One of the most common questions I get is how to get started with Bodypainting. There are so many choices for air brushes, and then air compressors are never well explained as to their benefits! So here’s a quick guide to some of the equipment I’ve used over the years, why I still love them, and why I would absolutely recommend them to a beginner.
When picking items for this list, there were two main things I wanted to cover:
- Keeping the price as low as I can without sacrificing on quality
- Making sure they were super easy to use
Now, as you get better at airbrushing, you’ll eventually want to upgrade into fancier gear, but the stuff listed here should definitely get you going for your first couple of years. When you’re ready, I have a guide for Intermediate Airbrush Equipment available for you to check out as well when it’s time to upgrade!
Testors Mini Air Compressor
This was my first air compressor, and even though I’ve upgraded to bigger and more powerful models, I still recommend this one to anyone who is just starting out with airbrushing.
This compressor is small, lightweight, and doesn’t have any fancy settings or buttons to worry about. Just turn it on and go! As you get more into airbrushing, you will likely want to upgrade from this at some point, but to be honest I keep one of these in my toolkit even to this day.
The other major benefit of this compressor is often overlooked – it’s very travel-friendly! A lot of air compressors look pretty intimidating, and attempting to take them with you on a flight can cause a lot of headaches with TSA. But this one is just cute and unassuming, and I’ve never had a problem bringing it in my luggage with me! So even today the Testors compressor remains my go-to option when I have to fly.
Badger Single Action Airbrush
For an inexpensive airbrush that will last you a long time, I absolutely recommend keeping a Single Action airbrush like this handy.
The main benefit of an airbrush like this is that there’s no inner workings to worry about – you don’t have to disassemble it for cleaning every time, because no paint ever actually enters the airbrush.
This airbrush is also great for its wide spray – if you hold you several inches back you’ll get it to cover a lot of surface area at once! Not only is that great for speeding up how long it takes to paint your skin, but it also helps with making sure the paint job comes out more even and not splotchy.
If you buy the Badger Single Action Airbrush listed above, it comes with one cup. I highly recommend picking up some spare cups, which will help as you get into working with more colors. I tend to also have one cup dedicated to airbrush cleaner that I can run spray through the airbrush to help keep it from gunking up while I work.
