You do not need to draw to keep an art journal. Art journaling is simply a journal where color, shapes, scraps of paper and a few words share the page. Most of what makes those pages look lovely is layering, not drawing skill.
By the end of this guide you will know what to gather, five techniques that need no drawing at all, and how to make a first page in about 20 minutes. You will also know what to do with a page you do not like, because you will make some, and that is fine.
What an art journal is (and is not)
An art journal is a place to notice your days and feelings with your hands as well as your words. One page might be a smear of blue paint with “a quiet Tuesday” written across it. Another might be a ticket stub, a pressed leaf and three lines about a walk.
It is not a sketchbook, a portfolio or a test. No one grades it, and you never have to show it to anyone. If you are curious how it compares with other styles, our guide to journaling methods sets art journaling beside eight others.
Supplies you probably already have
You can start today with what is in a kitchen drawer. A notebook with thicker paper helps because glue and paint can wrinkle thin pages, but any notebook will do. If the pages buckle, that becomes part of the look.
- A notebook, or a stack of plain paper you can staple later
- A glue stick
- Scissors
- Pens, pencils, crayons or markers, including the half-dried ones
- Paper scraps: old magazines, envelopes, receipts, wrapping paper, junk mail, used tea bags dried flat
- Tape of any kind, even plain clear tape
- Optional: a cheap set of watercolors or a child’s paint set
That is the whole list. Buy more only once you know what you enjoy using.
Techniques that need no drawing
Each of these works on its own. Try one per page, or stack two or three.
Collage
Cut or tear pictures, colors and words from magazines and glue them down. Tearing is easier than cutting and gives soft edges that look intentional. You might fill a page with every shade of green you can find because you are longing for spring.
Color blocks
Fill a page, or part of one, with a single color in any medium. Pick the color that matches your mood without overthinking it. Then write a sentence over or beside it, such as “Gray, but a soft gray. Tired, not sad.”
Found words
Cut single words or short phrases from print and arrange them into a line. This is a gentle way in on days when your own words feel stuck. You might end up with “small brave steps today,” pieced together from a cereal box and a catalog.
Shapes and patterns
Circles, stripes, dots, checkerboards and wavy lines are not drawing in the way most people fear. Fill a border with dots while you think. Repeat one shape until it becomes a pattern. Tracing round objects like a mug or a coin is allowed.
Lettering and lists
Write one word large and color it in, or write a list in a column down the side of the page. Your everyday handwriting is enough. Messy writing has character, and nobody else needs to read it.
| Technique | Time | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Collage | 15 to 30 minutes | Days with energy to play |
| Color blocks | 5 minutes | Naming a mood quickly |
| Found words | 10 to 20 minutes | When writing feels hard |
| Shapes and patterns | 5 to 15 minutes | Settling a busy mind |
| Lettering and lists | 5 minutes | Busy days |
A simple first page, step by step
Here is one way to make your first page. Change any step you like.
- Pick a background. Paint a wash of color, glue down a piece of patterned paper, or rub a crayon on its side across the page. 3 minutes.
- Add one image. Tear out a picture that catches your eye and glue it slightly off center. 5 minutes.
- Add a few words. Write a sentence about today next to the picture, for example “I picked the ocean because I want to feel bigger than my to-do list.” 5 minutes.
- Add a small detail. A row of dots, a strip of tape or the date in big numbers. 3 minutes.
- Stop. Close the book and come back tomorrow before you judge it.
If you would rather have a starting idea than a blank page, our creativity prompts work well as page themes.
When you dislike a page
You will make pages you do not like. That is part of keeping any journal, not a sign that you are bad at this.
Before you tear anything out, try one of these:
- Cover part of it with a fresh layer of paper or paint and keep going.
- Glue two pages together and start clean.
- Write across it in big letters: “This was a messy day.”
- Leave it alone. Pages often look better a week later.
It also helps to lower the stakes. Some people keep a cheap notebook for experiments so the “nice” one never feels precious. Others give themselves a rule of one ugly page a week on purpose. There is no wrong way to do this.
Making it fit your life
You do not need a craft table or an hour. Keep a glue stick and a small envelope of scraps inside your notebook, and you can make a page at the kitchen table in 10 minutes. On low days, one color block and one word counts.
Art journaling can also be shared. Many families make pages side by side, and our guide to journaling with kids has ideas for keeping it relaxed when little hands join in. If you want ready-made pages to color, cut or glue in, our free printables are a simple place to start.
Three prompts to try
- What color is today, and what three words would you write across it?
- Tear out five images that feel like a place you would like to rest, and write one line about why.
- Fill a page with one shape repeated over and over while you list what is on your mind.