Art journaling for beginners can feel intimidating. You see those gorgeous mixed media spreads on Instagram and think I could never do that. But here’s the thing – every single one of those pages started with someone staring at a blank page feeling exactly the way you do right now.
The best part about art journaling? There’s no wrong way to do it. No grades, no rules, no one looking over your shoulder telling you the background needs more texture. It’s your journal, your pages, your creative playground.
This guide walks you through everything you need to get started – from picking your first journal to actually putting something on a page without overthinking it.
What Is Art Journaling?
Art journaling is keeping a journal where visual expression matters as much as (or more than) words. Think of it as a sketchbook meets diary meets collage notebook. Some pages might be all paint and paper scraps. Others might be mostly writing with a decorative border. Most fall somewhere in between.
It’s different from a regular journal because you’re not just writing – you’re layering color, texture, images, and words together. And it’s different from a sketchbook because it’s not about drawing skill. Honestly, some of the most beautiful art journal pages I’ve seen use zero drawing whatsoever.
If you’ve tried junk journaling before, art journaling is a close cousin. Junk journals lean into found papers and ephemera. Art journals lean more into paint, ink, and mixed media. But there’s tons of overlap, and plenty of people do both in the same book.
Choosing Your First Art Journal
Don’t overthink this part. Seriously. The number one mistake beginners make is buying an expensive journal and then being too afraid to “ruin” it.
Paper Weight Matters
The one thing that actually matters is paper weight. Regular notebook paper (around 80gsm) will buckle and bleed through with any wet media. Look for something in the 160-200gsm range if you want to use paint or ink. Mixed media paper at 160gsm is the sweet spot for most beginners – it handles watercolor, acrylics, and collage without warping too badly.
Bound vs. Spiral vs. Travelers Notebook
Each has pros and cons:
- Hardbound journals – feel substantial and look beautiful on a shelf, but the spine fights you when you add bulk from collage layers
- Spiral bound – pages lay flat, easy to tear out the ones you hate (we all have them), but the spiral can get bent
- Travelers notebooks – removable inserts let you swap in different paper types and start fresh without committing to a whole new journal
My honest recommendation? Start with a cheap mixed media sketchbook. Use it roughly. Get comfortable making a mess. Once you know what kind of art journaling you gravitate toward, then invest in something nicer.
Art Journal Supplies for Beginners
You don’t need to spend $200 at the craft store before making your first page. Here’s what you actually need versus what’s nice to have eventually.
The Bare Minimum
- A journal (see above – mixed media paper, 160gsm+)
- A glue stick or matte medium – for sticking stuff down
- A few acrylic paints – a warm color, a cool color, white, and black gets you surprisingly far
- A black pen – any permanent marker or fine liner works
- Old magazines or scrapbook paper scraps – for collage elements
That’s genuinely it. Five things. You probably already have three of them. Art journal techniques also translate beautifully to card making – the same layering, stamping, and mixed media skills create stunning handmade cards.
Nice to Have (Eventually)
- Gesso – white primer that gives you a clean surface and adds texture
- Washi tape – instant pattern and color with zero skill required (see our washi tape ideas guide for creative uses)
- Stencils – hold it down, swipe paint across, lift it up – instant pattern
- Watercolor set – a basic student-grade pan set is fine
- Spray inks – dramatic backgrounds in seconds
- Stamps and ink pads – add text and images without drawing
Build your supply stash over time. If you’re into subscription kits, our monthly kits include papers, stickers, and embellishments that work beautifully in art journals too.
Your First Art Journal Page – Step by Step
OK, you’ve got a journal and some basic supplies. Now what? Here’s a simple first page that looks great and doesn’t require any artistic talent.
Step 1: Background Layer
Pick up that acrylic paint and smoosh it around the page. Use a brush, a credit card, your fingers – doesn’t matter. Cover most of the white. It doesn’t need to be even or pretty. Messy backgrounds are honestly better because they add visual interest.
Let it dry. (A hair dryer speeds this up dramatically.)
Step 2: Add Paper Layers
Tear (don’t cut – torn edges look more organic) some pieces from a magazine, old book page, or scrapbook paper. Glue them down overlapping each other and the painted background. Three to five pieces is plenty.
Step 3: Add Something Personal
Write a quote you love, a word that resonates, today’s date, or a few sentences about your day. Use your black pen directly on the page. Don’t stress about your handwriting. Imperfect handwriting has more character than any font.
Step 4: Details and Finishing Touches
This is where it comes together. Add a few of these:
- Doodle borders or circles around your text
- Outline some of your collage pieces with the black pen
- Splatter a little paint by flicking a loaded brush (put down newspaper first)
- Add a strip of washi tape along one edge
- Stamp a small image in a corner
Done. That’s a finished art journal page. Was it perfect? Probably not. Does it matter? Not even a little.
Easy Art Journal Techniques for Beginners
Once you’ve made a few pages, you’ll want to try new things. These techniques look impressive but are genuinely easy.
Gel Plate Printing
A gel plate (Gelli Arts makes the popular ones) lets you pull monoprints in seconds. Roll paint on the plate, lay paper on top, peel it off. Every pull is unique. You can use these prints as backgrounds or cut them up for collage. It’s wildly addictive – fair warning.
