Choose a stencil. From butterflies to Chinese letters to tiny stars for the apple of your cheek, airbrush stencils come in thousands of different designs. Choose a simple shape for your first try, one that does not require changing colors or any shading.
Fill the reservoir of the airbrush gun with paint. Some guns come with a few reservoirs. If you’re determined to use more than one color, fill each reservoir with the colors you need before doing anything else. Close the caps tightly and load your first color into the air gun. Do a few test squirts on paper to make sure the airbrush is not clogged.
Wipe down the area you wish to tattoo with an alcohol swab. Clean skin takes paint better than oily or sweaty skin. Wipe excess moisture away with a soft cloth and tape the stencil onto the area. Make sure the edges of the stencil remain flush with the skin at all times.
Hold the airbrush four or five inches away from the stencil and gently press on the trigger. Move the brush minutely to fill in each shape, beginning with the edges and moving inward. When changing colors, rinse out the airbrush after you switch out the reservoirs.
Wait a minute or two before removing the stencil so you don’t smear the tattoo. Detach one piece of tape at a time and peel the stencil away slowly. Allow the paint to dry for about 10 minutes before touching it or beginning another tattoo that's close to the first one