What supplies do I need to get started with Art Journaling?

  • Journal - This can be a journal you purchase (look for thick or mixed media paper).  You can also use a discarded book.  

  • Paints - You can start with inexpensive craft paints (acrylic), watercolors, guache.

  • Brushes (you can also use your fingers or a discarded credit card to spread paint)

  • Gesso - for preparing journal pages to accept a lot of media.

  • Acrylic Matte Medium - This is great for gluing down papers and other ephemera.  You can also use Matte Medium as a final coat on your journal page.  You can also use Mod Podge Matte.

Other items you can find around the house:

  • Papers of all kinds - old book pages, magazines, printed images, tissue paper, photos...

  • Items to create texture and stamp - rubber shelf liners have great textures and can be used to stamp with ink or paint, old gift or credit card to add lines of paint, toilet paper tubes make great circles and ovals.  Look around the house and get creative.

  • Pens and markers - look for ones that are waterproof, or embrace the movement of water soluble ink.

  • Blow Dryer to dry paint between layers.

More Advanced Materials

  • Better paints and brushes. I love Golden Paints. They are heavily pigmented and can be purchased in Fluid, Heavy Body, and High Flow.

  • Stamps and Stencils

  • Spray Ink

  • Gels, Mediums, and Pastes - such as Modeling Paste, Crackly Paste, Open Thinner (to keep acrylic paint from drying too fast).

  • Watercolor and Gauche paints.

  • Posca Pens or other paint pens.

The possibilities are endless.