How To Earn Extra Income With An Airbrush Tattoo Business
Submitted By: Carrie Copenhaver

I have made tons of extra income doing airbrush tattoos on the weekends at different events. Not only has it been lucrative but I have had so much fun. I’ve made lots of new friends and I love working with the kids.

You don’t need much to get started and should be able to purchase all of the supplies you need to get started for less than $1000.

Before you book a venue, you need some general supplies, a vendor tent, lights a table and a chair or stool. I purchased my tent from Sam’s Club for $199. Please don’t waste your money on the cheap Wal-Mart brands. You’ll lose it in the first major rain storm – trust me. I’ve been doing this for several years and I’ve been through my share of tents. I have also found some great deals in my local trading post and classified ads for used tents.

Lights, table and chairs can be purchased at your local hardware store. I prefer the halogen lights, a small stool and the heavy duty plastic tables from Sam’s Club.

The main tools of the trade are your airbrushes. You will need several brushes so you can have different color choices. I have at least 8 hooked up at all times. I find my customers prefer different colors and it saves time to have them available. You will need a fine point airbrush, either #1 or #3 needle. My two top airbrush choices are the Iwata Eclipse and the Thayer Vega 2000. The Iwata brushes are more expensive but they are great quality and have withstood a lot of abuse. The Vega is very inexpensive and does a great job as well. Both brushes are easy to maintain and are very durable.

Next purchase good quality paint. I’ve tried several different brands. The best paint will last 3-10 days. If they advertise that it stays longer, beware. Remember this is intended to be temporary paint. If it lasts longer than 3-10 days it may irritate the skin. Fortunately no one has ever had a negative reaction to the paints I’ve used. All paints should be waterproof, alcohol based, non-toxic and hypo-allergenic. I order my paints from a company in Australia and I love them!

There are several companies that sell stencils specifically for airbrush tattoos. All of them are great and very durable. There is one particular company that sells stencils that are a heavy duty paper with a light adhesive on the back. What I love about these stencils the best is the amount of detail available. They only last for about 10-15 uses but they pay for themselves over and over. Make sure you spend a little extra and purchase the flashes that go with the stencils sets. Flash cards are color or black and white pictures of your stencils. I will tell you from experience the color stencils show and sell better. Just be prepared because your customers will expect your tattoo to look exactly the same.

You will need an air compressor. I have a small Iwata air compressor. This doesn’t need to be a major investment but definitely spend a little extra on quality. I’ve had the same Iwata compressor for 5 years while my partner has been thorough at least 4. I also recommend you purchase a CO2 tank as a back up. Some venues may not give you access to power. If you don’t have electricity, you have to use the CO2 tank. You can set everything up with quick disconnect so you can easily trade off. I always carry my CO2 tank with me just in case I run into troubles. If you don’t have a compressor, you are out of business!

Finally pick venues with lots of kids. You will sell this product to almost everyone but your biggest market is the kids. So pick family friendly events. I booked a show this year that was a “Seafood Festival”. I thought I was pretty safe but I missed the emphasis on the “beach music”. That show was a bust for me. I still made $600 that weekend but that is far less than I’m used to.

Always look for shows with a minimum of 10,000 people. Smaller shows are great but you won’t make as much money as you do at the bigger shows. Here is my rule of thumb. If I can’t find any big shows, then I’ll book a smaller show. Remember your time has value. Decide the minimum you are willing to work for. If I can’t make at least $500, I’m not interested.

There are companies that now offer full packages to get started in airbrush tattooing. If money is not an issue for you, go for it. You can save quite a bit by ordering the pieces separately. Check out EBay. Search for “airbrush tattoo supplies”.

Make sure you get some business cards made. You will have another opportunity as people are going to ask you if you do airbrush tattoos at private parties. You will be invited to birthday parties, corporate parties and school events. Set a price per hour and have a minimum time you will work for. I won’t do any event for less than $50/hour, minimum of 2 hours. You can do as many parties as you wish!

Get started today and build your airbrush tattoo business. You’ll have fun, make great money and meet some great people.