nye Final Seal, but was wondering if there were any other products out there similar or if any one had any "home brew" concoctions to use as a sealer to help these last on the skin a little longer. Any advice or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[markjthomson]

Hey Joseph... what we ask people to do is go along to the introduction page first and let us know where you live, what you are wanting to paint, gear you use, that sort of thing. That allows us to answer questions a whole lot better. I mean are in in the US or are you in Outer Mongolia with a dodgy cell reception...? We are also a bit leery about people coming on, asking for advice and not contributing. Here is the link...http://www.airbrushforum.org/introductions/
Also read the Nettiquette page to get a bit more of an idea how the forum runs. http://www.airbrushforum.org/threads/introducing-netiquette.8799/

Someone should be along and give you some comment soon and it will help with a good intro.

 

[Maple Art]

Hey Joseph - airbrush tattoos can be a fun and lucrative business to get into but .... you need to do it right! ONLY proper airbrush tattoo inks.. I don't know what "water based paints" you are meaning ,you didn't mention any brands, only use what is designed for skin . You also need proper insurance in place too for the what if's. Many places also now do health inspections before you are allowed to set up and do the AB tattoos.

There is so much more to it then just spraying someone a pretty little butterfly or skull. Do your research get the proper equipment/inks spend the extra money now not after a child has reacted badly to what you are using.

now like Markjthomson said a quick little introduction would be nice

 

[Maple Art]

Hey Joseph - airbrush tattoos can be a fun and lucrative business to get into but .... you need to do it right! ONLY proper airbrush tattoo inks.. I don't know what "water based paints" you are meaning ,you didn't mention any brands, only use what is designed for skin . You also need proper insurance in place too for the what if's. Many places also now do health inspections before you are allowed to set up and do the AB tattoos.

There is so much more to it then just spraying someone a pretty little butterfly or skull. Do your research get the proper equipment/inks spend the extra money now not after a child has reacted badly to what you are using.

now like Markjthomson said a quick little introduction would be nice

edit: oh and absolutely no "home brews" for that industry. Proper inks last 5 - 7 days depending on placement and of course skin type... I had kids come back after 7 - 9 days at a 15 day festival i did and proudly show me they "took care" of there tattoo...and it just needed a little touch up ... 2 seconds and they smiled ear to ear... touch ups were free..

 

[Joseph DiGiugno]

Hey all..... sorry I did not go and properly introduce myself. I will go and do that after I type this reply. The "inks"I am looking to use are put out by European Body Art "Vibe" line... seen they also have a line called Endura (which is their alcohol based paints). I am assuming EBA puts out a pretty good product as I haveseen it being used by some of the artists on Face-Off and according to what I have seen on their FAQ page, they claim that their paints are made with all FDA approved ingredients.

http://www.europeanbodyart.com/cata...4_77_130_93/?zenid=o2uqp5d2snutjfagqo9uc0hdk6

As far asother equipment, I already have an airbrush set up with a Badger compressor and an Iwata Eclipse. I do a lot of fly tying and lure making, so I mainly use the airbrush when painting popper and crankbait bodies.

 

[RebelAir]

Invest in some temp tattoo ink, you can get away with just black to begin with and one small bottle will do a lot of tatts and the first 3-4 tatts will cover the cost..Not sure on the inks you mention but if they rub off 5 minutes after they are put on your day won't be good with upset kids and upset parents who just paid 5 bucks for it..Good luck, its easy money even on a slower day.

 

[Maple Art]

EBA is is a very reputable company but like RebelAir said if they are paying 5 bucks for a "tattoo" then they do want it too last... maybe just start out with one or 2 colors and go from there.

 

[Sprzout]

I know I found a "do it yourself" recipe on the internet that I was going to try, made with cornstarch and food coloring and water.

Let me just stop you before you try to google it - it does NOT work. It did nothing but gum up my brush, and it took FOREVER to get it cleaned out.

Go with one of the temp tattoo inks, cut yourself out some stencils (It'll make things a LOT faster!), and see what you can do.

