Art Journaling 101
Mon, March 25, 2013 at 11:26PM How to start an art journal?
Curious about art journaling but not sure where to start?
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"Art journaling is about the {creative process} of pulling together color, words and images as you wish on a page. Unlike many other forms of art, it is not about the outcome."
Tammy Garcia
Originally posted in 2008.
Updated March 2013.
Welcome to Art Journaling 101!
If you are just starting to bring art into your life, or wish to introduce kids & teens to art journaling, check out Art Journaling 101 for Kids, Teens & Beginners.
1. Get creative books for inspiration and motivation
Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself
The Journal Junkies Workshop,
Good Mail Day
1,000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn DeVries Sokol
Journal Spilling by Diana Trout
Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed-Media Artists by Katherine Dunn
Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking
The Creative License and An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory
Print & Stamp Lab
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
The Art Journal Workshop
An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators & Designers
"To be nobody but yourself
in a world which is doing its best,
night and day to make you everybody else -
means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being could fight;
and keep fighting."
E. E. Cummings
2. Gather a small supply of materials
Art journalists use an array of materials. Collect as many free things as you can find, and keep your eye out for treasures to use in your journal. Things like maps, ticket stubs, notes, receipts and handwritten lists.
a. Paper. The key is to use paper that will hold up to what you wish to do with it! Thin paper simply won't work if you want to paint your page. Try a bunch of things. It's OK to have a bunch of stuff going on in various shapes and sizes. You can get a flat file box and keep everything together. More on this at A Collection of Art Journal Pages. Try any of these types of paper for art journaling:
- Blank journal from the book store.
- Loose sheet of watercolor paper.
- Wirebound Strathmore 300 Series Watercolor pads
- Hardback book you find for a dollar/euro in the discount bin
- Journal with heavy paper
- The front of a cereal box.
b. Paint. Get Golden fluid acrylicsin small bottles, or Golden heavy body acrylics in tubes. The saturated color goes a long way, so you won't be replacing the paint very often. You can mix paint to get other colors, so no need to buy every color! One of my favorite books for learning about this is the Color Mixing Bible. 
c. Markers. PITT artist pens are permanent and dry quickly. The journaling in Do Something is in black PITT pen. A lot of art journalists love Sharpie water-based paint pens for writing on a wide variety of journal backgrounds. Be careful though because art journal backgrounds, with all sorts of different textures and materials, can be rough on certain markers. Be sure that your page is completelly dry before writing on it {be aware that it might take a few days or up to a week for a page to dry fully depending on how many layers of paint, the temperature and humidity in your work environment etc.}.
d. Stamps. Add unique details to your pages. Alphabet stamps are great for adding words or quotes (see Adjectives and Happy Life). They're available at craft stores in the Scrapbooking section. Or make your own stamps, by carving eraser stamps and transforming hardware store finds into stamps. Or use everyday objects as stamps... lids, medicine cups, cookie cutter molds, old brushes, play-doh tools. Just dip them in acrylic paint or gesso and stamp away.
e. Adhesive. I use fluid matte medium to attach paper to my pages and to make collages. I used to use Mod Podge. Both work great. You can also use staples, masking tape or stitch things to your page. If you are art journaling in a cafe or while traveling, you might want to use double sided tape or a glue stick if you aren't painting on the page.
f. Brushes. Buy basic, cheap-o brushes for adhesives and gesso because they will be trashed. I buy average quality brushes for acrylic painting. If they are too junky they will shed hair on your lovely work. Try a variety of brands, styles and sizes, until you find an assortment you like. I like flats and rounds. For art journaling, really almost any brush will do.
g. Gesso {optional}. Gesso is not essential to mixed media work like art journaling. I suggest that you get a small container and just play and see what it does and what it feels like, whether you like writing on it. Gesso is a primer. Both black and white gesso are fun to use. See Black Gesso & Stamps + Faded Blue + black.magenta. If you are using watercolor paper or other heavy paper, don't bother coating with gesso, it is unnecessary. If you have thin paper {i.e. working in an old hardback book} you CAN prep with a thin layer of gesso as a base coat. Gesso is great for layering or lightening in your collages. You can create art journal pages without gesso, but it is fun to use and you might enjoy using it to add layers to your work. White gesso is also great for getting a pastel look - just a drop of fluid acrylics in white gesso and you have pastel!
