50 Ways to Love Your Brayer by Boni Boutelle
RUBBER:
1. 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 in whatever direction you desire.
2. Squiggles (technical term): Repeat the same process as for Stripes but make wavy lines instead of straight ones.
3. Confetti/Dots/Raindrops: Randomly make marks on your brayer with your marker (you can use different colors) all over the entire roller. Then roll away.
4. Plaids: Same as with the markers for Stripes except criss-cross pattern.
5. Plaids: You could also outline the stripes for your plaids with the smaller tip of your marker to make the plaid/stripes stand out more.
6. Plaids: Rainbow/Kaliedacolor plaids are made with the brayer being 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.
7. KC Backgrounds: Same as above just don't create a plaid design. This works great for those scenery/landscape cards.
8. Reverse/mirror Image: Color your stamp, rubber side up and roll the brayer over the image several times, then roll over your paper (works great with trees, flowers etc). You can also add this technique to the above KC backgrounds for a great scenic card.
9. Mirror Image: If you have an image that you want to face each other say the Pig from Farm Fun… you would brayer over the stamp like above and then roll onto your paper then stamp the original pig image nose to nose with the first.
10. Kissing: Brayer over a background stamp like Pindot Plaids then use your other stamps like the Seasonal Solid and stamp onto the background stamp then stamp onto your card stock - your solid stamp now has a design and you have just multiplied your uses of one set.
11. Ghosting: Stamp an image on your card (say the Snowflake from the "Snowflake" set) several times in clear embossing ink. (DO NOT EMBOSS) Then brayer over your invisible images with regular dye pad and your snowflakes will start to appear.
12. Resist: Works best with glossy paper. You will need to choose your resist medium; ink, wax or other. I tried with the metallic pens. 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 comes the "resist". (This category could actually count for about 10 different ways to love your brayer as you are only limited by your imagination on what you choose as your resist medium)
Others to try:
13. oil colored pencils (work best with regular matte finished papers);
14. crayons;
15. wax paper;
16. metallic pens;
17. ink;
18. resist ink;
19. emboss ink (try the emboss pens to write a hidden message);
20. rubber cement;
21. masking fluid;
22. white out/correction pen;
23. Gel pens;
24. wax resist sticks;
25. Deka paint (for fabric - much harder to do).
26. Another "Resist" able technique: 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 was paper has left its design (makes a great background paper)
27. Another variation to the above 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.
28. Use your brayer for those big background stamps to get an all over inking.
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29. You could also use the same technique as above for those bigger solid images that you want to emboss. Brayer over the image with the emboss pad for an even/smoother finish.
30. Put a piece of cheesecloth down and brayer over the cheesecloth for a different effect.
31. Try the same as above with lace doilies.
32. Lace
33. Bubble wrap
34. 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.)
35. Joseph's Coat: Brayer with a KC pad and cover the entire area of your card (glossy 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 like the tent from Roughin It or the Kids Prints). 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, then buff the card with a paper towel to remove excess ink. What happens is that your KC color will then shine through. Just think of a great landscape card with stars in the sky and trees) WOW!!
36. Ink up your brayer with embossing ink and roll over the entire card then emboss with clear powder.
37. Brayer an intense/brilliant color on glossy card stock then use a speckle background stamp and clear emboss ink, stamp then emboss with Rainbow Razzle or other multi colored emboss powder. When you heat it will bring out the beautiful play in colors.
38. 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.
LUCITE/ACRYLIC:
39. Put rubber bands around your brayer for unique background
40. Wrap syran wrap around your brayer for another unique background
41. Try fabric netting or the netting from bags of oranges or marbles as above.
42. Cheesecloth another unique background
43. Try string
44. Yarn
45. Crochet yarn
46. Try the new Encore pads and rolling it out onto liquid appliqué for a faux suede look.
47. Use your acrylic brayer to roll out paperclay
48. Use your acrylic brayer to make sharp creases in your card stock
49. Crinkle up a piece of Mulberry paper, ink up your brayer with the new Encore pads and give your Mulberry paper that guilded look.
50. 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 (try the gingerbread man die cut) let it set for a minute then heat. This will give you a nice suede feel. Try it with different colors. But be sure to clean your brayer right away.
51. 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, wiggle if you want (the brayer silly!) You can make some awesome plaids or sunbursts.
52. Try the same technique above but tap the brayer around in different areas for an all over colorburst.
FOAM:
53. Use your foam brayer for an all over airbrush effect.
54. Use your foam brayer with your stencils.
55. Use with the KC pads for rainbow effect.
56. 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.
57. You can also use the spritz technique with the foam brayer for a watercolor effect.
Other brayer tutorials that are FANTASTIC: http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/21-more-tutorials/
