Art Journal Supplies for Beginners (What You Actually Need)
Updated: 2 days ago
Art journaling might be the cheapest way to make or get back into making art, which is a strange thing to admit at the top of a supplies post. But it is true. You do not need a cart full of gear to start. You need paper, paint, glue, and something to glue it to. That is the whole entry fee.
(New to the idea? Start with what an art journal actually is.)
Everything below is what I actually reached for building my first one. Buy the few things that earn their place, raid your recycling for the rest, and skip anything that makes starting feel expensive.
(Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I use or would happily use.)
The journal book itself
Two ways to go here.
Buy one. A spiral-bound watercolor journal is the easy button. I reach for the Strathmore watercolor pad: the spiral lets you tear a page out when it flops, it lies flat while you work, and the paper is heavy enough to take wet media without buckling.
Or make one. This is where art journaling gets genuinely fun and nearly free. I built mine from a kraft paper grocery bag, with chipboard covers from a cereal box I finished on both sides. Punch the binding holes with an awl (a nail works too), then thread something through to hold it together. I used a piece of plastic string from a loaf of bread a friend
baked for me...which makes me happy to remember as a part of the book. A miniature hole punch made the holes.
Kraft bag handles work to tie the book together too. Almost anything flat or semi-flat can become a page. There's a whole movement of creating journal pages out of literal junk mail.
Gesso and matte medium (the two things that make junk paper work)
If you buy nothing else on this list, buy these two.
Gesso turns almost any surface into something you can paint on. It is the reason a grocery bag or a cereal box can hold acrylic and ink. Get white, and get black too, because black gesso changes the entire mood of a page. These gesso recommendations have a very smooth finish as opposed to a granular tooth.
Matte medium (this Liquitex Basic is a great choice) is your glue and your sealer in one bottle.
For a different finish, I used Liquitex Gloss Varnish to seal these pages. Makes even kraft paper look fancy.
Paint and color
You do not need every color, and you do not need expensive paint. I used plain craft paint for a lot of this, and it worked just fine. I worked from three colors plus an off-white tone for warmth, and that was plenty. Minimizing your color palette brings cohesion to the book.
Pens and mark-making
Liner or ink pens, ideally matched to your page colors.
White and black paint pens, for marks that sit on top of everything else.
A white wax crayon, for softening or lightening a page that got too busy.
The most fun pens ever.
I also used these fountain style pens: they are not waterproof, which I like because when adding paint or varnish, I like the slight smear effect.
Glue and collage
This is the magpie section, and most of it is free.
A glue stick for quick work, and matte medium (or Mod Podge which is not my favorite, will do in a pinch) for anything you want to stay put.
Ephemera: cut-up greeting cards, junk mail, tissue paper, wrapping paper, anything with texture or meaning.
Peeled paint remnants from an old palette. Those dried skins of color are collage gold, and they cost nothing.
Stencils, store-bought or homemade (I put paint on bubble wrap to blot it).
A few tools
A brayer (a small roller) for spreading paint and gesso and pressing collage flat.
A palette knife for mixing and spreading paint and gesso without forcing it into your brushes.
An old gift card or plastic card as a spreader. Free, and it does half of what a fancy tool does.
A few things I learned while making mine
Thick papers can peel up at the edges. Build a small ridge of matte medium over the edge to lock it down.
If a color is shouting, float a thin layer of gesso over it to knock it back.
To calm a page that got too busy, veil it with a white paint pen or a white wax crayon or more gesso.
What to skip for art journal supplies
Don't buy the 50-piece curated kit. Art journaling rewards using what you already own or challenges you to make something out of nothing. The surest way to stall is to convince yourself you need more before you can begin. Buy the gesso, the matte medium, a few pens, and one journal (or one grocery bag). Then start.
If you want a gentle nudge to actually use all of this, the free 5-Day Creative Comeback Challenge walks you through planning and finishing one small session, no new supplies required.
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