In my last post, I covered the mental health benefits of bullet journaling. Today, I’ll dive into my other favorite journaling method: art journaling.
If you Google “art journaling” you will find a plethora of descriptions and definitions. My favorite comes from DayOne’s blog:
“Art journaling is a creative and personal way to express yourself and explore your thoughts and emotions through a combination of writing and visual art.”
Why Start An Art Journal?
Art journaling, like bullet journaling, has been proven to help your mental health because it’s a mindfulness activity and it lets you be creative and express yourself. There are no rules in art journaling, so it breaks the restraints you may feel in some aspects of your life. You are in control of your journal.
My Art Journal Method
My art journal is a mixed media wonderland with a side of short form journaling. The goal of my journal is to do one page in it daily. I don’t limit myself to any method, material, or amount of time to do it. I let my creativity flow. The only rule is I have to do something every day.
Sometimes, my page is as simple as cutouts from junk mail I received that day or pieces of packaging from something I bought or was given as a gift. Other times, it’s elaborate with stickers, stencils, acrylics, collages, and anything else I can fit on the page.
I can look back on my pages and tell what kind of a day I was having based on the obvious effort (or lack thereof) and materials I used. If it’s a collage with no rhyme or reason, it was a bad day and I couldn’t figure out what to do. If I used paint, most of the time I was having a good day. It’s kind of cool to be able to feel my mood at the time through the art I created.
Basic Supplies
Art journaling is an inexpensive hobby, but like bullet journaling, it can also be expensive. It depends on which way you take your journal and if you can fight the dreaded art supply buying addiction that many of us artists get caught up in.
To start, you need a journal of sorts. I prefer to use a Cason Mixed Media book (5.5 x 8.5 inches and around $9) I bought from Michaels. The paper is 138 lbs and handles my work well. I’ve noticed that the pages do not warp like the lower-grade paper. It also has 30 pages in it, which is perfect for doing an entire month by itself. For the months with 31 days, I put in an extra page in the back. Some people like to use lose paper and then bind it together later. Whichever you prefer is what you should go with.
The basic supplies for your art journal will depend on what type of media you plan to use within it. If you want to keep the cost low, pick one medium to go with and buy only what you need for it. I do mixed media art and that calls for a wide variety of supplies because it encourages breaking rules and experimenting.
Here are the basic supplies that I started with in the beginning:
- Collage papers/magazines for collage
- Watercolors
- Acrylics
- Colored pencils (I prefer water soluble)
- Brush markers
- Scissors
- Paint brushes
- Gel medium
- White gesso (I use also use: iridescent, clear, and black)
- Pencil and eraser
- A spreading tool of sorts
- Glue of some kind (gel medium can double as your collage adhesive)
- Something to hold your supplies (a rolling cart works great)
These supplies will get you by but if you want to explore other forms of art, I suggest you look into these extra items:
- BINGO dot bottles
- Sponges
- Cut outs
- Stencils
- Acrylic markers
- Retarder
- Junk mail
- Scrapbook paper assortment
- Empheria
There’s a couple of things you can do to cut down on the cost.
The first is utilize second hand bookstores or your library for collage materials. I buy National Geographics for $0.50 each at my library and they are filled with pictures.
Second, you don’t need to break the bank on professional-grade materials. The only three things I get professional grade are my gel medium, gesso, and brush markers because I use them a lot and want good quality.
For gel medium and gesso, I prefer Golden and Liquitex.
My favorite brush markers are Tombow. I love how the Tombow markers are water soluble and can be blended like watercolors. They are expensive (around $24 per color pack), so I bought my favorite colors and put the rest on my wishlist.
Again, the supplies you get will depend on what kind of art you plan on putting in your journal. I use a variety of supplies because I’ve taken a few online art classes and learned about a lot of different techniques. To avoid stressing out, get what calls to you and your creative vision and get the rest later.
Safe Space To Create
One other thing you will need is a space to create. This is why a rolling cart is great for storing your supplies, because if you need to move from room to room, just roll them with you. I’m fortunate enough to have a table in the kitchen dedicated to my “office” space and I work there.
You don’t need a lot of space, but wherever you pick to work, make it your own for the time you are using it. If you are worried about messing up your work surface, get a rolling mat to cover the area while you work and store it in your cart. Some of them have built-in cups and places to store your paints while you work.
You can get collapsible easels that will store basic supplies in them (I have this one on my wish list). This is a great option for those without table space but have plenty of seating.
Theme/Page Ideas
Now it’s time to create. There are days when I know exactly what I want to see on my page and then there are days I don’t have a clue. On the latter days, I have a wheel I spin with various themes and ideas to get my brain working. The rule used to be whatever the wheel landed on, that’s what I did, but I noticed myself breaking that rule more often than not, so no more rules.
A few of the ideas I’ve worked with include:
- Mandalas
- Work with one color
- Quote
- Collage (this is a whole thing by itself)
- Watercolor flowers
- Garden
- Emotion at the moment
If you don’t like the chaos of coming up with an idea every day, pick a theme or color pallet you like and only work within those confines. This can help with collage because you will only collect magazines or junk mail that corresponds to the theme or color. It also takes some of the pressure off when you have a set starting point.
One thing I like to do is write down how I’m feeling at that moment in a Sharpie marker. I scribble all the emotions/thoughts down on the page. Then I go over it with collage, stickers, scrapbook papers, and paint. It’s cathartic to watch the pain get covered up and reworked into something beautiful. It also helps me get those feelings out without having to stare at them forever.
In my journal, I do my art on the right side and on the left I write a sentence about my day or about the art piece for the day. I stick to no more than two sentences and the date, just because that’s what I want to do.
Judgement Free Zone
When you are creating, you might be tempted to compare your art to another artist on social media. Don’t be sucked into this. The only person you should compare your art to is your art from the previous day. Go into it with the mindset that there is no wrong way and even “mistakes” can be covered up, reworked, or just add texture and interest to the piece. I’ve had pages I loathed when I was working on them, but went back a few days later and realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I’ve also started a page and then after a few minutes of being unhappy, covered it up with white gesso and started over. The underlying work I did before added texture to the work I built on top of it.
Where To Learn More
If you are interested in learning more about art journaling, check out Creativebug. I took advantage of their subscription special a month ago. I love that they have a wide variety of classes. They also have an app so you can take your lessons on the road. Sometimes, I will pick a class and just let it run while I work.
If reading is more your style, check out these books and magazines to dive further into the art journaling world:
- Art Journaling Magazine (new issues every three months)
- Art Journaling – A Mixed-Media Guide to Unleashing Your Creativity by Megan Wells
- Create Your Life Book: Mixed-Media Art Projects for Expanding Creativity and Encouraging Personal Growth by Tamara Laporte
Click through to read all of “Journaling Through Mental Health – Art Journaling Basics” at GeekDad.If you value content from GeekDad, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!
