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i just got my brayer the other day and ive been trying it out and found a great tut for brayerd sky ,i was so happy and thought i would be able to make a wonderful skyline with my new brayer BUT!!! its not that easy :/
all i get is a straigth line from the brayer ,ive tryed to brayer not to hard ,move it around but im never happy with the resault im so not happy with my self now
so i need some help !! how do i brayer so i wont get straigth lines
i know practise practise but ive been trying so hard :rolleyes:
Do a search in the techniques, there were a lot of people there having the same problem. I just bought a brayer last night, hopefully I will be able to figure it out!
I have found that I need to keep rolling the brayer over and over the color, even after I have used up what is on the wheel, that tends to smooth out the lines more, so I don't have such *sharp* lines, hope this makes sense!
__________________ Lisa C., Mom to 3 great kids, 3 super dogs and an cat that thinks she is a dog! My Gallery
To avoid a sharp line when brayering you can either do your first roll on scrap paper before going onto the card stock or you can start at the very top of the card stock and brayer back and forth moving down a little at a time. Be sure to keep brayering after the ink is off the brayer to blend, blend, blend. smile
Michelle Zindorf | Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 12:03 PM
I have not done much with a brayer, but I do know that you need to start the brayer off the edge cardstock and brayer over to the other side of the cardstock, off the edge. You also need to 'work' the ink/brayer over the cardstock several times to get the ink worked into the paper to help remove the lines. HTH
Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
Last edited by lefsegirl; 01-05-2008 at 07:03 AM..
Reason: More info needed
i did that ,but in the tut you are supose to use the second and third color just above the first one ,and thats where i get these lines i dont like
I read a comment Zindorf posted somewhere saying that when you add the second and third colors to start at the top, rolling color on there and then move down or even to roll off a bit of the color on scratch paper first. Just as the two posters above said, and I found that worked better for me.
ok i gave it a try and yessss it came out just the way i whanted it to ,used glossy pp and classic ink ,it works better when i put the 2 and the 3 inks on from the top thanks you all !!!
I have looked and looked at tutorials for the brayer , but like you said it just doesn't look like a Zindorf. I ended up using a make up sponge and cotton ball to blend even more. But I will keep trying the brayer technique.. Maybe I'm just brayer impaired. good luck to you.
__________________ Life is a journey not a destintation. Enjoy the trip.
I also had to give up on using the brayer. I think part of the problem is that I was using inkspots to load up the brayer but still it left lines and was not evenly blended. I used sponges and the inkspots and just kept circling the colour on until it resembled what the tutorial looked like.
If you are using a Kaliedecolor ink pad, those are the ones that have 5 colors in one that you open & close the ink pads. You need to keep the pads seperated and start with your brayer to the left. As you ink up in one direction, you will begin to move the brayer a little to the right not much but it will not give you those lines, they will be blended.
Cheryl Rotnem
I read a comment Zindorf posted somewhere saying that when you add the second and third colors to start at the top, rolling color on there and then move down or even to roll off a bit of the color on scratch paper first. Just as the two posters above said, and I found that worked better for me.
I need to try this. I tried using my brayer for the first time today and got harsh lines. I will try doing it this way and see what happens.
I hear yah!!! I can't tell you how much paper I have wasted. Harsh straight lines, not blending well. Zindorf usings SU White CS. Maybe I will have to dry glossy white until I get the hang of it.
First off- paper DOES matter! I have spent ages believing it does not, but it will for this. You want to use coated paper- like SU Whisper White so the color moves around on top of the paper and does not get sucked in. Paper like Georgia Pacific from Wal Mart is perfect for Copic markers- it absorbs the ink color- it is NOT coated.
2nd- do not hold the brayer like a wheel.....the brayer is not a wheel- I have to say it over and over- i want to put my finger in the middle where the handle is..... Hold the handle by wrapping your fingers around the handle and letting it glide......hold up the pinky finger on the hand you are holding the brayer with.
Start off the paper and move the brayer over slowly. We also stamper and brayered on a craft foam mat like this one....... http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.j...69&PID=1609763
(If you look at Michelle's tutorials she has one under all of her work).
First off- paper DOES matter! I have spent ages believing it does not, but it will for this. You want to use coated paper- like SU Whisper White so the color moves around on top of the paper and does not get sucked in. Paper like Georgia Pacific from Wal Mart is perfect for Copic markers- it absorbs the ink color- it is NOT coated.
2nd- do not hold the brayer like a wheel.....the brayer is not a wheel- I have to say it over and over- i want to put my finger in the middle where the handle is..... Hold the handle by wrapping your fingers around the handle and letting it glide......hold up the pinky finger on the hand you are holding the brayer with.
Start off the paper and move the brayer over slowly. We also stamper and brayered on a craft foam mat like this one....... http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.j...69&PID=1609763
(If you look at Michelle's tutorials she has one under all of her work).
Practice, Practice, Practice...........
Best of luck
Shelly
OMG Shelly, Thank you so much for all the info. I haven't been able to get this much info before. So Shimmery White Paper is the trick. I was about to try glossy next.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions
Add me to the list of the brayer-impaired. I've tried glossy card stock with craft ink, and the ink is so wet that the brayer actually picks the ink back up as you move it back and forth. I've tried regular card stock and classic ink, and just get weird splotchy patterns and not that pretty fade out. I'd almost call it quits and stick with sponging, but darn it, Michelle's tutorials are so beautiful...
Ladies...There are a few simple techs out there to get you to fall in love with your brayer.....Personally, I LOVE my brayer!
