Equipment
When it comes to equipment, I've worked with a few different things and they all work better for one thing or another. Depending on the effect that you're going for, you might want to consider these different things.
Paint brushes: Different sizes and textures can create different effects. Whether you need fine lines, broad strokes, stippling, or feathery lines, there is probably a brush out there that does it. However, you can get all these effects with the generic brushes with practice.
Sponges (porous): Porous sponges can last long and are easy to clean. These are best used with water based makeups that come in solid form. These can be activated with water. You can cover a lot of space or create some interesting stipple effects with porous sponges.
Sponges (wedges): These are best used with cream makeups since they are smooth and will most likely put as much makeup to use as possible without absorbing too much into the sponge.
Airbrush kit (Compressor, gun, hose, bottles, etc): Airbrush guns can create a large variety of effects quickly and easily, but require some practice.
Because the rest of these supplies are pretty self explanetory, I wanted to go over the airbrush equipment. If you can learn to use an airbrush gun, it can really be the most exciting, versatile, and useful piece of your makeup arsenal. Although, good equipment can be pricey, so assess how serious you are about the makeup you're doing and if you really need it for your project. A good airbrush needs maitenance, cleaning, and care in order to work well for a long time. And believe me, they come with a lot of little parts that can be lost or damaged easily and learning to take your gun apart and reassemble it is part of maintenance.
How An Airbrush Gun Works
There are different kinds of airbrush guns. You might have heard of airbrushing a car AND airbrushing foundation for beauty makeup. Obviously the same gun cannot be used for these two applications. For makeup, there are a lot of different things to think about. Single action or duel action. Bottom feed or gravity feed. Knowing your project will help you figure out which will be more appropriate. If you don't know what these things are, here is what to expect.
Single Action: Single action airbrushes are typically meant for covering a lot of space and are controled with a simple on and off trigger. The amount of paint dispenssed cannot be controled and therefor a single action gun is not good for detail work.
Dual Action: Dual action airbrushes are controled with a push/pull trigger that gives the artist complete control of the paint. I prefer dual action because it give the artist much more control over their work and is extremely versatile. By pushing on the trigger you get air without paint and as the trigger is gradually pulled back you can control the amount of paint that comes out. The way this works is inside the gun there is a small cone in the tip through which a long, thin needle plugs the opening. As you pull back the trigger, the needle gradually receeds from the cone, allowing more or less paint flow. This action takes getting used to since the control is sensative and the tiny opening can get clogged if you do not properly clean your gun between paints or if you let paint dry inside of it. If you can get the hang of dual action, however, it is AMAZING for blending and detail. Getting closer to the subject can create thin, vein-like lines while being further from the subject can cover larger areas for basing and shading.
SINGLE ACTION AIRBRUSH
DUAL ACTION AIRBRUSH
Gravity Feed: Gravity feed is most commonly used for beauty makeup. A gravity feed gun will have a small funel on the top of the gun or one that can attach to the bottom of the gun facing upward. Gravity feeds literally use gravity to feed the paint into the gun. This is best when you are not using too man colors since every time you switch out your colors you must clean out the funnel and put whatever excess paint back into the bottles. I also tend to move my hands around a lot when I am doing different strokes and designs so unless you have a top to put on the funnel, paint gets everywhere. It's happened to me before because I am so used to bottom feeds.
Bottom Feed: Bottom feeds use a bottle that attaches to the bottom of the gun via a spout where the paint is sucked up into the gun. I prefer bottom feeds for a few reasons, the first being that you can switch colors without having to return paint to their bottles or clean out any containers. You simply detatch your airbrush bottle, clean out your gun with the appropriate cleaning fluid, and attatch the next color. You can also hold much more paint, which makes body painting much easier if that's your project. In my opinion it is a much more productive way to apply makeup. My job at Fear Farm requires me to do many faces in a very small amount of time and being able to switch colors just by taking one bottle off and replacing it with another and a quick gun cleaning in between, I can do up to 60 people in under 2 hours. And if speed isn't what you're looking for, the ease of it is worth the investment.
Bottom Feed: Bottom feeds use a bottle that attaches to the bottom of the gun via a spout where the paint is sucked up into the gun. I prefer bottom feeds for a few reasons, the first being that you can switch colors without having to return paint to their bottles or clean out any containers. You simply detatch your airbrush bottle, clean out your gun with the appropriate cleaning fluid, and attatch the next color. You can also hold much more paint, which makes body painting much easier if that's your project. In my opinion it is a much more productive way to apply makeup. My job at Fear Farm requires me to do many faces in a very small amount of time and being able to switch colors just by taking one bottle off and replacing it with another and a quick gun cleaning in between, I can do up to 60 people in under 2 hours. And if speed isn't what you're looking for, the ease of it is worth the investment.
GRAVITY FEED AIRBRUSH
BOTTOM FEED AIRBRUSH
EXAMPLES OF MAKEUP I'VE DONE USING DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES
