Cover a work surface with newspaper. Put down several layers, so you can remove sheets as they get dirty.
Squeeze out a dime-sized dollop of water-based printing ink. Mix one or more inks to make new colors. Blend color mixtures with a palette knife.
Roll a brayer back and forth through the ink. Use both vertical and horizontal strokes to roll out the ink into a fine film on the palette.
Apply a layer of ink to the block with the brayer. Roll the ink on in both directions. Re-ink the brayer by rolling it on the palette again if necessary.
Place a sheet of tissue paper on a clean part of the newspaper work surface. Place the block on the tissue paper, with the inked surface touching the tissue paper. Apply pressure with your hands or a rubber mallet.
Remove the block from the tissue paper. Assess the quality of the print. Smudges on your image indicate that the block had too much ink or that it shifted while you were printing. Light prints suggest that you did not use enough ink on your block or that the pressure was not sufficient.
Wash your block and tools with water. Dry off your block completely before attempting to make your next print.