Temporary Tattoo "How to Apply" information.

1. Clean the skin with rubbing alcohol on a make up wipe or use medi swabs which already are moistened with the alcohol. This removes any oils on the skin and makes the skin more receptive to the airbrush tattoo ink.

2. Apply the adhesive stencil by removing the backing sheet (keep this sheet for replacing the stencil later) and placing stencil on the skin. Try to avoid areas that are very hairy or you wont achieve a sharp tattoo. Make sure the stencil is sitting firm on the skin.

3. Apply airbrush tattoo ink gradually. It is better to build up light layers rather than one heavy layer which may bleed under the stencil. If you make a mistake just wipe off the ink with the rubbing alcohol and dry and start again. If you are applying shimmer powder you should do so now while the stencil is still on the skin.

4. Remove the stencil and replace on the backing sheet. Dust the tattoo with talcum powder to set and dry the colour. In humid damp weather make sure the ink has dried first so you dont smudge it. The tattoo ink dries very quickly, almost immediately. I advise the customer that they can look after the tattoo by not scrubbing it in the shower or bath and to pat it dry with a towel afterwards. They can apply talcum powder to prolong the life of the tattoo. Tell them to avoid putting moisturiser or sun cream near the tattoo or it will remove it. If they want to remove the tattoo they can use rubbing alcohol or baby oil.

5. The stencils can be reused many times over. If the adhesive wears off it is handy to have a medical spray adhesive to recoat the back of the stencil. Eventually you may want to replace the tattoo stencil but you will have made your money back many times over. Adhesive stencils give you a nice clean edge because they are sticking to the skin.

How to clean your airbrushes and jars

The tattoo ink is alcohol based so the cleaner you use should be either isopropyl alcohol 99.9% or methylated spirits. This wont harm your airbrush. At the end of the day dismantle your airbrush and place the parts that have been in contact with the ink such as the needle, nozzle/tip, aircap, airbrush jar and lid assembly in a sealable container with alcohol in it. Refer to the airbrush`s parts diagram for further information on cleaning. Use an old tooth brush to scrub of the ink. Pipe cleaners are useful for the small areas such as the feed on the airbrush where the jar connects to the airbrush, the tip or nozzle and the pipe that brings the ink up from the jar to the airbrush. There also special cleaning brushes you can buy for this job.

Rinse the airbrush parts in water and dry before reassembling. It is a good habit to also apply an airbrush lubricant to the needle and any moving parts in the airbrush. You can buy a specific airbrush product for this or use petroleum jelly or sewing maching oil