Use Versamark (pad or marker) on your stamps, then either color with your markers or dip in a classic stamp pad. Stamp your image, then sprinkle on clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool. In order, I did the branch, birds, then trees. Do one tree at a time to get the layered effect. Lastly, is the the background scene. In the top card, I used sponges and torn paper to create the hills (kiwi kiss, old olive and creamy caramel for shadow), then did the sky (bashful blue with a little yoyo yellow over it). You can go all over the embossed images with ink because after you're done with the background, you can just take a clean cloth and wipe the ink off the images. To add highlights I used a white paint pen over the embossed images (I tried a white gel pen but it didn't work on embossing very well). Finally, I sponged brilliant blue all around the edge of the card.
In the second card (the first one I tried, actually), I used a brayer in the background using Creamy Caramel for the "ground" and Baja Breeze for the "sky." I didn't really like it so after making the other card, I came back to this and added the hills. It made the Creamy Caramel look like a beach so I added white gel pen for "sea foam" and viola--the sky became the ocean instead.
I really love this technique because it allows you to make real scenes that look like paintings (awesome for people like me who just WISH they could paint!). It is more time consuming and detailed of course, but the results for a very special card (maybe even worth framing!) are well worth it.