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I received a brayer for christmas and was so excited to start using it. I was quickly discouraged. I stamped a flower image and clear embossed it - which worked great. I then used the brayer on a rainbow stamp pad and rolled over the stamped image on glossy card stock - I couldn't get good coverage, then once I did get it to cover, I couldn't get it to blend nicely like I see on the cards in the gallery. I tried cleaning the brayer and rolling back over the card, but it just picked up the color and smeared one color into the other and made it look muddy. Help??!!??
I've been frustrated with my brayer too. You might try the "serigraph" technique that's a tutorial on this site -- I was able to experience some success with that. I've also used it for the "Joseph's Coat" technique with some luck: 1. Use brayer and a rainbow pad to cover a card-size piece of white cardstock (glossy or plain). Let it dry thoroughly (you can use your embossing tool to "blowdry" it). 2. If you have an "embossing buddy" run that over the paper. 3. Use versamark and clear embossing powder to create your design, and emboss. 4. Use your brayer and black ink to cover the whole card. After it dries, use a tissue to "buff" the dried ink off of the embossed portion.
I also had that experience when I got my brayer and ended up not using it for a couple of months. Try stamping your image with versamark. Let it dry a bit and then use your brayer with a single color. With a little practice you will get the hang of it and then be able to use the multi color pad. When braying keep pressure on your brayer. Don't bray a little and then stop, you must keep braying. Go back and forth until the whole thing is covered. Also when using your multi color, try not to go all over, just over lap a little and you should be able to eliminate the muddy look. You can also stamp an image and color some parts with a whit crayon. When you bray over this the white crayon with resist the ink. Hope this makes sense and is helpful. Happy braying.
I had the same problem when trying to use the brayer with the plaidmaker. Very discouraging and fustrating. I won't use it again unitl I get the foam attachement. There are so many nice cars here using the brayer, I don't understand what we are doing wrong.
I've had my best luck with blending colors when using glossy card stock. If you keep going over it with a firm hand, it will blend. Also be sure to not stop until you go off the paper. Then it won't leave lines.
Have you brayered using rubber bands? Wrap a whole bunch of different size rubber bands around the roller, ink across your pad, brayer on paper. Clean off color and apply a second color. Very fun.
Don't give up!
I use classic stamp pads and the rubber brayer.
You have to press VERY hard and roll, roll, roll in all different directions. Use a scrap paper underneath and roll off the glossy paper. It will eventually blend in.
Of course. you can't roll in different directions when you are using the spectrum pads but it works great with classic pads.
I agree with dromm's posting ~ keep at it, don't give up. Brayering is quick and looks great; but just takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it! The classic ink works best for this, so maybe try using one color to get the feel before using the spectrum pads. Glossy paper is the best to use!
__________________ Donna Love my puppies! Thor 5 years; Maddee 5 years
The sad truth for me was, I can only brayer successfully on Glossy paper. Best thing with Spectrum pads is to quickly brayer over it, slightly off the lines, so they blend. Brayer repeatedly on the one card. I just don't ever bother to brayer Spectrum pads on anything but glossy paper.
Oh, except for the reflection technique, where you ink up the stamp, then roll the brayer across it, then brayer onto a piece of paper - you get a lighter impression, and it's a mirror image of the original. So you can play with that.... If I'm doing a reflection, I do the brayer reflection first, then the main stamp, because it's easier to line that up!
__________________ Kathy Wrose "Fun must be always." - Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks "It was fun." - Kirk, Star Trek: Generations
BRAYER
