We are so lucky! The internet has made learning so accessible.
Here try it!
Learn how to ink your brayer.
The goal is to get a thin, even layer of ink around the whole brayer.
- Put a small amount on one corner of your palette
- Pull a small amount out from the big “blob”
- Let your brayer spin around and around to evenly coat the whole brayer
- Turn your brayer perpendicular to itself to work your ink up in a small area of the plate
Trouble shooting:
- Brayer is just slipping – too much ink, or are you using acrylic paint or a very fluid ink
- Too much ink in one spot – to fix roll ink in the clean areas of the palette, this will work to get rid of some of the ink on the brayer, but wastes ink by just spreading it all over the palette
- Ink only on one side of the brayer – Lift the brayer up and let the brayer spin all the way around. Most folks roll the brayer back and forth and that only works the bottom half of the roller.
Inking the Brayer – Tips
- Put out a small amount of ink, because you can’t put it back in the tube but you can always put more or your palette
- Know that all inks act differently, so be patient and give yourself time to learn how to get the most from your ink
- Oil and water don’t mix, so know what kind of ink you are using
- Always clean your brayer carefully and don’t let permanent inks dry on it.
Want more info, videos and inspiration then join us in the next workshop. Check out the details on the printmaking workshops page.