Noo, don’t neglect your mental health, you’re so sexy ahah! (Please get the reference, I can’t take the shame otherwise.)
On a serious note, I want you to walk on a flower path to mental peace and creativity🌹✨ so let’s get into 37 art journal ideas you need now.
art journal ideas with a journaling challenge
P.S. Throughout this post, I’ve added a ton of soothing reminders to help keep your mind at ease and boost your mindset to journal ✨healthily✨
This post contains links to purchase art journal supplies. I don’t make any affiliate commissions but you may find my Privacy Policy here.
1. Junk Journaling
Recently, I learned about saving “junk” and adding it to your journal.
Let’s say you bought some new markers or colored pencils and you immediately throw the packaging in the garbage.
Why can’t that marker box be a main character too? Fish it out the garbage, cut a piece, and glue it in your journal. Then, you can write & draw around it.
This is perfect for all the starving artists that can’t afford the latest and best but still want to express themselves creatively.
2. Gratitude Journal
When life gets hard, it’s time to write about what you’re thankful for. Let’s not get lost in those negative thoughts (they’re just your inner haters).
Instead, write 10 things you’re grateful about.
art journal ideas with journaling exercises
3. Mood Board Collage
Get in your journal foraging era and gather magazine clippings, photos, and textures to create a visual mood board.
Let your collage reflect your current inspiration or aesthetic goals. It’s a great way to channel your vision into something tangible!
4. Declutter With a Mind Map
As a neurospicy icon, sometimes you need an unstructured way to organize your thoughts and ideas.
It’s perfect for brainstorming, breaking down goals, or getting clarity when life feels chaotic. Bonus: it makes for a visually dynamic spread.
5. Inspirational Quotes
If your inner hype man is malfunctioning then bestie, it’s time to go back to your “just girly things” era.
Fill a page with your favorite quotes that resonate with you. Add doodles or decorative borders to amplify their meaning.
It’s a quick boost of motivation whenever you flip to it.
6. Monthly Pages
Get excited for each month with a fun and aesthetic monthly illustration! If you don’t know where to start, here’s a monthly journal template for free, bestie.
Create dedicated pages for each month, featuring goals, plans, and highlights. This helps track your personal growth while giving your art journal a structured rhythm.
art journal ideas with journaling worksheet
7. Dried Flowers
No special occasion or relationship should be exempt from flowers so if you have either, press the flowers and add them to your journal!
If you’re a nature babe, grab some flowers from your garden or hike and add them to your journal.
These natural elements create textured pages with a delicate, nostalgic touch.
8. A Doodle Page
Let your pen roam free! Fill an entire page with doodles, shapes, or abstract lines. It’s the perfect way to unwind and embrace spontaneity.
Try making blobs of color with an alcohol marker and once dry, sketch in some figures or faces!
9. Yearly Reflections
Let’s embrace that cutesy growth mindset with a reflection page daily, monthly, and/or yearly.
Take time to review the highs and lows of your year. Use words, sketches, or mixed media to express personal milestones and lessons learned.
10. Sketch Your Landscape
Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life like a cute sunset or your neighbors fighting across the street. Romanticize it and better yet, draw it!
On a real note, step outside and capture the beauty of your surroundings, whether it’s a cityscape, a forest, or a beach.
Sketching landscapes connects you with the world around you. You can brag that you touched grass today!
11. Capture Your Dreams
Is your sleep paralysis demon doing the most? Or did you star as a main character in your nightly visions?
Turn your dreams into art. Whether you illustrate symbols or write down dream fragments, it’s a creative way to explore your subconscious.
12. Poetry & Prose
When I was a kid, I wrote really dramatic and cynical poetry while full-body sobbing to Taylor Swift.
Truly, it’s cathartic so you can do that too or take a more light-hearted approach!
Create a spread featuring poems or short pieces of prose. Write original works or transcribe favorites to give them life through illustrations and thoughtful layouts.
13. Travel Journaling
Recently, I saw this girl rapidly sketch over a well-cover to transfer the pattern to her sketchbook and um?? Why did she eat with that?
So, you don’t need art school to live your Van Gogh fantasy or commemorate your memories while traveling.
But you can also capture your travel adventures with sketches, photos, tickets, and notes. Each page becomes a mini time capsule of your journey.
14. A Polaroids Spread
Polaroids just make you feel like you’re that girl. Not like the rest of us basics just taking pictures with our phones (joking, don’t beat me up, guys).
Print out Polaroid-style photos and arrange them in a spread. Add captions, washi tape, and doodles to turn memories into art.
15. Self or Other Portraits
For my babes crippled with anxiety, maybe sketching someone on your bus ride and risking staring deep into their eyes isn’t the way.
