Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
How do you brayer a background without getting the lines from the end of the brayer showing?? My background doesn't look smooth but rather choppy with lines. Any tricks?? Also, I don't have glossy paper. Can I use photo paper?
Thanks for your help!
__________________ Felicia
Sometimes the unexpected can turn into life's biggest joys...
I tried with photopaper once, it doesn't work very well as the ink tends to just sit on the surface and instead of getting graded layers, you just get one colour all over. I was also going to direct you to the two videos that metalcharm has provided the links to- I struggled till I watched these. She explains things so well,I learned al lot from them- the biggest ones were the way I was holding my brayer meant I was putting way too much pressure on it when rolling, and the second being to 'flick' the roller at the end of the paper as you lift it off,so that the roller spins, that keeps the dreaded lines at bay. Also, roll in one direction & lift off, don't go back & forward.
The reason for getting lines, and why 'flicking' it off at the end of the paper works, you can demo for yourself.It helped me see the problem.
Take a clean sheet of copy paper, load up your roller, and roll the whole length of the paper without stopping. What you will see is that each time the roller has done one revolution, there is less ink on it for the next, and so on. The point at which 1 revolution of the roller finishes and the next starts is what causes the lines- by just rolling one way, then flicking it at the end so it spins, you put that changeover point in a different place each time, so it all blends better.Hth.
Thank you ladies!! Those videos were wonderful and a great help!! It had been a few years since I did this technique and seemed I forgot how to do it right. The videos brought it all back!
__________________ Felicia
Sometimes the unexpected can turn into life's biggest joys...
No worries! They really are the best ones I've seen for learning what is a tricky technique to describe!
I read and read and read the Michelle Zindorf blog, which I adore, but was still clueless until seeing those videos.
No worries! They really are the best ones I've seen for learning what is a tricky technique to describe!
I read and read and read the Michelle Zindorf blog, which I adore, but was still clueless until seeing those videos.
Absolutely agree! I came across them recommended on here a long time ago, and she is still in my favourites list! lol. Like you, I'd tried for ages, everyone seemed to make it look so simple, but I just could not get it. She takes the time to explain the little things, and those are the ones that make all the difference.
can i recommend barbara gray (clarity stamps). she has been brayering for donkey's years and i think the key is to build up the colour. don't load up your brayer and then try and colour your card. ink up, remove some of the ink and then add layers of ink to your card.
she also recommends the splodge mat (a uk invention) to distribute the ink on the brayer.
you will always get lines on your work but if you are adding a lighter amount of ink each time they won't be as noticeable.
I, too, love Michelle Zindorf's blog. I took a class from her when she was in our area and it was fabulous. The main things to remember are to load up your brayer by lifting it up each time, not by going back and forth on the ink pad, and to start brayering off the paper and gradually go onto the paper. It takes a while, but it works. The more you work it the better it will blend. Start with the lightest colors, then add the darks.
In the video, she mentions she doesn't know why she gets small lines near the sides of her Cardstock parallel to her brayer sometimes but I think I do! I'm pretty sure she works so quickly that she doesn't always get to the sides of her Cardstock which creates lines. She should be as careful to work off the side of her Cardstock as she is to start off the beginning of her Cardstock. My other theory is that her Cardstock is wider than her brayer wheel circumference so the line is caused by the ink being used up by the time she reaches that point. Like when you ink up a wheel stamp but stamp it further than the fresh ink allows and you start getting a second generation image. Because she is rolling both ways it would happen on both ends. I'm pretty sure my first theory is correct tho.
__________________ RebeccaEdnie Mixed Media Artist, Paper Crafter, Jewelry Designer SCSDirtyDozenAlumni Www.Boxofchocolatescrafts.Com YouNeverKnowWhatI’mGoingtoMake
Rebecca Ednie- you are exactly right with your second theory! That was pretty much how I described it further up- I tried it out, and you can see exactly why the problem of lines occurs.
I have thought about trying this technique also. but, I am wondering if my frugal nature will be disappointed with all that ink that is being wasted on the side. Can you reuse that as embellishment circles or something? Also, does brayering require glossy paper?
__________________ Carolyn
my avatar: (such desparation), Dear God, if you can't make me thin; make my
friends fat"
Glossy paper is the only thing that works for me; Kromecote is wonderful for this technique.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Stampencamper- I save loads of my 'rolled of onto' paper & use it as backgrounds. If you don't keep going over the same are with different colours,(if you do, it'll just be a muddy mess,) you end up with some very striking pieces, that can be overstamped. I generally brayer on top of an A3 paper pad.
I love to brayer, but always forget to put a usable piece of paper under my work and end up with something that could be used as background paper, but on a truly ugly piece of scrap paper. Someday I will learn!
Smooth brayering??
