Yippee for Yana: Ombre Ink Brayered Backgrounds
Hello crafters! It’s time for another installment of our Yippee for Yana series! In this video, Yana is showing how much fun it can be to use a brayer with dye inks to create backgrounds. Be sure to watch her video and then give the technique a try yourself!
Hi everyone, this is Yana Smakula and I’m excited to bring you another episode from my bi-monthly “Yippee For Yana” video series! In today’s video I’m showing you how to create quick ombre backgrounds using ink pads and a brayer!
Brayers have been around for years and there are many wonderful techniques out there that involve the use of a brayer. I decided to go back to basics and share a very simple and approachable technique of brayered backgrounds for simple cards.
I pre cut several panels of white paper, I used 110 lb Neenah Solar White and cut them to 4×5¼“.
I decided to use 4 colors for every panel, you can also go with 5 if you don’t want to have any white spaces on the sides or if you want to overlap your ink stripes a bit more; or you can go with 3 colors if you are making a smaller card, a 4 Bar card for example.
I am looking forward to trying this technique on other kinds of cardstock, maybe on textured watercolor paper and on woodgrain cardstock. I’m curious to see how that would look.
For my first color combo I used High Dive, Scuba, Maliblue and Mint. What’s really awesome about this technique and what makes it very quick is the fact that you don’t have to clean the brayer when you change ink colors; just roll the brayer on a piece of white paper and it’s ready to go for the next color.
Stamp used: Hero Arts Something Magical Woodblock stamp
For my second color combination I used Evergreen, Teal, Dusty Sage and Mint Candy.
Depending on the type of paper you are using and the look you are going for you might need to add more or less ink. I inked my brayer several times to get better coverage – and I also always started my inking in the same spot – I started from the bottom and rolled the brayer up.
Stamp set used: Right At Home Script Greetings.
I also made a background using Coral Reef, Melon, Sunshine and Duckling. I wanted to point out that the ink color will lighten up a bit once the ink is dry on the paper. So while it might not look nice when you first apply the color I would suggest you wait for the ink to settle and dry – you will have a lighter color and a better transition between colors.
Stamp set used: WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello.
For my pink color combo I used Hot Lips, Hollyhock, Teeny Bikini and Twirling Tutu. Stamp set used: Simon Says Stamp Big U Words.
I also decided to do one more combo using gray colors. I went with Smoke, Cobblestone, Stone and Fog. Stamp set used: Honey Bee Hello Gorgeous
I also made one more panel using purples. I used Deep Purple, Hot Mama, Magnolia and Thistle and I used Hero Arts Celebration Words stencil with texture paste and gold embossing powder, but I didn’t turn that background into a card.
I heat embossed the main part of the sentiment on all of my panels directly onto the background in Hero Arts Gold embossing powder and also heat embossed sub sentiments in either white or gold onto black cardstock, cut into strips and foam mounted over the main heat embossing.
My backgrounds were foam mounted onto A2 top folding card bases (I went with white and Fog colors) and lastly I used Nuvo Drops in Black to add finishing touches to these projects.
Have fun stamping!
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Now this is what I have been waiting for. Simply outstanding. Love all the combinations. Thumbs up for sure.
Gorgeous! I love these cards and am a fan of the ombre look for sure. Great color choices on each one!
Great design idea.
These are all so pretty, endless possibilities with various color combinations!
Nice
Such a cute little brayer – I’ve never seen one that small. Beautiful cards, Yana!
how cool is that? i didn’t know they made accessory attachments for that tool. pretty backgrounds for sure.
How quick and easy and they turned out so beautiful! Love, love, love this technique. Thanks!
What a fun idea, these look awesome!
These ink colors are gorgeous. I love this idea.
I love this background technique! Such simple but striking cards. It would be great to keep a bunch of these backgrounds on hand to add a sentiment later when you need a quick card for almost any occasion. Thanks for the inspiration! I will definitely be giving this technique a try.
Beautiful! I love those layers of colour :)
Love this idea for using a brayer. Beautiful cards!
Great cards Yana–need to get out my brayer! Want to try with some distress and oxide inks.
These are really beautiful. Love the small brayer!
Wow! STUNNING creations! I also noticed we use a lot of the same photo backdrops – great taste :)
These are beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Fascinating inking
that is so pretty!
Carla from Utah
The brayered color look has a wonderful artsy look to it.
Melissa
“Sunshine HoneyBee”
What a great technique. Now I need to buy a smaller brayer…
Great cards! It’s been a long time since I’ve used a brayer.
I love the look with the brayer – I will need to get a small one! tks!
Simply stunning!Love the colors you have picked!
Not just anybody can make simple look beautiful! I can’t! WTG!
BEAUTIFUL!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Colors and the Technique!! THANKS for sharing and have a FABULOUS WEEK!! =)
Very cool card design, Yana. I didn’t even know they made a tiny brayer for the tool n one…so cute!
Love these! I want to get a brayer!
Beautiful color combinations!
This technique looks so fun. Can’t wait to try it.
Beautiful cards! I’ve been interested in trying this technique. Thanks for showing us how easy it is!
Great cards and great techniques with ombré colors and a bray. I cannot wait to try this technique. Thanks for the inspiration.
I need more practice with my brayer & inks to look half as decent as these wonderful creations.
Melissa
“Sunshine HoneyBee”
Very pretty–I like the colors. I will have to dig out my brayer.
Very pretty and elegant!! Thank you for sharing.
Beautiful Yana !
love the simplicity of this technique. . . lovely cards …
I love these simple but beautiful cards. That is just the cutest little brayer ever!
Wonderful technique and great cards.
Love this idea and didn’t know that I could get a brayer for my Spellbinders Tool. Looks like I’ll be investing in one of those! I LOVE the backgrounds, such a great idea! And we all have ink pads and the possibilities are endless for backgrounds color combos!! Thanks for sharing .
Great idea! I really like the brayered stripes.
Great idea.I just need to get more inks. . I like the small brayer and attachments it comes with.
Great idea, Yana! I haven’t used my brayers in a very long time. I’ll have to dig them out and give this a try.
I Love all the combinations! <3
Love all the great sponging! Blue is my favorite colour, so you can guess wich cards I like best :)!
What simple, yet elegant cards! I really like the style of these cards–appropriate for so many occasions. Thank you for a great technique and some great inspiration!
YIPPEE YANA!!! This is something ANYONE can do if you need a card in a hurry and it will look AMAZING! A great idea AND video tutorial! Thanks SO much for sharing this!
Great idea and so easy!
Great technique!
Wow love how simple yet amazing results!
Love this technique, Yana! so easy; yet so impressive. thanks for the video.