Top Ten Art Journaling Supplies

Could I Art Journal without these supplies...yes, but would I want to?

1.  Derwent-Inktense Pencils

These colors are vibrant and gorgeous! Apply to your page like a color pencil then add water to blend the color or colors out. Once dry the color is permanent-which means you can add other wet media on top!

2.  Caran 'd Ache Neocolor II Artist Crayons

Beautiful smooth color and did I mention water soluble!

3.  Stencils

Uber versatile and reusable you can use stencils with paints, inks, markers, colored pencils and/or pastels. Add color, outline...even use the reverse image! Stencils come in many shapes and sizes and you can never have too many!

I use stencils frequently in my work.  Above I used two different stencils with paint and then outlined the images with pens.

4.  Stamps

Use patterned or backgrounds stamps for borders or backgrounds or to just add bits of visual interest. Use alphabets and numbers for titles or patterns. The best stamps are generic ones that can be used in different ways.

 

Here I have used stamps for the lanterns and for the flowers on her dress.  I also used flower stamps on the bottom right corner and on the other three corners.

5.  Twinkling H2O's

Sparkly and Shimmering watercolors in little pots. These babies add luscious shine to your page.

6.  Found Objects

Inexpensive and unique-find objects from around the house or office to re-purpose as Art Supplies...A toothbrush, a plastic fork, a piece of drawer liner, netting, wine corks...

I just love the texture a piece of drawer liner has added to my work! (Seen above in white on the left page and in blue on the right page.)

7.  Distress Inks

Definitely an old standby from my crafting days... But I still absolutely love Distress Inks. They work great to add age to a page but you can also use Distress Inks in a variety of ways - check out the Jennifer McGuire Thinking Inking Series or Tim Holtz's blog.

Here I blended several colors of distress inks to create a background for the pages.

8.  Golden Fluid Acrylics

Vivid translucent Color! 

 

The picture on the left is done entirely with Golden Fluid Acrylics and the picture on the right is all Golden Fluid Acrylics except the tree.

 9.  Prismacolor Colored Pencils

 My standby.  If I am not sure what to use, then I will pull out my color pencils!

10.  Oil Pastels

Still a newer supply to me but I am loving how creamy and blendable they are.

I used Faber Castell Gelatos on the background of this page and colored in the title and the girl using my Portfolios.

This list is definitely subject to change as I try new products!  What about you?  I would love to hear what your top ten supplies are!

Top Ten Reasons I Art Journal

1.  To practice
2. To try out new techniques
3. To get to know my tools and supplies
4. To experiment with different colors, designs and mediums
5. To plan or rough out a new piece of art
6. To document or make notes about a piece of art
7. To vent or work through my personal feelings
8. To voice my opinions and thoughts
9. To document my life and my artistic journey
10. To have fun

Ultimately I want to become a better artist.  I want to learn to draw, paint and use pastels.  I want to understand color and design theory.

When I first discovered the world of Art Journaling I approached it using my crafting background.  One of the main reasons that I was drawn to crafting such as scrapbooking and stamping was that I could be creative even without "artistic" skill.  But I felt so drawn to Art Journals with drawings and paintings of faces and creatures.  So I came to a decision-I wanted to create the kinds of Art Journal Pages I loved. 

I jumped into research mode and took out books from the library about drawing.  I watched hundreds of videos on YouTube (because apparently you can learn to do just about anything on YouTube).  I also had to let go of the idea that I couldn't draw.  I used to joke that my drawing ability extended to really cool stick people.  I accepted that my drawing wasn't going to perfect or great...probably not even good in the beginning.

"Every Artist was First an amateur" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

So what! No one ever had to see it if I didn't want them too. I jumped in and I have to admit my first attempts were...not perfect. But I kept at it and I got better! One of the wonderful things about Art Journaling is that I can see how much progress I have made over time. 

 

An early drawing attempt!

A few more recent drawings

 

I'd love to hear from you-leave a comment below and tell us why you Art Journal?  Or if you are new to Art Journaling-why do you want to Art Journal?  Be sure to check back later this week for the first of my upcoming Art Journal Feature Articles - Getting Started Part I: The Basics!