Airbrushing Nails

a guide for beginners by Melle

Not to be copied and distributed without permission, you may print for your own use.

Melle Stripp, All Things Nails by Melle,  London, UK, allthingsnails@cwcom.net

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contents

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AIRBRUSH MAINTENANCE

The number one rule is to always keep your airbrush clean and free from paint.  Dried paint is the number one ‘clogger’.  When finished for the day undo all the parts at the front of the airbrush, take out the needle, carefully clean all the parts and keep them all in diluted airbrush cleaner.

Use a pipe cleaner soaked with airbrush cleaner to clean the inside of the airbrush.  Only remove the needle through the front and you should not have to undo and clean any other parts; trigger, spring etc.

If your airbrush does have dried paint carefully undo the front and submerge in neat airbrush cleaner for 20 minutes or so, then use a small brush to loosen the paint and clean as normally.

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PREPARING THE NAIL 

When airbrushing on artificial nails or wraps you must make sure the nail is very smooth at the cuticle.  Any bumps or grooves in the nail will show once the paint is on, especially if a light colour is applied.   

 You need to spray onto a ‘clean palette’ to get a true colour from the paints.  You can do this two ways;

·        apply a specially designed airbrush base coat to each nail (this is usually a pearl white colour), or

·        apply a regular clear basecoat and spray each nail white. 

 If you are airbrushing a French white or the tip of the nail only, use a regular clear basecoat. Airbrush paints can also be applied over a coloured nail polish, although this only really works well with white paint.

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LAYING STENCILS ON THE NAIL

Once you have applied your base colours you will need to lay stencils on the nail to achieve the designs.  There are two types of stencil;

·        Flexible clear plastic.   These usually have a number of cut outs on each stencil.  They can be cleaned with airbrush cleaner or soap and water and re-used again and again.

·        Pre cut masking.  These usually come in sheets and you peel the stencil as you need it.  They can be used for one set of nails only as the sticky back wears away quickly.

Flexible clear plastic.  Select your stencil and place on the nail, gently hold the stencil flat on the nail with your thumb and fore-finger.  Ensure the stencil is lying completely flat on the nail.  If any part of the cut out is even slightly lifted you will not get a crisp, clean edge to the design.  If the nail is long and curved you may need to spray the top half of the design and then re-lay the stencil for the bottom.   Once you have sprayed through the stencil with colour use the airbrush to apply just air to the colour before you remove the stencil.  This will reduce the risk of smudging the design when you lift the stencil.  To remove the stencil carefully lift straight up, do not drag the stencil over the nail.

Pre cut masking.  Peel the design from the sheet and lay across the nail in position.   Ensure the background colours on the nail are completely dry.  Spray your colour over the masking, spray air to dry and peel away the masking.  These are especially good for airbrushing your own nails, or if you have a large design in which you want to blend different colours into as there is no re-laying of the stencil.

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CUTTING AND LAYING MASKING

For French manicures it’s easy and tidy to cut your own masking, it will ensure you always have a uniform smile line or chevron with a crisp clean edge.

Masking can also be used to block off areas of the nail you don’t want to be sprayed. 

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CHOOSING COLOURS

There are a number of different groups of paints;

·        Opaque – a solid colour that should be sprayed over white.

·        Transparent – a thin colour that can be built up or applied over another colour without a white base.

·        Pearlised/Metallic – bright colours with tiny flecks of silver.

·        Flourescent – thin colours which need several coats to build up colour.

 When choosing colours for your design it’s best to stick to one group of colours.  White and black are complimentary to every group of colour as a background.

 When using pearlised or metallic colours be very careful to put only a tiny amount into the airbrush.  The silver flecks in these colours can clog the airbrush very easily.

 To achieve a good true colour it’s always best to spray over white.   Keep in mind when choosing your design if a lot of stencils are used.  You will need to lay the stencil and spray white, then re-lay and spray your chosen colour.

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SPRAYING PAINT

Only add a couple of drops of paint at a time.  This will make your colour change quicker and easier.  4-5 drops will be sufficient to cover all 10 nails.

Dual action airbrushes require you to press down the trigger for air and pull back for paint.  You need both to apply and dry the paint.   Begin with the colour away from the nail and move slowly onto the nail.   Hold the airbrush 2 – 4 inches from the nail.  Spray the colour slowly up and down the nail.  Repeat until you get the desired shade of colour.   This application will ensure the paint is fully dry and the nail ready to accept your next colour.   Once you have finished with the colour push the trigger forward to release only air, this will dry the paint fully.  Do not let the trigger go once your colour is on, this may result it the last drop of paint in the well to splatter onto the nail.

Colour changes.  During colour changes run water through the airbrush and loosed the previous colour with a small brush. If you have used a dark colour and want a lighter colour next it may be necessary to use airbrush cleaner instead of water.  DO NOT CLEAN YOUR AIRBRUSH IN BETWEEN COLOURS WITH A COTTON BUD.  FIBRES OF COTTON WILL CLING AND CLOG YOUR AIRBRUSH.

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BLENDING COLOURS

If you choose to blend two or more colours you need to make sure they are compatible, that another colour will be created where the two meet.  Ie; blue and yellow blended will produce green where they meet, red and white will produce pink, yellow and red will produce orange etc. 

When blending two colours in a stencil cut out, spray one colour though the stencil, re-lay the stencil and spray the second colour directly onto the stencil at the very edge of the cut out.  This will cause a fine spray around the edge of the previous colour.

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SEALING THE DESIGN

Once you have completed your design it must be sealed.   Apply an airbrush suitable top coat over the entire nail.  Load the brush well, and float the top coat over the nail.  Be careful not to let the brush touch the nail or you may ‘scratch’ your design.

Choose your top coat carefully, some are not suitable for applying over airbrush and will cause the airbrush paint to crack as soon as it’s applied.

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CLEANING AROUND THE NAIL

Once you have finished your design and applied top coat you will need to clean the skin around the nail.  To make this as easy and quick as possible use an adhesive horseshoe sculpting form.  Use it to mask the finger while spraying your base colour onto the nail.  This is where most of the over spray comes from.  Remove while completing your design. 

Gently squeeze the finger beneath the nail and use a cotton bud dipped in nail varnish remover and gently wipe around the sidewalls and cuticle.   Do not get too close to the nail or you may smudge your design.   Let your client know that any dried paint on the skin will wash off with soap and water once the top coat is dry.

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CHARGING FOR AIRBRUSH DESIGNS

Your confidence will determine your charges.  When starting out a lot of techs charge little or nothing for the service.  Your clients make excellent models and adverts.  Once you become quicker and confident with difficult designs you have to make a choice whether to charge by colour or complexity of design.  If you will be offering 1 airbrush colour instead of polish you will also need to charge for this service.  If charging by colour you need to set a minimum charge (say for up to 2 colour) to cover your initial expenses of the service and then a small charge per extra colour.    If you decide to charge by complexity you will need to work out how much your time is worth, consider whether a 5 colour design is worth 5 times as much as your 1 colour design.

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TROUBLESHOOTING