Art Journaling

I love Art Journaling! And with this blog I want to infect you with my enthusiasm. It gives me many happy hours relaxing and being creative. Nothing must, everything can . And if the result is not so great, it is immediately incorporated into a new art journal or painted over.

Art Journaling is fun, and with good reason: with a few tools and your imagination, you can quickly create small art objects. Pads, notebooks, old or homemade books are embellished with collages, drawings, doodles, for the joy of art and expression or simply to document everyday life with words and color.

Want a summary of the topic, with easy instructions on how to make an Art Journaling page and a homemade Art Journal? My free Art Journaling tutorial will help you get started with Art Journaling.

What is Art Journaling?

Basically, Art Journaling is creating a work of art with different materials in a notebook or book. It involves mixing images with writing. It is about capturing feelings, a saying or your everyday life. Mostly all these different elements are captured in book form, so called Art Journals. Translated into German, this would be an artistic book or art journal. Notebooks, old books or homemade notebooks can be used for this.

Art Journaling knows no rules: what pleases is allowed. Where words are missing, art can express the feelings that lie dormant inside you. You can use all the colors, texts, scraps, mementos that you have at home and that bring you joy. Creative journals can become true works of art without major supplies.

My First Art Journal
This free 5-day challenge is ideal for anyone who wants to get started with Art Journaling but has little or no experience with it. Click the button and sign up. I will remind you when the next challenge starts again!

When and how to use Art Journaling?

Here are a few ideas. The list could go on and on.

• Use as a creative diary - just like that - interact with many materials (preferably with several Art Journals at the same time)
• on vacation, as a vacation diary or travel journal
• On the way, when you have a few minutes (open the book, sketch, color and you're done)
• In the evening in front of the TV, your pages can be further developed with relaxing doodles- if you don't have a spontaneous theme, feel free to take prompts (topics or prompts). For example, in our Facebook Art Journaling Club we have monthly themes that you can take for inspiration- junk or mini art journals, homemade journals that are embellished as you go.

Personally, I like to write on the train, on the way to the city. I write and sketch with ballpoint pen, felt tip pen and pencil. Then at home I finish the page.

Materials & Equipment for Art Journaling

[This part will be expanded successively - it will be a loooong blogpost]

The workspace

At first it's only 1m2, but soon your workspace can spread like an octopus all over the table and more. You should protect your workspace with either newspaper or plastic. There are also appropriate Craft Matts (a film that is water repellent and is used when painting), but I would not buy these at the beginning because they are relatively expensive. A glass filled with water and then you're good to go.

Paper or the Journal

Paper and your art journal are the most important investment for me. All other materials you can buy little by little. You can either take a sketchbook or notebook or you can make your own journal. Important is the grammage, i.e. the paper should be firmer than copy paper to be able to absorb all wet media and adhesives. As a guideline, I would recommend anything from 180g/m2. To be on the safe side, you should choose mixed media paper. Of course, you can also use a sketchbook with less grammage, but then you have to reckon with the fact that the paper will curl, or your acrylics or watercolors poorly absorbed.

Art Journaling Ideas

When it comes to sheet size, there are many very different options. You can bind Zentangle-sized cards or A0 pages together to make a journal. A5 or A4 sized journals are very common. Which size you choose is up to you. Do you like to draw in detail? Then choose a smaller model. If you prefer to apply color generously, then go more in the direction of A3. For beginners I recommend a small A5 booklet. This should rather have fewer pages, so that you soon have a sense of achievement to have your journal full!

An Art Journal book or notebook can easily be bound or sewn together with a thread. Otherwise, you have a choice between spiral binding, stapling, and a thread binding. Each form has its advantages:

• Spiral binding: the page lies flat on both sides, a single page can be easily removed, but double pages are divided by the spiral.
• Staple binding: usually smaller journals, double pages can be easily removed and added back. Mostly used with less expensive notebooks.
• Thread binding: Double pages are perceived as a unit. This is a more valuable binding.

Of course, upcycling old books or magazines is also possible. You should pay attention to the binding and the paper quality: the paper should have a certain absorbency, but not be too fine. As a preparation (especially for thin and fragile pages) I always glue two pages together and remove about 1/5 of the pages: You will embellish the pages with color and collage: these textures will enlarge your book. By removing the pages you prevent this. You can also paint the pages with gesso to make them absorb the colors better.

However, I prefer to use just the cover of the book for my Art Journal (see the video). When art journaling on old book pages, the quality of the paper bothers me (too thin, too water sensitive, too permeable). So I can use the inside for collages, and have a very individual notebook for my Art Journaling pages.

