Not sure why this is called 'Orton technique' as it just looks to me like a fairly typical PS experiment:
Duplicate layer, blur the top layer, use Multiply blending mode.
The method described on the site was a cack-handed way of achieving the same result except it took 15 lines to say what I just said in 10 words! Why it suggests all that duplicating of pictures and moving one over the other and all that baffles me. What does he think the Layers tool is there for?
Back to the image I should be talking about (sorry Fi!) it doesn't do much for me only because I can see the trees (the effect on the leaves is very much a taste thing but too painterly for me) but I can hardly see the summerhouse at all as it is all in shadow.
I think this method is fun to use but it does need the right picture and I am not sure this one is it. After all, if you have a little play with curves to lift the lighting on the house and then play with the artistic filters in PS, you'll come up with lots of similar ideas Fi. Worth a play if you want to, always in favour of a bit of experimenting
Cheers,
Rob