Using a Brayer
Brayer Techniques:
There are 4 basic types of brayers, sponge, soft rubber, hard rubber and acrylic. Each has very different uses and each (except the hard rubber brayer) is a wonderful tool for rubber stampers. Speedball has come out with a plastic handle that works with snap in brayer rollers in each of the 4 types -- one handle, 4 brayers!
Sponge Brayer: The sponge brayer is for getting a nice, even sponged looking background.
Soft Rubber Brayer (red rubber): The soft rubber brayer is my most indispensable tool.
1. Great for inking up fine stamps
2. Make rainbow backgrounds (by running the brayer directly onto the cardstock)
3. Make backgrounds by inking a stamp, stamping the brayer and then running the brayer over the cardstock
4. Applying Liquid Appliqué directly onto the cardstock for that suede feel
5. Running the brayer through a rainbow pad and then over bubble wrap on cardstock
6. Smoothing out the tissue paper after I've covered my cardstock with it for a cool background
7. Smoothing shrink plastic down on the inked up stamp so that the image won't have any air pockets in it
8. Running the brayer over a rainbow pad, spritz the brayer with just a little water and then apply the color to the cardstock for a watery looking background.
9. Running the brayer over an ink pad (rainbow or single color), running it over wet cardstock and then putting rock salt on it. Let it dry 24 hours, wipe off the salt and you have a great background.
Hard Rubber Brayer (black rubber): The hard rubber brayer is used in print making (I think). I don't believe this is use in stamping as far as I know.
Acrylic Brayer: It's great to put either rubber bands or cellophane around and make really cool backgrounds using either rainbow or single color inks.
A brayer is a small rubber paint roller. They have different sizes depending on your needs. Depending on how you ink your brayer you can create different results, including:
1. a wash of color
2. borders and edges
3. repetitive patterns
4. mirror images
Simply roll the brayer over your ink pad, using a roll-and-life motion. Note: running your brayer back and forth will only ink up the same section of the brayer, leaving some of the brayer without ink. Roll the brayer onto your project as desired.
Cleaning a Brayer
Usually good old clean water or stamp cleaner will clean pigment and dye inks from a brayer. If you've got something sticky on your brayer you can clean it with Goo Gone and then clean THAT off with soap and water.
Some more Fun Ideas
for using your Brayer
Rubber Brayer:
*Create stripes: using markers, make stripes on your brayer (this works best if you lie it on its back and turn the roller while holding the marker) all the way around until the beginning and ending stripe meet. Roll brayer across your paper.
*Create wavy lines: using markers, make wavy lines on your brayer (this works best if you lie it on its back and turn the roller while holding the marker) all the way around until the beginning and ending stripe meet. Roll brayer across your paper.
*Create Confetti/Dots/Raindrops: Using markers, make marks randomly on your brayer (you can use different colors) all over the entire roller. Then roll away.
*Create Plaids: Using markers, draw straight lines on brayer. Roll brayer on paper in a criss-cross pattern. You can also outline the stripes for your plaids with the smaller tip of your marker to make the plaid/stripes stand out more. You can also use Rainbow/Kaliedacolor (a.k.a. KC) plaids using a brayer rolled over a KC pad several times then brayering over your paper. Repeat as necessary for the desired depth of color and surface coverage. Then repeat the process in the opposite direction.
*Rainbow Backgrounds: using a brayer rolled over a multi-colored pad several times then rolling over your paper. Repeat as necessary for the desired depth of color and surface coverage. This works great for those scenery & landscape cards.
*Reverse/mirror Image: You’re your stamp rubber side up, color/ink your stamp, and roll the brayer over the image several times, then roll over your paper (works great with trees, flowers etc). Roll the image onto paper, creating a reverse image. If you have an image that you want to face each other (perhaps an animal nose to nose, or kids holding hands, etc), you would brayer over the stamp and roll onto paper, then stamp the original image nose to nose with the first.
*Kissing: Brayer over a background stamp (one with a design of some sort) then use another solid stamp and stamp onto the background stamp then stamp onto your card stock - your solid stamp now has a design.