 

[Joseph DiGiugno]

Well, I really do appreciate every ones advice on here...... After taking in what every one said and researching it a little more, I have decided to go with these

https://www.amazon.com/Iwata-Medea-...dp/B00RZ1F1BA?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

I ordered one of each set (basics and exotics) as well as 2 books of stencils (100 designs in each book). Didn't really need too much more since I already have the compressor and airbrush. Now, I do have one other question..... I have seen many blogs that say to use baby powder (with cornstarch if possible)as a "setting agent". Some of the blogs say to dust it after each coat, while others said to finish spraying then dust it when completely finished. Was just wondering if some of you out there preferred one way over the other and if there were any benefits of one "method" over the other?

 

[basepaint]

I'm a real clown in my spare time and I set my makeup with a sock filled with baby powder just dab the sock on my face and then after its all dusted with baby powder I brush off the excess with a soft brush,not sure if it will work with water based paint,but it should with make up

 

[RebelAir]

Depends how long the line gets ..If you have the time dusting in between coats will help the tatt look cleaner and stay around for a longer time on most skin types, but if the line is long, clean skin (Alcohol swap) tatt, then dust and get onto the next. people wont wait in line for too long and you don't want to miss to many dropping of the line because they're waiting five minutes for each person before them, get the process down to a couple minutes if you can and when theres no line spend the extra time..Good luck

 

[Maple Art]

I used baby powder at the end of the tattoo unless it's a multi layer stencil . If you stop for every color to brush with powder.... you are adding time to each tattoo, I would agree with what RebelAir said your going to have people dropping out. If the stencil books that you are getting are self adhesive stencils then before your events go through the book and remove each one and put it back. remove CAREFULLY I had a couple of stencil books and discovered really quick at an event I should have done this BEFORE the event sometimes removing them the "first time" can be tricky and if they have little bits or fragile "bridges" you can "break" them and ruin a stencil before it was even used...

The one pice of advice that I was given when I first started out was KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT know how to trouble shoot on the fly.... The best piece of advice I ever received... I see so many different airbrush tattoo forums and facebook pages now and I'm stunned by the lack of knowledge in regards to the airbrush and trouble shooting. Know why the airbrush is sputtering and what you can do to fix it while your lined up ; why all of a sudden theres no air? .... move you chair / ask the child behind you not to step on the air hose...Keep a "safe zone around you and your stencils.... kids like to "touch" and "grab" and just "look" and "lean against tables" keep your eyes always looking... and ready with Please don't touch the stencils .... etc.

 

[createinspain]

Hi, I've not been on here for a while but thought I'd drop by -
You say you have an airbrush already but I can tell you, that if there is a safety standard to meet - that airbrush should not be used - a new one should be set aside JUST for the tattoos. It doesn't have to be an expensive one but it should be spotlessly clean.

 

[RebelAir]

Hi, I've not been on here for a while but thought I'd drop by -
You say you have an airbrush already but I can tell you, that if there is a safety standard to meet - that airbrush should not be used - a new one should be set aside JUST for the tattoos. It doesn't have to be an expensive one but it should be spotlessly clean.

Its an airbrush tattoo, I don't think he's planning to use the needle to actually tattoo LOL, but hey slip ups happen...A clean airbrush is a clean airbrush no matter its age or what its painted before and new brushes are when they are generally at their dirtiest..They love to slather them in oil at times and perhaps there should be, but few markets runners would actually know what your doing is safe or not but yes there are some safety standards anyone getting into this should consider..But I would also consider having a few airbrushes as Mel said, ya dont want to stop, but get a day out of the way and see if its for you or not, believe me you'll come home buggered , but put all the coin you made into continually improving your set up....have another brush or two to be able to grab instantly, clean again when its quiet or suss out you spattering gun then..on the safety concerns...

-Don't tattoo on broken skin of any type.
-Always ask if a child has had any skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
-Use a Safety Standard paint for skin..
-And don't spray the kid in the face with it, they will want to watch you do it and you must arrange them in a way the spray isn't going straight up their little noses. Skin safe paint often are solvent/alcohol based..Not good for lungs. If semi enclosed consider a dust mask for the kids to wear.
-Set up where the noise of compressors and the overspray wont be annoying to other stall holders..
-Start making your own stencils if after your first day your keen to keep going, adhesive stencils are a pain...but sometimes necessary on bigger stencil -Most small ones can simply be held in place), if your re-adhering them with a contact spray, make sure its also a safe product to use on skin.
-Be careful how hard you hold stencils on, its surprisingly easy to clasp their arms a little tight.
-make sure you have a satisfactory "float" for change..everyone will bring $50 dollar notes, you will run out of change quick if you havent pre thought that need..

