Do you want easy ideas for your art journal pages but do not know where to start?
Are you searching for the best ideas for journal drawing?
Art journaling is a beautiful form of creative expression where you can record both words and art.
To create an art journal, you need to have some artistic ideas.
These ideas may surely boost your creativity. So, let’s get into detail about the top 30 ideas for art journal pages.
What is an Art Journal?
A place where you can record both art and words is known as an art journal.
It is a great way where you can place your art ideas.
You can create an abstract painting, acrylic painting, or you can try watercolor techniques along with writing quotes on the journal.
There are a lot of ways of creating an art journal.
To create an art journal, you can not only try scrapbooking, but you can also add pressed flowers or photographs to it.
You can make a travel-related art journal, or you can add some inspiration or love quotes to it.
Why Should You Keep an Art Journal?
Sketch journals are often seen as something that is not creative.
They do not have good handwriting, or they do not know how to draw or paint.
For such people, keeping an art journal is the best option.
Yes, it is right! If you are holding yourself back due to such objections, it is time to keep an art journal.
Why? Because an art journal may provide you a great way by which you can draw and paint without bounds.
How to Start Art Journaling?
If you want to start art journaling, you just need to follow a few simple steps.
1. Decide the theme of your art journal.
The first and foremost step to start an art journal is to decide its theme.
Although we often hear that starting an art journal is always unplanned, I recommend you to have some rough ideas in your mind.
To decide the theme of your art journal, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of stuff do you want to include in your art journal?
- Do you want to draw something, or you want to take photos and include them in a journal?
- What sort of quotations you have that may be related to the artwork that you create?
- Do you want to create something new in your journal?
- What kind of painting techniques do you want to include in a journal?
All these questions may surely help you decide what theme you should finalize for the journal.
2. Collect art journal supplies.
After deciding the theme of your art journal, it is time to collect all art journal supplies in one place so you can start creating your journal.
Choosing the best tools for the drawing will help you create an epic art journal.
3. Get some inspiration for the background.
To start your art journal, you also need to get some inspiration for its background.
If you are comfortable with the background, go for white pages; otherwise, coloring pages are the best option.
To add some more creativity, you can also paint the background, or you can go for line drawing.
Drawing backgrounds is easier than many people think.
Once you have decided on the theme and background of the journal and have collected some art journal supplies, you are good to go to start an art journal.
What Art Journal Supplies Do You Need?
Here are some basic art supplies that you must have:
- A good-quality journal
The basic accessory you must have is a good-quality art journal or a sketchbook with thick sheets of paper.
- Paint and brushes
Once you have got your art journal, you need to have a good set of paints and brushes.
As per your choice, you may try different acrylic paints or watercolors.
The brushes that you are going to choose must not only feel smooth while applying paint, but they should also hold water and paint in the right quantity.
- Pens
Pens are also one of the basic art supplies you may need for an art journal.
- Other Painting Accessories
Other drawing and painting accessories like an eraser, sharpener, blending stump, etc., are also required.
Prompts for Art Journals
At times, for keeping an art journal, you do not have enough ideas on how to fill your journal.
For this, you need to use prompts for the drawing journal.
For example, you need to decide:
- The type of shapes you will draw and paint.
- Art journal techniques you will apply to your journaling art.
- What sort of quotes will you use? Instead of quotes, you can also go for writing what comes up in your mind while drawing. It can be a story, your daily inspiration, or the things you are grateful for today.
- You can fill the whole page with spray paint, or you can try the doodling technique.
- An experiment such art supplies that you do not use daily
- You can recreate the cover of your favorite book, or you can illustrate some words in a dictionary.
Art Journal Ideas
So, now you have got to know what an art journal is and how to start keeping it, it is time to explore some creative art journal ideas.
These notebook drawing ideas are easy, fun, and quick.
These ideas can be used for:
- Art journaling ideas
- Pinterest art journal ideas
- Journal cover design ideas
- Journal collage ideas
- Sketchbook journal ideas
- Digital art journal ideas
- Watercolor journal ideas
You’ll have great journal sketches in no time!
1. Make a Mind Map
Making a mind map is one of the great ideas for your art journal.
If you are planning to go somewhere and you do not know where to start or what sort of things you want to do when you visit a place, you can make a mind map on your art journal.
Look at this mind map of things to do in Ohio.
You can draw different things that may be related to the things you want to do in Ohio.
With arrows, you can show the sequence of activities.
Trust me; it will really make you thrilled to go to this place this vacation.
2. Your Favorite Word
If there is a word that has a special place in your heart or a word that you have just learned, why not write it down in your art journal?