Pens 

I'll warn you ahead of time: here come the materials that are addictive: whether we're talking about paints, pens, stamps, or stencils, you never have enough. But for your "protection" I'm not going to show you the whole range (that comes in other blogs....), but only a potential basic stock.

For pens, you really only need two pens: a black acrylic pencil (ideally a fineliner) and a white gel pencil. Acrylic crayons are available in matte and glitter colors. They are ideal for writing or painting on anywhere. They are pens with acrylic paint. A great invention. Gel pens are similar, finer, cheaper, but also more sensitive. But with both materials, first make sure your pad is dry before using them. They like to clog and then have to be thrown away. As possible other black pens you can use waterproof pigment pens that are not water soluble. This is important when writing in a diary. But maybe you want just that smudged effect that you can easily achieve with ballpoint pens.

Besides that, I love using colored pencils when art journaling. This can create a real art journal, and your paper can also be thinner. Some colored pencils contain wax, making it more difficult to write on afterwards.

Felt tip pens are used less for art journaling because they tend to "bleed" through the page (i.e. you see a mark on the other side). If they are bought anyway, then to set these as shadows in pictures or collages or to color stamped shapes. Here, too, you should rather choose water-insoluble pens.

Brushes

I own about 100 brushes, but you don't need them, especially when you are starting out. I recommend you to start with a set of different brush thicknesses, otherwise three different brushes are usually enough: a 3, 10 and a bristle brush (for your collages). If you want to watercolor, it is worth buying a special 6-bristle brush. Do not use this brush with your acrylic paints.

Colors

First of all: about colors one could fill books (and this was already done!). I recommend starting with what you have at home. Then maybe a small set of 12 colors in tubes is worth it. Whether you use more craft or artist paints is a matter of your budget and goals. There are great craft paints that I like to use when I want to achieve more of a matte effect. However, their luminosity is less than that of artists' paints. Theoretically, you can mix all sorts of colors with 6 colors (plus white and black). In practice, you might want a straightforward option. I now only buy single colors that I really like. Plus, there are glitter and iridescent colors that create great effects that you can never mix yourself.

With acrylic paints (artist paints) there are also inks (inks) that are very liquid, and are great for achieving a transparent effect. A special form are sprays, which are colors in liquid form. These are great for stencil work, or to achieve liquid effects. Here, however, you must pay attention to whether they are acrylic paints or water-soluble pigments. The latter will react with the next layers, which is not always desirable!

Watercolors are used less in art journaling, but with the right materials (paper and brushes) it's really fun. Again, start with a small set and see if the medium suits you: it allows for few mistakes and requires more planning of the final work as each layer, reacts with water.

Stamps

For stamps, I like to distinguish between background and subject stamps. Background stamps help you create more tension in the background. There are usually small-scale shapes on it, which can be abstract or figurative. Here it can be nice to have a few pieces in the beginning. Motif stamps are very helpful if you like clear contours, do not like to draw yourself, or are still unsure. However, these are usually the focus of your page, and who wants 10 pages in a row with the same focus? In other words, if you want to take advantage of a motif stamp, you'll quickly get into hot water: one piece is never enough! For me, I decided to stop buying motif stamps and that forced me to draw and paint more.

Stamp pads are also necessary, of course (especially for motif stamps). Again, start with one color (black). The important thing here, depending on what you use to color your designs, is to make sure that the stamp ink is not reactivated by your pens or paints. Over time, you can also try your hand at embossing (small pigments are heated and melt). For this, a special heating air dryer is necessary (normal dryers unfortunately only burn your side in this case and blow away the light pigments).

Stencils

With stencils, it's the same as with stamps: there, too, you have pattern or motif stencils. And while the former can be used for all sorts of backgrounds, motif stencils are limiting: you need many if you want to use them many times.

Stencils can be used with normal brush and acrylic paint (but apply little paint for that), or with makeup sponges. Stamping ink with sponges is also popular. Or you can use texture paste to create 3-D effects.

Other accessories

The list of possible materials is endless. Only the most important ones are listed here (and explained where necessary):

• Pencil, eraser, sharpener
• Magazines, journals, old books, stickers, found objects, ...
• Matt Medium for the collages: of course you can use a glue stick, but I achieve the best effects with Matt Medium, so I can also seal the collage and prepare it for the next steps
• Scissors
• glue, glue dots
• Wet wipes
• kitchen roll
• staples, multipurpose staples
• Hair dryer (so that the colors dry faster)
• Gesso (this helps you save paint because the page is less absorbent after gesso). Some swear by gesso, I only use it on every other page.

