What Do I Need to Journal?
Start where you are, with what you have. It can be that simple.
An Ultra Basic Art Kit
Your creative journal kit could be the bare bones. Paper, pencil, biro. Paste loose pages into a journal at a later date if you don’t have one now. Or make your own — don’t scoff! Bookbinding can be basic. Consider a rubber band securing found pages, for example.
In short, we all have to start somewhere. Exploring what calls to you will reveal what you need. That might mean more stuff or less.
Expressive Arts Facilitator Shelley Klammer created colourful mandalas for years. They helped process emotions. Then she wondered whether the colour was superfluous. Embracing, instead, the simplicity of black biro on white paper.
A Vanity Case Art Kit
But in reality, most of us want to explore. To play with paint. Make our marks in as many lines, textures and colours as possible. With that in mind, in her book, The Painted Art Journal, Jeanne Oliver urges you to create what she calls a “tackle box studio”:
“Always having a portable studio on hand has had one of the biggest impacts on my creative practice and growth as an artist. Selecting the right tools to fit into a small tackle box or makeup bag can keep you from overanalysing where to start, gets you out of your head and brings you another step toward creative freedom.”
On Journals
When it comes to journalling there’s no right or wrong way, but this is what I’ve found:
A5 sized is ideal — not too intimidating or restricting. and pretty portable
Choose mixed media paper — or embrace crinkled pages. your choice!
Avoid ring bound books — it interrupts your page spreads, that’s all
Brand wise, Seawhite are a good bet — it’s ultimately personal preference. oh, and budget
Your kit really doesn’t have to cost the earth. Resist the Siren call of alluring art materials. Explore discount stores. Haunt charity shops. Frequent boot-sales. And if you yearn to splurge, try supporting local and small businesses.
Creative Journal Kit Lists
Below is a kind of recipe for a portable or go-to studio kit.
Beginner:
Pencils — sharpener. eraser
Pens — biros, fountain or dip pens
Glue — stick glue and, or PVA
Scissors — smaller over bigger
Indian ink — black
Paint brushes — a fine tapered one, a flat wide one (think: 1-2”), + a medium rounded one, perhaps
Crayons — colour yes. but don’t forget white
Charcoal
Tape -- masking tape or washi paper tape
Paper — save envelopes and packaging. Buy brown parcel paper or lining paper
Ephemera — collect words and images snipped from magazines. shiny wrappers. stickers. vintage or found paper. fabric swatches. feathers. leaves
Stamp pad — black is king. silver and gold add an effortless something-something
Binding clips — pin those pages open. for creating. for drying
Beyond:
Tracing paper — no, it’s not cheating
Carbon copy paper — replicate and repeat
Cutting knife and board — for precision cutting
Stencils — letters. geometric shapes
Rubber stamps — letters. lids. found things
Watercolour paints — overtime you’ll get to know your palette
Spray bottle — spritz your pages. spread that paint
Acrylic paints — black, white, yellow, red, blue, for starters
Gesso — some love to prime pages before painting
Paint pens — Posca is popular. easily obtainable. reliable. they write on many surfaces. a slim white one will be your best friend
Metallics — silver, gold, copper. a touch of metallic elevates and inspires whether paint or paper
Gel medium — mediums are many. gel medium helps to adhere and seal. PVA is budget-friendly. But gel medium is faster drying. and transfers images — a revelation!
Of course, I could go on, but this list is a start.