Embossed Leaves with Copic Coloring

An elegant card with the look of an old book illustration.  The leaf outline is embossed (impressed) into the cream panel with a die, then outlined in brown and colored with Copics.  (Note: the gray is background, not part of the card.)

Embossing with the die gives a beautiful detail and texture.  It also makes the outline and coloring easy to do!  See below for the image before and after coloring.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) rustic cream, dark chocolate (dark brown), simply chartreuse (medium green),  script print from PTI Dearest Jane, and the bitty dots print from PTI ripe avocado (dark green) pattern pack.
• Dies are Elizabeth Craft thanks (die cut from brown) and Savvy Stamps tall branches with leaves (embossed into cream panel). 
• I notched the banner ends with scissors. 
• With a 0.3 Copic multiliner in the new brown color, I outlined the leaves and stems, added some short lines where the leaves join the stems, and drew a few sketchy horizontal ground lines.  
• Technique: For the outlining, simply trace along the "valley" of the impressed line, moving the pen at an even speed from one "corner" to the next.  Any fine-tip Micron-style pen can be used for this technique. 
• Copic markers are E23 (stems and panel edging), YG91 (base color for leaves), YG63, YG23, and E21 (some blending on the leaves). 
• The bitty dot paper is edged with Copic E29. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (340)