Gesso Resist
Write or draw with white gesso on your page. Let it dry completely. Then paint over the whole page with watercolor or diluted acrylic. The gesso resists the paint, and your hidden message appears like magic.
Image Transfer
Print a photo or image on regular paper using a laser printer (inkjet won’t work for this). Apply matte medium face-down onto your journal page. Let it dry overnight. Wet the paper and gently rub it away – the image stays behind, transferred directly onto your page. It creates this ghostly, vintage effect that looks incredible.
Stencil Layering
Put a stencil on your page and apply paint through it. Move the stencil, use a different color, repeat. Three layers with three different stencils creates complex-looking patterns with basically zero skill. The trick is using colors in the same family so it looks intentional.
Collage and Paint Mashup
Glue down papers and images first, then paint partially over them. Let some edges peek through, cover others completely. This creates depth and that layered look you see in experienced art journalers’ work. The secret is that they’re doing exactly this – it’s just layers on layers on layers.
Art Journal Prompts to Get You Unstuck
Staring at a blank page is the worst part. These prompts give you a starting point so you can skip the paralysis and go straight to creating.
Visual Prompts
- Pick one color and make an entire page using only that color in different shades
- Collage something from today’s junk mail
- Paint your coffee cup (or tea mug, no judgment)
- Fill a page with circles – different sizes, overlapping, in different media
- Use only things you can find in your recycling bin
Word Prompts
- Illustrate a song lyric that’s stuck in your head
- Write one word in the biggest letters that fit on the page, then decorate around it
- List ten things you’re grateful for, then make them beautiful
- Journal about a recent memory using three sentences and three collage images
Challenge Prompts
- Make a page in under 10 minutes – speed kills perfectionism
- Use a supply you’ve never tried before
- Make the ugliest page you can on purpose (this is weirdly freeing)
- Copy a page from an art journaler you admire – learning by imitation is legit
For more prompt ideas, check out our art journal ideas page with technique breakdowns and themed inspiration.
Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Buying too many supplies before starting. You’ll waste money on things you don’t need yet. Start small, figure out what you like, then expand.
Comparing your page 3 to someone else’s page 300. Those stunning journal spreads you see online? Their creator has probably filled five journals before that one. You’re seeing their highlight reel. Your behind-the-scenes is supposed to look rougher.
Trying to make every page a masterpiece. Some pages exist to try a new technique. Some pages exist because you needed to process a bad day. Some pages are just ugly and that’s fine. Not every page is going to make it to Instagram, and it doesn’t have to.
Being afraid of “ruining” a page. Here’s the secret weapon: gesso. If you truly hate something, gesso over it and start fresh on top. The texture from the old page underneath actually makes the new page more interesting. Nothing is permanent in an art journal.
Skipping the background. A painted or gessoed background makes everything else look better. Even a simple wash of diluted paint transforms a page from “crafty homework” to “art journal.”
Building a Regular Art Journaling Practice
The journals that get filled are the ones that stay accessible. Keep yours on your desk or kitchen table, not tucked away in a drawer. Leave it open to a blank page so you see it throughout the day.
You don’t need to create a full spread every time you sit down. Some days it’s a fifteen-minute background layer while you wait for dinner. Other days you’ll lose two hours and emerge covered in paint. Both count.
Try keeping a few supplies out next to your journal – a pen, a glue stick, whatever paint you’re currently using. Reducing setup friction makes the difference between journaling regularly and having a very pretty unused journal on your shelf.
If you’re looking for community and supplies to keep you inspired month after month, our supply guide covers everything from basics to specialized tools. And our design team creates gorgeous layouts with Hip Kit Club supplies that translate beautifully to art journal pages – check out their work on our blog for constant inspiration.
What to Do After Your First Journal
Once you’ve filled your first journal (or gotten halfway through and decided you want better paper), you’ll have a much clearer sense of your style. Maybe you’re a collage person. Maybe you love paint and don’t care about cutting and gluing. Maybe you’re all about the writing with decorative elements around it.
From here, you can explore:
- Mixed media techniques – combining paint, fabric, found objects, and more
- Junk journaling – a related craft that uses recycled and found materials. If you’re curious, start with what a junk journal actually is, then check out the supplies you need. You can even use free printables to fill your first pages.
- Themed journals – travel journals, gratitude journals, seasonal journals
- Scrapbooking – if you want to combine photos with your creative skills
The skills transfer everywhere. Background techniques work for scrapbook layouts. Collage skills apply to card making. Hand lettering practice shows up in everything. Once you start art journaling, you start seeing creative possibilities in every piece of paper, every paint swatch, every torn magazine page.
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, try working through some art journal prompts to spark your creativity and push your pages in new directions.
If you want to take your journaling in a more tactile direction, try building a junk journal around a specific theme – travel, seasons, or gratitude journals are popular starting points. And designing your own journal cover is basically an art journal page that also protects everything inside.
If you want to take your journaling in a more tactile direction, try building a junk journal around a specific theme – travel, seasons, or gratitude journals are popular starting points. And designing your own journal cover is basically an art journal page that also protects everything inside.
So grab that journal, squeeze out some paint, and make a mess. Your future self will thank you for starting.