***Get yourself a good brayer! Speedball far and away beats the other brands out there.
***Store it out of sunlight and on the handle...never ever on the roller!
***I believe the trick is in how you ink your brayer as much as how you roll!when inking (thinking Kaleidacolour Inkpads here)......ensure you leave the inks open.....roll on to pad and off bringing your hand up in a circular clockwise motion on and off the pad.....just slightly move the brayer across so you fill the gaps on the brayer as you do this. Check the brayer....if it has distinct lines....bob's your uncle you are gunna get lines on you card!
***Good gloss card works well...forget matt card...the inks will not blend for you.
***Have scrap paper under your work. Ensure that workspace is very very flat!
*** Begin to brayer on the scrap card onto the gloss card onto the scrap card at the other end.
***Lift the brayer...come back and start again
***Keep brayer on the card and work slightly to the left and to the right....working the colour in. Keep good pressure on the brayer when rolling.
You have to be fairly quick with this....so you can work the lines out.
If you want to just experiment with the brayer....Madras Brayering is simple and easy to achieve as is Brayer Bouncing and Watercolour Brayering.
Dust those brayers off girls...you are missing a really great resource.
Everyone has listed such good tips but here is mine: here is a sample of my brayered sky. There are actually 3 sample using different techniques for a sky, but this link is for the brayer test.
I use glossy cardstock
I ink my speedball brayer with a lot of ink.
When inking the brayer, I make one pass, pick up the brayer, and go back over the ink pad. This makes sure I have an even layer of ink. Don't let the brayer spin between picking up layers of ink.
Then I roll the brayer back and forth over the card stock. You have to go back and forth several time to smooth out the lines.
I clean the brayer by rolling it over scratch paper and then load the next color.
To get rid of the lines, I slightly overlap each color.
It's important to select colors that won't make a muddy color when blended togehter. You can see in the sample that the green gets a little muddy.
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I had the same problem until I posted a question on here. Somone sent me a great tutorial link (utube). Yes, you need to start at the top or bottom. You ink up well and start rolling off the cardstock on your scratch paper. Each time you inch down a little. I did a purple-ish sunset for a friend that loves purple. I had pinks at the bottom of the card. So for the pinks I started off the bottom of the cardstock and kept reinking as I worked up. Aha!!! NOOOO lines! It was awesome. It takes lots of ink! I did not use glossy paper...SU Whisper White was what I used. Oh, also the turtorial stated to hold at the handle not up by the brayer. It worked on my first try with this info.
__________________ All I want is the chance to prove money won't make me happy!
Last edited by Allistamps123; 08-25-2009 at 05:29 PM..
What I had when brayering could only be described as "trash can" material.
I just recently took Michelle Zindorf's class and in 3 brief hours mastered the brayer. So my tip is find one of her classes in your area. I only regret that there isn't an Advanced Class next year in my area with an opening - these classes fill up fast!
ok, I made a couple of videos to show people how to use their brayers. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP!!! Michelle is the queen and I went to 2 of her brayer classes, but there is nothing like seeing it in person. Once you see my videos, practice, practice, practice!! I am not saying I am great at it, but what I am giving you is better than nothing! lol
I had to do these in 2 parts because they were so long....
I have taken Michelle's class also and it makes a difference if you use a foam mat under the brayer. If your index finger is on the top of the brayer when you are working, then you are applying too much pressure. Use ultra smooth card stock and forget about inexpensive Georgia Pacific paper etc. from Walmart. It makes a huge difference if you are using very, very smooth paper. Practice, practice, practice!
ok, I made a couple of videos to show people how to use their brayers. PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP!!! Michelle is the queen and I went to 2 of her brayer classes, but there is nothing like seeing it in person. Once you see my videos, practice, practice, practice!! I am not saying I am great at it, but what I am giving you is better than nothing! lol
I had to do these in 2 parts because they were so long....
I love brayering and when ever anyone asks this kind of question I always link them to your blog videos .. they show exactly what you have to do. It was certainly my "ah-ha!" moment when I looked at them!
One of the things that I have tried that helped me was to take my large acrylic block and roll my inked up brayer over it. The inks blend on the block so all I have to do is roll the brayer on the paper.
Hi, I posted today as a newbie to your forum. I found you yesterday while looking for advice on brayering.I'd watched loads of you-tube vids, but still couldn't get that nice blended look. I saw the link to mrslumpys videos, so went and had a look. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I sat and watched, went away and made my first ever perfect blend! I sat for ages, and I now have a stack of blended brayered sheets it'll probably take me a lifetime to use up,lol.And I'm going to do some more now. Your video is brilliant, because you explain as well as show. Part of my problem was how I held the brayer(finger on top) and pressing too hard.
Mrs. Lumpy - thanks for the great tutorial! I have a brayer, but haven't used it much because I wasn't sure how to make it look good. I think I'll try a reflection card and see how it turns out
Hi, I'm new to brayering and am wondering if I should be using a hard or soft rubber roller? I tried a hard rubber one and didn't have much luck. thanks!
Definately a soft brayer- the Speedball really is the best. I bought a hard one at first, and while its ok for inking up large stamps for instance, or for making sure something is stuck down, it really is no good for getting the blended look. So I had to go out and buy the Speedball. Everyone recommends it, and in this instance I have to agree. One really important thing: Never, ever leave you brayer standing on the roller. You will get a 'dent' in it, which will always leave a line on your work- another problem with hard brayers. There is a post earlier in this section with links to mrslumpys brayer tutorial- it is brilliant- if you are new to brayering, and I am, she gives very good advice- I was achieving much better blending after watching them.;)
You're very welcome. Thats what I love about this forum- there is always someone who will respond, and everyone is so friendly & helpful- I swear I Lose whole days on here sometimes just wandering through the posts & Galleries:grin:
how to use a brayer