h. Neocolors. Caran D'Ache Neocolor II Wax Crayons can be blended with fingers, wet with a brush. Very versatile! You can even doodle with them as in Altered Book: orange.peach. Neocolor I are NOT water soluble. Neocolor II are water soluble.
i. Old gift/credit cards. Start collecting plastic cards. These cards are great for pushing paint and gesso around a page, making borders, "stamping" lines, scratching off layers, etc. An art journalists favorite freebie tool.
j. Parchment Paper. Find this paper used in baking in the grocery store next to aluminum foil and wax paper. When you are finished painting, if you've used paint you will want it to dry flat. While the page is wet {not dripping wet, but still damp} or after it's dried a bit, place a sheet of parchment paper on top then put a bunch of Harry Potter hardbacks or dictionaries on top. The parchment keeps the paper from sticking to the books and the weights help your pages dry flat. If working within a bound journal or hardback book, keep parchment between the pages and close the book then put a bunch of books on top. Very layered pages might take up to a week to fully dry. I do take out the parchment and sort of check on my pages from time to time. There's no rush. Just keep working, and keep the parchment between pages. I keep it there for months!
pages in an altered book; watercolor background decorated w/neocolor II's + white markers.
3. Gather stuff to put in your art journal
Find stuff. Ephemera is a fancy word for stuff you put in your journal. Here are some examples: pages from old textbooks, maps, receipts, recycled stuff from other art projects, product packaging, clothing labels, old photographs, scrapbook paper, lyrics, lottery tickets, polaroid photos, postage stamps, raffle tickets, grocery lists, lists of any type, subway maps, airline tickets, event announcements, advertisements, ribbon, fabric.
Make stuff. You can make things to use on your art journal pages. Things like abstract paintings, notes on a particular subject, stencils that you cut, photos taken specifically for your journal, doodles, your own handwriting. Find ideas for creating your own stuff in Step #574: Create Journal Fodder. More ideas in Psychedelic Batik Cardstock and stamp unique patterns.
4. Find a workspace
Most importantly, you do not need a dedicated studio space to art journal. It sounds dreamy, but it isn't necessary for your art. Just a part of a table is enough space to art journal. I use my breakfast table to do my journaling. If I am painting, I simply place a large piece of cardboard under my journal to protect the table. If your workspace is temporary, keep your materials for journaling in a basket, box or zip-lok baggies for easy access while you work. I organized my art materials in baskets, grouped by how they are used (watercolor, acrylic, stamping, embroidery, etc.). I take out the baskets I need and spread stuff out on the table. Most nights, I clean everything up! If you are not creating art because you have no workspace, you simply must make it happen. You could use a tiny table on the side of your kitchen, a folding card-table, the floor, your kitchen counter... or take your things to a coffee shop!
5. Do an experimental art journal page
You might choose to bind your experimental pages at a future date using bookbinding techniques. I have lots of work in process, including loose pages, hardbacks and catalogs I've altered, etc. Try not to limit yourself to one size, one book, one type of paper.
- Take out heavy paper, a paint brush, a cheap brush, Mod Podge, a handful of clippings from the "find stuff" list above and 3 colors of acrylic paint.Pick any 3 colors (try choosing with your eyes closed).With your paint brush, dab paint on the page wherever you wish.
- Let it dry (acrylics dry quickly).
- Glue some of your clippings to the page with Mod Podge or fluid matte medium.
- Add more paint.
- Add more clippings.
- Write something. You can make a list of your favorite songs, scents or the flowers you'd like to plant this summer. Quotes are fun too.
