How to Start an Art Journal

06/06/202121/08/2022

1. Get a Notebook

Here’s some fun news when it comes to creating an art journal: There are no rules! However, it’ll be quite hard to keep one if you don’t have a notebook of some kind.

If you’re new at dabbling in art, try starting out with a mixed media notebook, as they tend to have paper that can handle both wet and dry mediums, such as pens, markers, and paints. This way, you can experiment and discover what tools you like using best. Canson, Stillman & Barn, Strathmore, and Arteza are all great brands that provide a wide range of mixed media journals.

2. Put Together Your Art Tool Box

Skillshare instructor Monica Stadalski shows her art journal supplies.

Pull together a collection of art supplies that you plan to use most often. “These are the workhorses,” says Karen Gaunt, teacher of 20 Minute Art Journaling. “These are the things that stay the same, that you use the most whenever you sit down to do some quick art journaling.”

Everybody’s art supply tool box will look different. Remember: There really are no rules—what you use to create journal art is entirely up to you. Choose a few of the art media from the list below, see what you like, and (if you’d like) build your collection over time.

Chalk
Charcoal
Colored pencils
Crayons
Glue
Paintbrushes
Pastels (oil, chalk)
Pens and pencils
Paintbrushes
Paints (acrylic, watercolor, gouache, tempera)
Ruler
Scissors
Spray fixatives (to seal your work)
Stickers

If you’re thinking you may want to go the “minimalism art journal” route, just stick with your notebook and a pencil. That’s perfectly fine. Because again—this is your journal art!

3. Get Started!

So, you have all the supplies, but now you’re not exactly sure how to start an art journal. Lest you end up staring at a blank page for hours, here are some art journal prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

A favorite memory from your childhood
A word that inspires you
Activities on your bucket list
A superpower you’d love to have
A full page of doodles
Your current thoughts and feelings
Goals for the upcoming week, month, or year
Objects and activities that bring you joy
Your favorite poem
Something that scares you
The current weather
The meal you’d eat every day if you could
The next place you’d like to travel to
Things that are all green (or red, blue, orange, you name it!)
What you did today or over the weekend
What you think a certain feeling looks like
Your favorite animals, books, foods, or anything else

Remember—these are art journal prompts, not directives, and they’re open to your unique interpretation. Perhaps you choose, “Your favorite books.” That could mean practicing calligraphy and writing them out in a list, or it could mean drawing all the spines of the books in a stack. Or perhaps it inspires you to draw a scene from one of them. Ultimately, it’s all up to you, and every choice is the right one.

Want to Turn a Used Book Into a Journal?

How to Start an Altered Book Art Journal.

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The Difference Between an Art Journal and a Sketchbook

Though there’s certainly some overlap, an art journal and a sketchbook are notthe same. Each has its own distinct purpose. The point of an art journal is to express yourself, whereas you would use a sketchbook to hone a certain skill or draw samples for a larger art project. (For example, a muralist might use a sketchbook to plan out what a mural will look like before she throws paint on the wall.)

In short: an art journal addresses thoughts and emotions and sketchbooks tackle skills and planning.