Level 3 Class: Artist Markers, Colorful Creations with Joy D’Souza

Just for You: A Softly Colored Embossed Rose Card

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how I used alcohol markers to add soft color and dimension to an embossed floral design. To make the card feel a little more special, I paired the colored rose panel with a gold-embossed vellum sentiment. The instructions below will guide you through creating the card base, embossing and coloring the floral panel, preparing the sentiment strip, and assembling the finished card.

Ingredients

·        Embossing Folder: Altenew Garden Rose 3D Embossing Folder, used to create the raised floral texture on the main white panel.

·        Stamp Set: Altenew Build-A-Garden: Cora Louise Peony stamp set, using the sentiment only for the vellum strip.

·        Rose Marker Colors: Altenew Alcohol Markers in Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart, Purple Wine, and Cosmic Berry for coloring and shading the rose petals.

·        Leaf Marker Colors: Altenew Alcohol Markers in Vanilla Cream, Aloe Vera, Matcha Tea, Swamp Green, and Oak Moss for coloring the leaves and adding depth around the embossed folds.

·        Main Floral Panel: Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock, cut to 5 ½" x 5 ½" before embossing and trimmed to 4" x 5 ¼" after embossing.

·        Layering Panel: Altenew Olive Cardstock, cut to 4 ½" x 5 ½" to frame the embossed floral panel.

·        Card Base: Ivory heavy cardstock, cut and folded to create a 4 ¼" x 5 ½" finished card base.

·        Sentiment Strip: Vellum, cut to 6" x 1" so it can wrap around the back of the embossed panel for a clean adhesive-free front.

·        Heat Embossing Supplies: Embossing ink, Antique Gold Embossing Powder, anti-static powder, and a heat gun for creating the metallic sentiment.

·        Adhesives: Glue or strong tape runner for attaching the cardstock layers and securing the vellum ends on the back of the panel.

·        Basic Cutting Tools: Paper trimmer, scissors if needed, and a scoring tool or bone folder for creating a crisp card fold.

Tips for Marker Blending

·        Use light pressure and short flicking strokes so the colors blend gradually instead of creating harsh lines.

·        Build depth in layers by starting with the darkest shade, blending outward with mid- tones, and finishing with the lightest color.

·        Let the embossed texture guide your shading by placing darker colors in recessed areas and lighter colors on raised surfaces.

·        If a blend looks too strong, go back over the area with the lightest marker to soften the transition.

Instructions

1. Create the card base. Cut and fold ivory heavy cardstock to make a 4 ¼" x 5 ½" card base. This warm neutral base gives the finished card a soft, classic foundation.

2. Prepare the olive layer. Cut a 4 ½" x 5 ½" panel from Olive cardstock. This layer will sit behind the embossed floral panel and add a rich frame that complements the green tones in the leaves.

3. Emboss the floral panel. Cut a 5 ½" x 5 ½" piece of white cardstock and emboss it with the Garden Rose 3D Embossing Folder. After embossing, trim the panel to 4" x 5 ¼" so it layers neatly over the Olive cardstock.

4. Color the roses. Start with Cosmic Berry, the darkest pink, and use short, light flicking motions to place shadows at the base of each petal and along the visible folds near the top. Follow with Purple Wine, extending the color slightly beyond the darkest areas, then add Puffy Heart to soften the blend. Use Rose Quartz last, flicking gently from the bottom of each petal toward the center and from the top edge toward the center. To build extra depth, work back through Puffy Heart, Purple Wine, and Cosmic Berry, adjusting the shadows and highlights until the roses have a soft but dimensional look.

5. Color the leaves. Begin with Vanilla Cream, using light flicking motions from the center toward the middle of each leaf and from the outer edge back toward the middle. Add Oak Moss to the centers, bases, and folded edges to create deeper shadows. Continue blending through the green marker shades, moving from darkest to lightest and then back again where more contrast is needed. This gradual layering helps the leaves look fuller and more natural against the embossed texture.

6. Finish the panel edges. Run the Cosmic Berry alcohol marker along the sides of the embossed panel. This small detail creates a coordinated border and helps tie the floral coloring into the overall design.

7. Create and attach the sentiment strip. Cut a 6" x 1" strip of vellum and treat it with anti-static powder. Stamp the sentiment in the center using embossing ink, cover it with Antique Gold Embossing Powder, and heat set until the powder melts to a smooth metallic finish. Center the vellum strip across the lower portion of the embossed panel, then wrap the excess vellum around the back and adhere it there so no adhesive shows on the front. This card is designed in a landscape orientation, but the layout can also be adapted for a portrait card.

8. Assemble the card. Adhere the Olive panel to the ivory card base, then place the finished embossed panel on top. The result is a layered floral card with beautiful texture, soft color, and a simple gold sentiment that makes the design feel extra special.