6. Look at examples of art journal pages. But don't get lost.
"Art journaling" is a type of journaling that is not simply creating art in a journal. It's about words + color + imagery although not all of those are required. It is about the process, not the end result. It is your personal work. Barb curates the Art Journaling Tumblr which is a collection of art journal pages. You will get "the idea" when you see a bunch of pages.
It is easy to get caught up in photos of art journal pages and wind up down a rabbit hole and not getting paint and pen on your paper! The idea is not to copy the style of any other artist but to get a flavor for all of the possibilities. And all of the possibilities have not yet been explored! You'll see that there's usually words + images + color on each page. They are usually not structured or formulaic {like you might see structure on a scrapbook page or a holiday journal}.
7. What to do if you can't get started
The issue might be perfectionism. When we were little we heard a lot of "shoulds" regarding our artwork. So it new to us, the ability and permission to do whatevery we wish. Read Trick Your Inner Perfectionist and Art Journaling Imperfection for further insight. The Daisy Yellow Zine has a lot of ideas for jumping through and getting your art down on the page, with overflowing inspiration in each issue.
8. Get involved in the art journaling community
Join Flickr. Find people who like to do the same type of art that you do. Flickr is not Twitter or Facebook. It's a site about sharing a love of photography and visual art. You can post photos of your art and join groups that interest you. Groups for sharing art journaling and collage include Just Art Journals. Learn about the Flickr groups I moderate at the about me section.
Join Art Journaling at Ning. This is a warm group to ask for help with those questions about gesso or acrylic medium or perhaps what to bring in your backpack to do art while traveling. There are free and fee art journaling classes and a lively community.
9. Do creative prompts & challenges
The Official Guide to Daisy Yellow Creative Prompts
The Unofficial Guide to Creative Prompts | Challenges | Inspiration
Creative Every Day, a challenge to create something every day
Every June + July I facilitate index-card-a-day, a challenge to create one index card per day for 61 days. It's a huge hit and super fun. The challenge starts June 1, 2013. Read the ICAD FAQ and get your ICAD 2013 Badge.
Reader Comments (50)
I am so glad I found your site! I've added you to my links on my new blog. Every time I've started teaching myself art in the past and worked on projects or even played around, I've been so self-judgmental and perfectionistic that I give up or get stuck. Visiting here reminds me that the best way to learn is sometimes just to play, keep going, and hush up that inner critic. You are an inspiration. Thanks so much! I'll be back often.
thanks for your inspiration -- I am new to art journaling/altered books and love your ideas -- I found you on the bod website which I am watching and plan to start my bod on march 1
Thank you so much for your time and effort in putting this blog together! I am teaching a voluntary class for at-risk teen girls, and I am doing the first class on Creative Journals/Sketchbooks to open creative process and thoughts. Your blog has given me some great ideas to add to the class, and I am giving them some of your 'journal prompts' to take home for homework!
Can't wait to try some of your ideas - beautiful!
Thanks for sharing all this!
This is such an awesome post! Thank you so much for the thorough advice on how to start an art journal. I am starting right away and cant wait to see all your other resources as I go! Thank you again for sharing!
I am glad I found your site. I am new to art journaling and didn't quite know where to start. I did not Flickr was for art and never heard of Ning. This will all help me a lot. Thanks.
I found your blog whilst trawling the net to find a good guide to visual journaling. Thank you so much for your little 101 list. I learnt visual journaling a couple of years back at an Art Therapy course and hadn't really thought about it much until today. You inspired me to get back into it. I have linked your site on my blog so that others can see your amazing work.
Are you talking about the paper for the art journal or do you use loose sheets of paper? - just wondering 'cuz I think sheets of paper would get all over my workspace! But this article helped with art journaling a lot. Thanks!! :D
{Tammy}: Maria, The paper refers to any paper that you want to use as a surface for art journaling. Hope that helps!
This is a good idea for your art journal:
Take the dictionary and open it to a random page, then, copy that page onto tracing paper. Next, take your art journal and paint/color your next page, once that's done, take double sided tape and tape your dictionary page in your art journal. This is a great backround for drawings.