*Ghosting: Stamp an image on your card several times in clear embossing ink. (Do NOT emboss) Then brayer over your invisible images with regular dye pad and your images will start to appear.
*Resist: Works best with glossy paper. You will need to choose your resist medium (see list below). You color on the glossy card stock with the pens in any way, or pattern you choose then you use the same technique as the ghosting by brayering over with a different color. The pattern that you drew or colored will not let the brayered ink absorb through the card stock therefore becomes the "resist". Possible mediums to try: oil colored pencils (work best with regular matte finished papers); crayons; wax paper; metallic pens; ink; resist ink; emboss ink (try the emboss pens to write a hidden message); rubber cement; masking fluid; white out/correction pen; Gel pens; wax resist sticks; Delta paint.
*Wax Paper Resist: crumple a piece of wax paper; iron (on hottest setting/no steam) wax paper onto white card stock (be sure to use an additional sheet of card stock between the wax paper and iron); press for only 2-3 seconds - this will transfer the wax to both sheets of card stock (if you iron too long the wax will be absorbed into the paper) Ink your brayer and then brayer over card stock. The brayer will resist laying color where the wax paper has left its design (makes a great background paper). Another variation to this technique is to use your stylus tool and with the wax paper on the card stock use the tip of your stylus to write your own message or draw your own design - brayer over to reveal your design or message.
*Use your brayer on those large background stamps to get an all over inking.
*Put a piece of cheesecloth down and brayer over the cheesecloth for a different effect. Try the same on lace doilies, lace, or bubble wrap.
*Brayer over a leaf (two ways to do this: place card stock over leaf or other nature finds and bring out the textured surfaces below; or use the reverse/mirror image technique to pick up the pattern of your nature find.)
*Joseph's Coat: Brayer with a rainbow pad and cover the entire area of your card (glossy cardstock works best). Emboss your image with clear embossing powder/ink on top of the area colored (this technique works best with the more solid image stamps). Then ink your brayer with Black or Navy (the darker the better) and cover the entire card again with this new color. Let the overcoat of ink dry, and then buff the card with a paper towel to remove excess ink off embossed image. What happens is that your rainbow color will then show through. (Great for a landscape card)
*Watercolor brayer: Ink your brayer with a rainbow pad or markers, then spritz with a water bottle, then roll out for a very pretty watercolor look.
Foam Brayer:
~Use your foam brayer for an all over airbrush effect.
~Use your foam brayer with your stencils.
~Use with the KC pads for rainbow effect.
~Use your foam brayer with markers for an interesting look. I've heard that you can make some great tortoise shell, leopard or gemstone looks on glossy card stock.
~You can also use the spritz technique with the foam brayer for a watercolor effect.
Lucite or Acrylic Brayer:
~Put rubber bands around your brayer, roll on ink pad, then roll onto paper for unique background
~Wrap saran/plastic wrap around your brayer, roll on ink pad, then roll onto paper for unique background.
~Wrap fabric netting or the netting from bags of cheese, fruits or marbles around brayer, roll on ink pad, then roll onto paper for unique background
~Wrap cheesecloth around brayer, roll on ink pad, then roll onto paper for unique background.
~Wrap string, yarn, crochet yarn, or fibers around brayer, roll on ink pad, then roll onto paper for unique background string
~You can use your acrylic brayer to roll out paper clay.
~You can use your acrylic brayer to make sharp creases in your card stock
~Crinkle up a piece of Mulberry paper, ink up your brayer with the new Encore pads and give your Mulberry paper a guilded look.
~Faux Suede - squeeze brown liquid appliqué on wax paper or aluminum foil. Roll the brayer until it is coated and smooth. Roll and even coat of the liquid appliqué on your cut out image or a diecut, let it set for a minute then heat with heat gun. This will give you a nice suede feel. Try it with different colors. But be sure to clean your brayer right away.
~Use your acrylic brayer with pigment ink on glossy (takes a little while to dry) don't roll use a quick sliding motion to brush the inked brayer across the card stock, you can also wiggle the brayer. You can make some cool looking plaids or sunbursts. Try the same technique, but tap the brayer around in different areas for an all over color burst.
That's about it...good luck!
Debbie Weller
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