A siphon-feed (or suction-feed) airbrush draws paint up from a bottle attached below the airbrush body. The venturi effect of high-velocity air passing through the nozzle creates a low-pressure zone that siphons paint upward from the bottle.
Advantages:
- Large paint capacity, bottles hold 20–30ml or more, ideal for large coverage work.
- Easy color swapping, unscrew one bottle, attach another.
- Multiple pre-loaded bottles can be prepared in advance for a session.
Disadvantages:
- Requires more air pressure to siphon paint upward, less suitable for very low-pressure fine detail.
- Minimum paint level needed in bottle for reliable feed.
- Not ideal for very small amounts of expensive paint.
- Can’t easily determine how much paint remains.
Popular for mural work, body art, and large-scale coverage where volume matters more than precision.
Related: Gravity Feed · Side Feed · Venturi Effect