my art Archives - Page 6 of 12

Art Journaling 101

Art journaling is, at its simplest, creating visual art in a book. Also called an artist sketchbook, visual diary, or art diary, art journals have been used by artists for centuries for a variety of purposes. Leonardo da Vinci, Joan Mitchell, and Frida Kahlo all kept visual diaries over the course of their lives.

I’ve been working as an art journaler since 2009 after finding iHanna’s beautiful and inspirational blog. Over the course of the years, I’ve experimented with a range of book sizes, mediums, and processes.

But art journaling is accessible, easy — there are, really, no rules — and anyone can do it. All you need to do is choose a book, get inspired, and make some art.

Choose a book

There are so many options when choosing what to use as your art journal: teeny books, big books, different page thicknesses, colored pages, books with different bindings, etc. You may go through several types of book before finding the one that works best for you.

I use (currently, anyway) books that I’ve handbound with watercolor paper. My last few art journals have been about 5×7 inches (about 13×18 cm), which I’ve really loved. I also really enjoy working in thrifted books: you aren’t starting with a blank page, and any pages that you tear out can then be used as collage material.

Anything that sparks your interest will do: spiral-bound journals, notebooks made for multi-media, composition notebooks, thrifted books, and so on. You could also use loose-leaf pages and sew or staple them together later. Depending on quality of the paper, you may want to glue several pages together (say, three pages at a time throughout the book) to create a sturdier surface for your media.

Whatever you choose, I’d suggest starting out with books with fewer pages at first: you’ll be able to test out how the paper takes your medium without a lot of pressure. You may get discouraged if you have another 300 pages to fill of a book that isn’t working for you.

Get Inspired

Find and follow artists whose work you like — the #artjournal and #artjournaling hashtags on Instagram are a great way to look through lots of different kinds of books and discover new artists that you otherwise might not come across.

Check out books about art journaling. The 1000 Artist Journal Pages (please find it at your library or buy from your local indie book store if you can!) in particular is a huge compilation of artist pages with a variety of styles. Stampington’s Art Journal Magazine is also a great resource.

Go to your local art store, dollar store, or craft store and see what supplies pique your interest. I’ve used a range of cheap and unusual supplies in my art journals, including sticky notes, highlighters, staples, ballpoint pens, and crayons. Thrift stores also have a ton of used books and magazines that are great for collage. Art journaling doesn’t have to be expensive!

Make some art

There are no rules about what you add to your book: there is no one way to art journal. But it can be intimidating to start, so here’s a list of materials you could experiment with:

Collage materials: lined or graph paper, thrifted book pages, maps or pages from an atlas, tissue paper, security envelopes, images cut out of magazines, photographs, found lists, ticket stubs, cards, wrapping paper, newspaper, etc.
Paint: acrylic paint, tempera paint sticks, watercolor, gouache, India ink. You can use water to thin or mix colors, or lay it on thick, or let it drip or splash on the pages.
Glue: matte medium, gel medium, a glue stick, hot glue, rubber cement, tape, glue dots — experiment and see what you like working with best! Keep in mind that some adhesives will hold up better than others in the long term, and only some are archival (ie., will not yellow over time). Be sure to read the label to see what each product offers.
Other mark-making tools: oil or chalk pastels, water-based markers, paint markers, charcoal, ballpoint pen, colored pencil, graphite, stamps, crayon, etc.

My favorite mixed media tools right now are book pages, acrylic ink, oil pastel, and pencils.

The biggest takeaway

But above all, the most important piece about art journaling is have fun. Create for yourself — there’s no need to share with others (in person or online) if you don’t want to. Your art is for YOU. Make mistakes. Be messy. Make ugly art. Enjoy the process!

And if you have any questions about art journaling, need some encouragement, or want to share what you’re working on, I’d love to hear from you.

Baltimore Journal II

Ingrid Murray mixed media art journal page. A neutral background is covered with neon pink, dark blue, and greenish-yellow paint splotches.

Ingrid Murray mixed media art journal page. It features an abstract composition of bright green, white, and red, and smaller accents of dark blue.

I don’t often look back at my old art journals unless I’m showing someone else my work. It’s not for any particular reason; I’m just more interested in the process, generally, than the outcome. I also share a lot of my work online so don’t have need to reference the originals.

Yesterday, though, I flipped through my most recently finished journal and realized that there are several pages that I haven’t shared online (see above). Some pages I love and some I don’t — but that’s exactly as it should be.

My art journal, after all, is a playground where I can explore, express myself, mess up, and play. (So is yours!)

PS. Watch a full flip-through of this journal:

Hampdenfest & Ohio

Ingrid Murray mixed media art journal page. A neutral background of book pages and a map is covered with black marks on the right, a broad teal brushstroke on the left, and yellow splotches of paint.

Here are two recent art journal pages, made literally back to back. I really love the simplicity, color palette, and composition of both — and also feel like they complement each other well as individual pieces.

The top spread has a piece of newspaper torn from the Baltimore Beat, featuring the upcoming Hampdenfest event; the bottom has part of an Ohio road map I have, for some reason, in my possession. I also used pages from a book I found in a little library a while back.

Capturing the Chaos

This is what life has looked like recently: chaotic, unpredictable, and all over the place.

Since I first began art journaling, the pages have been a place to express — first in words, then over the years through marks and color and other symbolism — the ups and downs of my life.

I can open a journal to any spread, and it will transport me to a different moment in time: college, living in Philadelphia, studying abroad. What a gift it is to be able to have that record of a years-long conversation with yourself, to have evidence of your experiences and your struggles and your joys!

Rust & Olive Branches

Ingrid Murray digital collage with textural and plant elements, black scribbles, and yellow, pink, and peacock drips.

I created this digital collage the same day as this one. Here, I pulled together images from last year’s trip to Tunisia (the olive branches at the bottom of the collage), a rusty sheet of metal, images of my own mixed media art, and part of an old family photo. I added some digital marks on top.

I’m still exploring the basics of digital media: what is possible? What process do I enjoy? What compositions feel right? I’m also wrestling with my preference to have digital pieces look analog, and the reality that it’s a different process (and outcome) altogether. More play is required, I suppose.

While I used Photoshop for this piece, I have loved using Pixlr as a quick substitute — it’s free, requires no sign-in, and has many of the same features. It’s also a great tool for editing photos more generally on the fly.