You can write a word and its meaning and draw some art related to its meaning above or below the word.
You can try different colors and different font styles and sizes to make it look more attractive.
3. Negativity is Destruction
This simple art journal idea of Negativity is Destruction will help you to work on your negative thoughts as it can cause destruction everywhere.
Your negative thoughts cannot only make you sick but cause illness in someone else as well.
You can add some colors to your drawing, or you can make the whole drawing dark with sketch pencils.
4. Write Down the Lyrics of Your Favorite Song
Everyone has his favorite song that he listens to every day.
If you like a song whose lyrics inspire or motivate you or have a deep meaning, you can write it down in your art journal.
You can write with a colored pen on a white background, or you can make the background colored and write the song with a black pen.
Plus, you can also draw anything related to the song.
5. Beautiful Flowers
One of the best ideas for your art journal is to draw beautiful flowers or plants that you like the most.
If you love gardening, you can apply this hobby to keep an art journal as well.
Make the background colorful or draw beautiful flowers on it.
You can also write a few lines about each flower that you like the most.
6. Draw Your Favorite Musical Instrument
Another art journal idea for music lovers is to make a page about your favorite musical instrument.
If you like to play guitar, why not draw it on our sketchbook.
You can also write something related to the instrument; for example, you can write your favorite song or some memory with the guitar.
7. Packing List
Do you love to explore different areas of the world?
If you want to go on a trip this summer season but you do not remember every time what things to pack and what things you should not pack, it is the best idea to make a packing list in your art journal.
Yes, it is right!
A packing list or a to-do list will surely help you with what type of things you need to pack.
Have a look at this packing list.
You can draw different bags or suitcases and then label them with the things you need to pack inside them.
For example, you can make a list of clothes, electronics, makeup, medicines, and other accessories.
Creating a packing list in your art journal will also help you get some excitement for your next trip.
8. You Bring Peace to Me
If you want to write something in love for your loved one, you can create a page in which you can write to your lover that you are the only storm that brings peace to me.
On one page, you can write it in black or colored pencil, or on the other page, you can draw something that may show the strong bond between you and your partner.
9. Favorite Things to Do In Summer
If you love the summer season, you can create an art journal on it.
Take a page of your journal, write the word “Summer” in the center of the page and write down your favorite things to do in summer.
You can also write down the things that are associated with the summer season, and you have never tried them before.
This idea of drawing your favorite summer things will make your art journal look cool and refreshing.
10. Introduce Yourself
Introducing yourself in an art journal is a great way to add a colorful impact to your art journal.
To introduce yourself, you can draw your self-portrait and write a few words about yourself.
This art journal idea may not only help you to explore different painting and sketching techniques, but you can also get to know more about yourself in terms of facial features.
Sounds interesting?
Do try out this amazing art journal idea!
11. Hopes and Dreams
Another unique and fun art journal idea is to write down your hopes and dreams.
For this, you can express yourself with things you would like to aspire to or goals you’re working towards.
12. I Am
Most people have different aspects of who they are.
You could be a husband, a wife, a mother, a sibling, a painter, a blogger, a coffee shop owner, and so on.
Celebrate all the facets of who you are by putting together a creative art journal of all the things you are.
13. Draw Faces
Apart from drawing your portrait, another useful idea for your art journal is to draw faces.
Most people believe that the process of drawing faces is very difficult as you need to follow some rules and techniques related to shapes and proportions.
If you know how to draw faces, it is good as you can use this skill in filling your art journal.
Or if you do not know such techniques, do not worry, just take a pencil and start drawing faces.
Let’s see where this experiment may take you!
14. Embrace the Darkness
One of the amazing ideas for art journal pages is to write down an inspirational quote, “Embrace the darkness with all your light,” on your art journal.
At some point in our life, we always feel the darkness and think negatively about everything.
But if we want to be happy in life, we must embrace this darkness with positivity as it may remind us of the light.
Instead of staying demotivated, we should make the darkness a part of the light.
For this art journal idea, you can try different shades of pen or marker.
You can draw something related to light or dark, or you can paste some pictures as well.
15. Playlist of the Month
To create your art journal pages, you can also write down the playlist of the month.
First, listen to your favorite music and then write about it.
The April Playlist shown below is the perfect example of showing your favorite playlist of the month.
You can draw an image of the music player and then write the name of the song under it, including the day you listen to the song.
Moreover, you can also write other details of the song, including your favorite line from the song.
16. Pick Photos from a Magazine
In your art journal, you can also pick some photos from a magazine.
You can choose different photos to make a collage or you can take a photo and draw something over it.
