It all started with this layout from Scrappy Irene.

“Please Irene, tell us how you did this!” we clamored.

And she so very graciously accommodated our requests.

This was my original photo:

Step 1:
Open a new file of 3600 x 3600 px at 300 dpi
Drag a soft white paper into the layout

Step 2:
Drag your photo into the layout
Make a copy of it and make it invisible

Step 3:
Select the first photo layer
Go to Filter, Stylize, Find Edges
Type Ctrl + Alt + U and change the Saturation to -100

Step 4:
Type Ctrl + M and change the curve as on the image
You get some sort of outlined B&W drawing

Step 5:
Change the layer setting to Darken instead of Normal (the white will disappear and only the black lines will stay visible)

Step 6:
Type Alt and click on the layer mask button at the bottom
The drawing isn’t visible anymore now

Step 7:
Choose a brush with watercolor effect (SS Waterstains)

Step 8:
Start painting back the drawing (make sure you selected the mask and not the drawing miniature on the right side) but don’t make hard lines at the border of the photo.
If you painted too much, you can change between black and white to delete parts again or draw back.

Step 9:
Make the photo layer visible again and type Alt and click on the layer mask button at the bottom
The photo isn’t visible anymore now.

Step 10:
Select a brush with watercolor effect
Start painting back the drawing (make sure you selected the mask and not the photo miniature on the right side) but keep it all a bit smaller than the drawing layer.
If you painted too much, you can change between black and white to delete parts again or draw back.

Step 10:
Ready!

O-scrappers then went to town with this tutorial.  I felt intimidated but found the steps easy to follow and love the results I got with this photo of the port at Portofino.

I had to try it again, this time with a photo of  a  rowboat with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

This one from evadraga has such wonderful color and mystery.

 

This page from EHStudios shows how the technique can be applied to people photos.  I love how the checkered shirt fades to a sketch!

Oh my the color and gorgeousness in this layout from krissez of the Piazza San Marco in Venice.

From beedee, just a bit of color in the awnings and trees.  Buildings lend themselves so well to the technique!

From Krafty Kacy, more buildings and a little bit of sketch in the background.

One more building example, from tylertoo.

From Merienn, a photo + sketch of the famous Ponte Vecchio in Florence.  Note the little sketchy sailboat element!

From faby33, we see how wonderfully water can fade into a sketch.

From donnagoar, we see how colorful sketches can also be very effective!

From CookingMyLife, with the sketchy part in the middle background as well as the edges.

From Marnie333…I think perhaps all of Italy can be well-represented with this technique!

Still in Italy, but how beautiful is this page from Ann06!

And from pepeetje2104, another perfect interpretation of the technique.

I hope you have enjoyed this technique!  I for one would love to have a whole book full of these pages of lovely sketch watercolor pages.

Thank you once again to Irene for sharing her knowledge with us!