First of all, you don’t need any fancy art journaling supplies. (You will eventually want them, and want them all!) The best way to get started is to keep it simple with a journal and a pen that fits your skill & comfort level and your budget. The following are personal recommendations.
Mixed Media / Art Journals:
Many artists will use gesso and transform anything into a good surface for mixed media, but it’s easier (and better, for beginners) to just pick a journal with quality paper designed to handle both wet and dry medium, and that that won’t show any bleed through on the pages in case you use markers.
- Strathmore is a great brand for high quality mixed media paper, and their journals don’t disappoint. My favorite is the Mixed Media Art Journal but the Strathmore Visual Journal is just as good for half the price 😉
- The Moleskin is very popular for hand lettering, doodling & bullet journaling. However, I did purchase the “wrong kind” and found the pages to be very thin and transparent. I’m linking to the watercolor moleskin, but do not have the right experience to personally attest to the quality of this one.
- The Dylusions Creative Journal (by Dyan Reaveley, Ranger Ink) is, hands down, one of my absolute favorite books for art journaling. That’s because it’s the best– and probably the only proper– surface for the Dylusions ink sprays. (See previous comment about the art supply addiction!)
Over time, you may find you prefer one type of journal over the others.Each of the journals I listed above have their own benefits, but if I were to recommend just one it would be the Dylusions journal because it’s likely you will have fun experimenting with a variety of products. This is likely to include Dylusions paint & sprays, and this journal is designed specifically to work well with Dylusions sprays (which do not work so well on other types of paper.)
But who knows… depending on where you feel most creatively inspired, you may even prefer making your own art journals!
Pens for Art Journaling:
Assuming you’ll use a black pen for more of your journaling, try to stick with archival ink. It won’t smudge when mixed with watercolor, and it won’t fade over time. Consider:
- Sakura Pima Micron & Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens are great fine liners for doodling
- Papermate Flair felt tip markers come in a fun variety of colors, and they are great for doodling, coloring, and general writing.
- You may try a billion ballpoint, gel, and fountain pens before finding your favorite. My own personal favorite, hands down, is this exact Fisher space pen.
But don’t get hung up on pens just yet. Play around with whatever you want and have on hand. The important thing is that you start creating! With that being said, if there is a 3rd must-have in your art supply kit, it would be a really good white ink pen. Click here for a review comparing several of the most popular white ink pens and markers.
Other Art Journaling Supplies:
This is where I can give you an entire list of goodies to try… but I won’t.
At least, not yet.
If you’re new to art journaling, there are a few things you should follow.
- Do use your art journal as a creative outlet and a way to de-stress.
- Do not compare your own work to the work of others.
- Do make the most of what you have!
- Do watch Youtube videos for inspiration & tutorials.
- Do not copy someone else’s work and claim credit as if it were your own. It’s okay to work in a style similar to artists you love, especially when you create a new style that is a hybrid of your favorite artists. Always give credit where it is due, and create a style that is uniquely your own.
- Do work on the skills you want to improve. Practice, practice, practice!
- Do not spend more time/energy/money on shopping for new art supplies than you do actually creating art with the supplies you already have.
Art journaling can be a very expensive hobby to maintain when you get into all the goodies! You can easily become a hoarder of alcohol ink sprays, stamps, paints, glitter, gelatos… and if you really want some suggestions on specific art supplies, just check out the shop for recommendations by category.
Or you can keep things simple and affordable. Just draw/doodle/write/collage. Whichever style of artist (and spender) you are… it’s a good idea to stick to the basics at first. Check out these journaling prompts to start your first page!
Obligatory disclaimer– I use affiliate links to recommended products. You don’t have to buy them, and if you do then you don’t have to buy them through the links. But if you do use the links to go shopping, then I’ll make a little bit of money and that helps support Mixed Media Art Journey. I will never link to a product that I wouldn’t recommend anyways.