Art journaling is taking Instagram and aspiring creative hearts by storm. With a few magazine cutouts and Crayola markers, you can make a blank page look like a work of art, all while expressing your words in any way you choose!
You’ll need:
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A Book: a blank sketchbook, a lined notebook– anything works… (I’ve even seen somebody glue over an old novel)!
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Art supplies: These don’t have to be fancy, just some markers and colored pencils. Watercolors are always a great addition, and washi tape will be your best friend.
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Magazine and newspaper cutouts: These are already so visually stunning, they end up doing most of the work themselves when making a collage! I’ve collected tons of cutouts over the weeks and have started condensing them into a shoebox for easy access.
Step 1:
Visualize what you want your journal entry to look like. It’s a lot easier if you have a theme or color palette in mind. You can then start working towards choosing out the washi tapes and magazine clippings that correspond to your ideas. I went with a coffee theme, as it is seventh week and coffee is all I dream about.
Step 2:
Start organizing the cutouts until you find a collage that you love! You can leave room for doodles, or even draw right over the clippings! I usually start with collaging one page, and leave the second page a little more bare for the journal entry.
Step 3:
Glue, glue, glue!
Step 4:
Add paint, markers, stickers and whatever else your heart desires until you are satisfied with the final result of the page.
Step 5:
Write out your journal entries either directly on the page or on decorated paper you plan to glue in. These don’t have to be traditional journal entries– they can be quotes you’re thinking about at the time, a sentence of midterm motivation or a small token of something good that happened to you that week. I normally stick in some poetry I’ve written. I instead went for a couple quotes I love about coffee, and typed them up on my handy typewriter.
Then, you’re done! You’ve created your art journal entry! No matter what your level of artistic skill or creative talent, art journaling always looks beautiful, and is incredibly relaxing to create.
Remember, mistakes are to be expected (little do you know, I covered up at least three mistakes on this entry). Mistakes can easily be corrected with a piece of construction paper of washi tape, there’s no need to fret!
But trust me, as you continue to add entries, there’s nothing like the feeling of seeing the pages of your journal expand.
Photos Courtesy of Sidra Rashid