Using an airbrush is a great way to expand your nail art creativity if you’re hesitant about your handpainting skills. Airbrush kits typically consist of stencils and paints that are used to quickly and easily spray intricate designs onto nails, and airguns typically come in single-action and dual-action.

Single action guns spray paint and air simultaneously as soon as the trigger is pressed down. Dual-action guns allow you to control the paint and airflow independently. So as you press down on the trigger, you move forward for air, and back for paint, allowing you to mix your spray.

Denise Loden, vice president of Safari Airbrush, has been airbrushing for over 23 years, and teaches airbrushing classes at Safari’s home base in Tampa, Fla. She offers some advice on getting started using airbrushes.

“I think one of the first things a tech needs when starting out with airbrushing is just a good understanding of the mechanics of the gun. A lot of techs are scared when they first handle one, thinking they’re going to break it. So one of the best ways to get over this is to take a class.

“We teach classes here at Safari — how to break down the gun and clean it, replace a needle if it happens to get dropped and damaged, and just overall maintenance. It makes techs more confident.

“As far as application, I recommend putting a very thin layer of white on top of the base coat. The white primes the nail for the colors to follow, making them really pop and stand out.

“The main thing to watch out for is putting too much on. It happens a lot with beginners and it’s easy to fix, but if they don’t realize it and put top coat over too much paint, the design will crack. Keep the initial base coat and white layer very thin using a spray with more air than paint.

“If you think it went on too heavy, it’s an easy fix. Just take some water and tissue and wipe it off and start again. It’s better than getting all the way through a design and having it crack at the end.”