But luckily the internet is a beautiful place full of people’s portraits!
Challenge yourself to draw or paint portraits—of yourself or people you admire. It’s a powerful way to practice self-reflection or appreciation of others.
16. Try Morning Free-Writing
Morning pages aren’t just for the 5 am billionaire routine guys. You can do it too!
Dedicate a page to morning journaling, writing whatever comes to mind. It’s a cathartic way to start the day and spark creativity.
17. Add a Playlist Spread
The way concert tickets are the cost of your liver these days, I know y’all love music so why not add it to your journal?
Create an artistic playlist spread featuring your current favorite songs. Add lyrics, album art sketches, and colors inspired by the music.
18. Fangirl Over Your Faves
Take kicking your feet and giggling to a new level by drawing what makes you happy.
Dedicate a page to your favorite books, movies, or artists. Collage posters, quotes, or fan art to celebrate what brings you joy.
art journal ideas for kids and adults
19. A Magazine Spread
Throw back to 2000’s with a cute magazine spread.
Use magazine clippings to create a thematic spread. Choose a topic that excites you and let the words, images, and colors come together to tell a story.
20. Draw a Mandala
Mandalas are classic art journal girlies go-to for a reason.
Channel your inner calm by creating a mandala. Drawing symmetrical patterns is both meditative and rewarding, and the results are mesmerizing.
21. A Journal For Your Amore
Find your inner book boyfriend with this cute, thoughtful gift idea!
Make a spread dedicated to your partner or a loved one. Include memories, photos, or small love notes as an artistic expression of affection.
22. Write a Self-Love Letter
We love obsessing over external love but why not romanticize yourself too?
Fill a page with kind words to yourself. Reflect on your strengths, progress, and personal journey—it’s a beautiful reminder of your worth.
23.An Abstract Mood Piece
Try exploring art in an unstructured way. If you’re a type A personality, this can be a great chance to let loose!
Use color, lines, and texture to create an abstract piece that reflects your emotions. No rules, just pure expression on the page.
24. Try Finger-Painting
I’ve seen people do this with their pets and babies as a fun and meaningful activity.
Get messy and use your hands to create an expressive painting. Finger-painting lets you connect with your inner child and enjoy tactile creativity.
25. A Color Palette or Swatches
If you’re feral about themes or gravitate towards certain colors, this is perfect for you.
Experiment with colors by creating a palette or swatch page. This can inspire future projects and help you develop your aesthetic.
26. Write About a Childhood Memory
You can gamble with blind boxes as a way to connect to your inner child or you could try this cheap, therapy-coded method!
Capture a memory from your past in words or art. Reflect on how it shaped you and include sketches or collages that represent the time period.
27. Word Art
Fill a figure with a ton of words that describe them. This can be someone that hurt you, that you love, or yourself.
Combine lettering with design by turning words into visual art. Play with fonts, colors, and textures to express the meaning behind your words.
28. Write a Letter to Your Future Self
What do you wish your future self knew?
Craft a letter to yourself in the future, filled with hopes, dreams, and advice. It’s a meaningful way to track personal growth when you read it later.
29. Astrology Journal
If you know your sun rising, moon, and all the rest, babe this is all you.
Explore the cosmos by journaling about your zodiac sign or tracking moon phases. Add star charts, birth charts, or celestial imagery to your pages.
30. Scrapbook
Scrapbooks are so underrated. Truly a childhood classic that dies off with adulthood but why not revive it?
Create a scrapbook spread filled with photos, memorabilia, and notes. It’s a wonderful way to preserve moments and celebrate life’s little joys.
art journal ideas with cute uplifting images
31. Prayer Journal
For the religious icons in the crowd, this was meant for you.
Use your journal to reflect on your spiritual journey. Include prayers, scriptures, or affirmations as a way to nurture your inner peace.
32. Sketch Your Outfits
Even if you haven’t gone so far as to enroll in fashion school, this is such a fun and aesthetic idea.
Draw your favorite outfits or dream wardrobe pieces. It’s a fun way to develop your style and play with fashion concepts.
33. Use a Concert Poster Theme
Design a journal page like a concert poster, complete with typography and graphics. Pick your favorite band or imaginary event to inspire the spread.
34. Paint Over Your Negative Emotions
A part of being human is feeling negativity swirling inside you whether that’s anxiety, anger, self-hatred, or otherwise.
Express those difficult emotions by painting over them. Use colors, shapes, and textures to transform negativity into art that heals.
35. Draw a Fruit Spread
This is the perfect 0 brain cell activity where you don’t have to obsessively pre-plan what your page will look like.
Brighten your journal with a colorful fruit-themed spread. Draw bananas, strawberries, oranges—or any fruit that sparks joy.
