In the image below, you'll see how I deleted everything on the page above, except for the text that I wanted to use. Because of the postage stamp in between the T and the Y, in CITY, I decided to just use the text to the left of the stamp, which was more interesting, anyway. I selected the part of the text I wanted to use and put a mask over the rest. Then I changed the blending properties to vivid light, and turned the text to horizontal, and moved it all the way to the right, up against the edge. (Kinda edgy, right?!?) BTW, if you don't use masks much, (which is true for a lot of people because masks seem really intimidating), give it a try... go ahead and just play with the mask feature, don't be afraid of it! Not sure how to use masks? Read the manual or use Photoshop Help, or google a Photoshop tutorial... there are even video tutorials out there that will show you how to use the mask feature, which is awesome! (Clearly, I am not that sophisticated)!
This next image is the third layer, and I realize it is difficult to see... it is white letters from a magazine article, and I deleted everything in the background... then I applied a drop shadow and used the color burn blending effect.

This next layer is part of that journal page shown above with the CITY text on it. I took the section to the right of the CITY text, the part with my handwriting on it and a fleur de lis, and selected that, deleting the rest of the page. This layer was set to blending effect multiply after deleting all of the background, so that the image is like a transparency set on top of everything else.
Next down is a copy of the previous layer (I circled the fleur de lis in white... it's in the upper left hand corner). I duplicated the layer, added a drop shadow, and set the blending mode to linear burn. It's buried pretty far down in the layers, but it's there. If I hadn't shown you this layer, in place on the finished piece, you wouldn't have been able to see anything much at all, because its appearance depends on the layers below.
This next layer, is a scan of an envelope I made, from a page out of a catalogue for Columbia College in Chicago. I used it set at 61% opacity and Hard Mix blending mode. Again, like the previous layer, this one is buried pretty deeply, but it's there, and it affects how each subsequent layer looks in the final image; as blending modes are dependent on previous layers and the colors in those layers.
The next layer, a close up of a section of an image on watercolor paper, is set at blending mode Color Dodge, and copied three times. There is a copy of this layer is each of the four corners, offset somewhat, but they're in there, they really are!
Next, is a layer made up of some calligraphy doodling I had lying around, set at Color Dodge. Again, the blending effects build on the previous layers and each one affects the appearance of the following layers, too.
The following layer is a scan of an image from a magazine, of a black and white photo of a flower, set at blending mode luminosity.
Next layer is simply the text SERIOUSLY, without any blending modes applied to it. I have absolutely no idea why I chose that particular word to use, but it sort of works... and I'll bet you didn't even realize it was in there, did you?!?
This next layer is a calligraphy doodle I added, using blending mode multiply, which simply makes the multiplied image darker, just like the name implies.
And here is the final layer, some more doodling, set at blending mode Color Dodge. Again, the words are not readily noticed in the final image, but they add a bit of texture and depth to the overall image, and besides, I just like it better this way!
So, here's the final image again... now that I've pointed them out, you can see some of the individual layers, right? Do you see how the individual parts, added up together make the piece "whole"?
I hope this was informative... maybe a bit dry, but if you don't get anything else out of it, I hope you come away knowing you can play with the features & tools in Photoshop, and read up on the things you don't feel comfortable with... without a doubt, along the way, you'll inevitably learn something new! Besides, as my husband says, "Readers are Leaders"!
Now go play!
Recent Comments