Another way to make your art journal look more fun and creative is by including the photos of human faces (taken from magazines), pasting them in your journal, and drawing bodies yourself (like shown below).
17. Make a Drawing of a Cityscape
Making a drawing of a cityscape is another good idea for your art journal.
If you have traveled to your favorite place, you can draw its cityscape.
You can also give some architectural details to it to make it look more appealing and creative.
If you can draw a place, it is good; otherwise, you can take some photos of each city or place you visited from the Internet or newspaper, etc., and attach them to the journal.
With each city, you can write its name and the favorite thing you like about that city.
18. Take Me to the Safest Place
Taking me to the safest place is another simple idea to fill up your art journal pages.
For this, you can make a drawing of a boy or girl holding each other’s hand or you can draw feet on one page and a relevant quote on the other page.
It is not only a perfect way to draw art and doodles, but you can also feel loved with this idea.
Because this journal idea means that I feel safe when you are with me.
So, take me to a place where there is no city of dreams and no horizon as it is just your heart that matters to me the most.
19. Listen to the Poetry of Universe
Just look at the art journal idea. It is not only creative but looks beautiful as well.
On one page, you can write “Listen to the Poetry of Universe,” while on the other page, you can draw a unique artwork related to the universe.
20. Draw Weather
Another amazing art journal idea is to draw the weather of the place that you are going to visit on your next vacation.
In this way, you can plan your activities according to the weather.
For example, if there is a sunny day, you can plan activities like swimming, hiking, picnic, and fishing.
21. Include Different Types of Currency
In your art journal, you can also include different types of currency.
If you have visited different countries, you may encounter different currencies as well.
So, if you have some leftover currency from your trip with you, it is a great way to paste them into your art journal.
22. Choose the Right Track
In the playlist of life, choose the right track – it is another great idea that you may incorporate in your art journal.
On one page, you can write this quote and on the other page, you can draw something related to it.
It means that as you choose the right track from a playlist to listen to, similarly, in your life, you need to choose the right path.
23. Make a List of Your Strengths
In your art journal, you can also make a list of your strengths along with some relevant drawings.
By including a list of your strengths, you can not only fill up your art journal page but you will be more motivated and confident as well.
It is another way to show love to yourself.
24. Draw Geometrical Shapes
Drawing geometrical shapes is a great fun idea.
You can try out different shapes that you have never tried before.
25. You are music to my ears
You are music to my ears and rhythm to my heart is another way to fill your art journal pages.
It is a great way to express your feelings to your loved one in the form of music.
26. Life is Never Easy
This simple art journal idea of Life is Never Easy will assist you to get the most out of your life.
Always remember that life does not always remain the same; sometimes, it is stormy while it is breezy at most times.
Whatever the good or bad times it is, we should never give up.
27. Write Your Favorite Holiday Song
One of the best ideas for art journal pages is to write your favorite holiday song.
For example, if it is a Christmas holiday, you can choose your favorite Christmas song and illustrate it in your art journal.
28. Nature Walk
Go out for a nature walk and enjoy the air.
Write down a summary of your adventure and draw 3-5 images from your walk.
29. Draw a Snowman
If you love the winter season, why not draw a snowman in your art journal?
You can draw or paint a snowman without going outside in the cold.
30. You are the Thread Holder
You are the thread holder; not a puppet driven by a thread holder.
You can document this amazing quote in your art journal.
It means that as a thread holder can hold the puppet similarly you need to hold and control your life in the way you want.
Different Art Journal Techniques
There are different techniques you can use for journaling drawing.
Artist Journal Splatter Background
One’s artist journal can really pop out by painting a splatter background.
Before you begin your journal drawings, go wild and paint splatter.
Use White Charcoal Pencil for Bold Highlights
If you have a journal drawing that is filled with dark areas, then a white charcoal pencil will be your best friend!
Many people think charcoal pencils are black, but white charcoal pencils are incredible.
You can add some great highlights with these.
White charcoal pencils work best when they are used on darker areas.
Use Dry Brush in Your Sketch Journals
Add some great texture to your sketch journals by using a dry brush.
Use a Stippling in Your Art Journaling
Another great art journal technique you can do is to create simple dots or stippling.
Whether you’re looking for art journaling ideas for beginners or you’ve been making journal sketches for a long time, the simple stippling art journal technique can be done effortlessly.
Conclusion
So, these are the top ideas for art journal pages.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading these 30 ideas for your art journal.
The ideas may not only add creativity to your journal, but they may also allow you to improve your artistic skills.
So, what are you waiting for now? If you are in the habit of keeping journals, do include a little bit of art in them.
Or, if you are an artist who loves painting, you can include some words in it.