Since about 2007/2008 I have been obsessed with art journaling, and within the past few years I crossed the bridge into bible journaling as well. It has been a wonderful meditative process that gets me deep in the Word, offers an outlet for my creativity that is easily portable, and has been instrumental in growing my faith.
I've had a few people ask about the supplies I use for my bible journaling, so I figured I'd put in all in one place and give a little insight on my favorite things. For the most part I use a lot of the same things for both bible journaling and art journaling, but the paper I use for regular art journaling is a lot thicker and more durable than the thinner, more delicate pages of bibles so you do have to take more care when using wet materials like inks and paints.
Also, just to preface, I am an artist by trade and have some really great art supplies that I also use for my journaling. But I'd like to stress that you definitely do not need anything fancy to dig into the Word and journal in your bible. Use anything you can get your hands on: crayons, Crayola markers, ball point pens, scraps of paper- it doesn't matter! There are no mistakes and no right or wrong when it comes to this process and the materials you use. It is about exploration, expression, and deeper understanding.
For easy portability, I have a handy art box that I pack my essentials in. Below I've compiled a list of my essentials that I use and love.
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Paint: For paint, I prefer Liquitex basics acrylic paint and Golden fluid acrylics. The Liquitex basics are a bit thicker and great for a base. They are very opaque. The Golden fluid acrylics are great for washes of color and they have some iridescent and metallic shades that are just perfect for details. They are much thinner and more runny, so take caution when using them!
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A Pencil: I generally just unabashedly go for a page, but occasionally I will sketch out my idea or my lettering in pencil first to create the overall composition before committing to it in ink. I am incredibly picky about pencils, and my two preferred options are Dixon Ticonderoga pencils and Palomino Blackwing pencils.
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Watercolors: I like both water soluble crayons/pencils, and a watercolor palette. My favorites are Neocolor II Water-soluble crayons, and an inexpensive 8 or 16 color palette by Prang.
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Washi Tape: Tissue thin paper tape adds texture and can be used to adhere other decorative elements. There are plenty of great options (just search Amazon or your local craft store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels).
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Letter Stickers: Another simple element with endless possibilities. Also easy to find at your local craft store. You can also mix and match and use all sorts of regular decorative stickers to adorn the pages, too.
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Clear Gesso: More recently, thanks to my amazing mama, I discovered clear gesso. Gesso is useful because it helps prep the surface before painting and gives a boost to the thinner bible paper by making it a little more sturdy. Clear gesso has been a game changer though, because it doesn't add any cast of color or alter your color hues the way that white gesso can!
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Various Ink Pens: Can I count pens as another one of my love languages? Because I am ink obsessed! This list could probably be a blog post in itself, but I’ll try to keep it simple and say that two of my favorites are Tombow dual brush pens and Sakura Micron pens. I think you just kind of have to play around and see what pens you like best!
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Plastic Mat: This is a must MUST have for protecting your bible’s delicate pages. Shanna Noel (of Illustrated Faith) has created a wonderful product line for bible journaling and this mat is genius. I used to use spare paper under my page spreads, but this works so much better.
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Date Stamp: I like to date my pages as I complete them so I use a simple rotary stamp as my finishing touch! Here’s one option that I like.
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Brushes: Faber Castell makes some of my favorite brushes, but there are many options available on the market! I would recommend checking out a local art/craft store and trying a few types to see what you like. I tend to like round watercolor brushes because they are great for coloring and lettering.
I hope this gives you some ideas and helps you get started or delve deeper into your bible journaling journey! It is a fun and beautiful process that I so greatly enjoy. Let me know if there’s anything else I can share with you about my bible journaling process!