Most important have fun with the kids whilst there in your chair, be chatty and ask them questions about there day...Also be extremely polite to each an all, especially the childrens parents as likely they are paying for a tatt for every kid they brought along...

And if you have issues with the tatts coming off replace their money without question and work out what your doing wrong before doing any more...even better, test a few on yourself a couple days before so you can see how they last or don't, the longer that tatt hangs around the more chance they'll get another next time they see you at your market..best of luck, its a fun and easy way to generate coin from airbrushing...

 

[createinspain]

Lol! I hadn't thought the needle was going to be used on skin
I'm looking at it from a make up artist view, even brushes are supposed to be dedicated to only make up use and the same is advised for airbrushes, just incase some sneaky little paint particle gets loose where it shouldn't! I do agree though that it is probably more over caution than anything, when I strip my brush down and clean it, if the dirt doesn't come out then, it's probably never going to!
I used to do manual face painting years ago, when regs were not as tight. The dirty make up boxes I saw at some fetes...

If you want at some point to make your own stencils, get a Cameo or similar, second hand if need be and you can do your own with ease. A trick to adhering stencils to icing is to smear lightly with white vegetable fat. It would be safe on skin but I don't know if it would affect the paint if you wiped it off the skin after - (a kid may wipe it, even if you don't).

 

[Joseph DiGiugno]

Hey all.... one last question. I have a couple events lined up already for July (first one being a Wings and Wheels event that combines an airshow with a car show; and the second being a one day music festival), but am having a few issues coming up with my pricing break down. I have 2 stencil books with smaller designs (approximately 2" X 3"), and I was thinking about going with $6.00 base price for single colors and adding $0.50 additional color, and for the larger designs (approximately 6" X 9"), starting at 9.00 and $1.00 for each additional color on them. Was what kind of pricing "schemes" you guys had. I already have an idea in mind for "hourly" charges for private events and such.... just having an issue with coming up with a break down of "per piece" charges.

 

[Maple Art]

I can give you a break down of how I did it.
(this is just my personal opinion)
I did have an 8 gun set up, so one color per gun all hooked up and ready to go. When I stopped doing airbrush tattoos 3 years ago I could tattoo 200 kids, full color (small/medium) in 2.5 hours
- color ink or black ink the cost of the ink is the same why charge more?
- the extra .50 cents means your going to have to have a lot of "coin" on hand to make change if they want 3 colors that tattoo just became alot more expensive - this equals time not spraying...
-having to explain pricing all it all the time - NOBODY READS THE SIGNAGE (trust me on this)
- that mom with 4 kids - it's going to cost her more for color - the child will be "denied" color and they will be disappointed
- why 6.00? thats a "5 dollar bill and a one dollar bill" parent's will think twice about that.... trust me they will
The following prices I charge were all full color even "rainbow" if the child wanted that...

all posters were "marked" with a dot I hung price signs around the tent "green dot" $5.00 yellow dot $8.00 and so on

the size of the design is kinda subjective I went through each stencil and decided some are pretty simple some are more "intricate" and priced accordingly

all kanji tattoos, I charge $5.00 some wanted just "black" others wanted it rainbow didn't matter it was 5.00


small= $5.00 ( swan picture)
medium= $8.00 (tiger)
large= $10.00 (cat/moon)
large 12.00 (tramp stamp)
x=large 15.00 (Dragon/stars)
and xxlarge 20.00 (snake/sword)

The 8 dollar tattoos were the most popular I priced them @ 8.00 for the most part they would hand me a 10 and say keep the change

I did this by myself - no helpers I actually found it easier

edit: It was a walk down memory lane for me to dig up theses pictures it was hard to choose just a few to post ...part of me misses it.