Can I even do this?

Since I claim all over these pages that Art Journaling is easy, I wanted to show you my first page. I remember very well thinking about the content, the layout, the colors and so on. And of course, I was very unsure and took a lot of time to do it. I still think that the result is worth seeing. Of course it is not perfect. Of course I would do some things differently today, but I still like it. And with this picture I want to encourage you to start art journaling yourself.

Since then, I've completed many, different pages, and I wasn't always happy with the end result. But at some point it clicked:

• I am the only one who needs to see these pages AND
• the next page can only be better.

 
Of course, even with Art Journaling, practice makes perfect. So I've developed a 3-step process for you:

1. Participate in the #MyFirstArtJournal Challenge (2x a year - are you interested? Sign up below)
2. attend the course "Fun with Art Journaling
3. Further courses (on faces, lettering, etc.) support you to different focuses

Just start. That is the motto here. With courses, video tutorials or just by trying you will get to know and love the many possibilities of Art Journaling. Because art journaling is definitely fun! 

How do I get started with art journaling?

You are creative. You have ideas, imagination. You are original, imaginative, creative. Then Art Journaling is right for you. But too often we get in our own way. And we are afraid to fail. But as Michael Jordan said: I had to fail again and again to become so good. Free from this motto: in art journaling you create many different pages. Many will be great, some less so, and in both cases, you will have learned something. You will learn to master your materials better, you will realize which color combinations you like, you will become more confident in your illustrations and lettering, you will get better.

Enclosed you will find my 5 steps to a great art journaling page:

1. relax!

Relaxation at the push of a button? How is that supposed to work? This is about creating an environment that makes you feel calmer. I love to listen to music. I close my door and pick up an art journal. Candles, scented lamps, etc. use anything that helps you let go.

This is where many have the first problem: getting the nice page or plain notebook dirty. And they also have the inner demand to create a perfect work. If this is your problem: take old, already dirty pages, junk journals, or an old postcard. For the time being, free yourself from anything that limits you.

But if you are still not loose, do "finger exercises":

• on an old sheet of paper you can write very fast, without setting it down
• or make different color stains on the paper
• Splash your page, etc.

Just free yourself from stress, expectations and mental blocks. So it can then, go to the creative work.

2. create a background

The background can be the first step that will give you the first ideas for your page. There are many different methods to do this. I try to give you first ideas here. But I recommend you to have a look at my step by step instructions. You will find concrete instructions and ideas there.

• Paint the background with different colors
• Cover the page with tissue paper, magazine clippings, old book pages.
• Write down everything that comes to your mind with a feather or keep a diary

Of course, you can use all methods at the same time, or create new ideas yourself. Junk journal pages or book pages have the advantage that they already provide part of the background. Of course you can embellish them further!

3. identify a focal point

A focal point gives the eye a first clue where it will go. Suddenly the page becomes less abstract and gets a statement. While the background is more free flow, with the focal point it becomes more concrete. How do you find a focus point? e.g. like this:

• You had from the beginning, a clear idea, what you wanted to give on this page.
• You see something in the background that you want to emphasize more strongly
• You have found interesting motifs in a magazine that you would like to incorporate into your page.
• There is something in your life that you would like to put down on paper
• You follow a prompt (=creative keyword)

4. write or journal

Art journaling famously comes from the word "diary writing". Texts give your page something personal and make the statements clearer and transparent. These can consist of single words or include a detailed daily report. You decide how much text to put on your pages and what content you want to show. These can be determined by the focus point, or become the focus point of your page.

For the text, you can resort to hand lettering, brush lettering, etc. Whether painted, printed, or glued, there are plenty of options when it comes to art journaling. And you don't necessarily have to do long writing exercises to create beautiful pages.

5. Finish with a closing decoration

Now comes my favorite part: just finish off the page with markers, pens, stamps. Is there a lack of color, did the background turn out too boring, does the border need to be finished off better? You make the page "perfect." You decide if the Art Journaling page needs further decorating. Doodle, doodle, stamp, just do what you feel is missing. Personally, I can spend hours doing this. How does it look for you?

With that in mind, pick up one of my step-by-step tutorials and try to get inspired by what's shown, either by repainting the image or using some methods.

P.S. I have created a free guide on "Art Journaling". You can find more info here.