36. Draw a Tree of Gratitude
Create a tree filled with things you’re grateful for. Each branch can represent a different area of your life, helping you reflect on what matters.
37. Use a Black Background
Experiment with a dark background by painting or using black paper. Add metallic pens or neon colors to create a striking contrast that pops.
The Ultimate Guide to Art Journaling
So now that you’re brimming with ideas, let me give you the tea on how to get started.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned artist, this guide covers everything you need to know—from must-have supplies to how to get started, as well as handy resources to inspire your journey. Let’s dive right in!
Journaling Must-Haves: Essential Supplies
You don’t need to enter your poverty era to start art journaling! Here are the must-have supplies for a solid beginning:
1. Journal or Sketchbook
I have the Hilroy sketchbook and you can tell ms. girl is fighting for her life by the rip. I couldn’t find it on Amazon but Strathmore works just as well!
- Look for thick pages that can handle paint and glue.
- Recommended: Strathmore Mixed Media journals or Hilroy Studio Pro.
*the stickers are both from Apple Cheeks from what I remember!
2. Pens and Markers
Posca markers are the exact same brand that Leigh Ellexson uses to create art for her 229K followers! I also like alcohol markers for a pop of color. ✨👩🎨
- Use fine-liners for details and brush pens for lettering.
- Recommended: Micron Pens, and Ohuhu Alcohol Markers.
*the pictured markers are raggedy because they’ve been in my tool kit forever. They’re also Artist’s Loft but I know Ohuhu markers are much more popular.
3. Oil Pastels, Watercolors, or Acrylic Paint
- Watercolors are great for light washes, while acrylics are ideal for bold, textured work. You can also get cheap options from your local dollar store.
my recommended tools to fulfill the art journal ideas
4. Crafting Supplies
Any true art journal queen (or king or non-binary icon) needs her crafting supplies so here’s a list of essentials:
- Glue or Double-Sided Tape: Perfect for attaching photos, clippings, etc.
- Scissors or an X-Acto Knife: Great for precise cuts and creative layouts.
- Washi Tape and 600 pc Sticker Packs: Add a pop of color and decorate easily.
- Ruler and Stencils: Essential for clean lines and layout designs.
You can get all of these in a highly-rated journaling starter kit on Amazon which you can find here.
art journal ideas with journal gift set
Because I got your back, I’ll give you the inside scoop that you can also get some of these for cheap on AliExpress or your local dollar store.
Sometimes though, with the shipping costs, times, or amount you get, Amazon is better so make the best decision for you! 🚚🎁
5. Ephemera
- Use ticket stubs, dried flowers, or scraps of paper to create meaningful pages.
I’ll be real with you. You can get some of these for super cheap on AliExpress or a dollar store — there’s no shame in that.
But this guide is meant to help you and I know Amazon reviewers are ferally honest so you can feel more assured with your purchases.
Amazon is also a trusted seller and has a great refund policy but these are just suggestions! I support you in doing what’s best for you. 💖
How to Get Started with Art Journaling
Starting a new journaling practice can feel overwhelming, but don’t worry—here are simple steps to get you going:
1. Choose Your Journal Style
Decide if you want to focus more on art, writing, or a combination. For example:
- Visual Art Journal: Focused on sketches, painting, and collages.
- Written Journal: More focused on prose, poetry, or daily entries.
- Mixed Media Journal: A blend of text, visuals, and creative elements.
2. Gather Your Supplies
Start with what you have! You can always expand your tools over time as your practice grows.
3. Set a Goal or Theme
Think about what you want to achieve with your journal. Some themes might include:
- Personal growth
- Gratitude journaling
- Travel memories
- Artistic expression
4. Start Small and Stay Consistent
Dedicate 10-15 minutes each day to your journal. It doesn’t need to be perfect—focus on consistency over complexity.
5. Use Prompts for Inspiration
Not sure what to create? Use journaling prompts like:
- “Sketch your mood today.”
- “Write about a childhood memory.”
- “Create a page with only blue elements.”
Resources for Journaling
Here are some amazing resources to keep you motivated on your art journaling journey:
1. Courses & Tutorials
- Skillshare: Offers classes on journaling, drawing, and watercolors.
- Domestika: Learn art techniques from professionals.
- YouTube: Find tutorials on everything from painting techniques to journal layouts.
2. Books & Magazines
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron: A great book on creative journaling practices.
- Flow Magazine: Offers inspiration for journalers and crafters.
3. Websites & Communities
- Pinterest: Explore layout and spread ideas.
- Reddit: r/BulletJournal: A community filled with creative ideas and tips.
- Urban Sketchers: A global community for sketching inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What’s the difference between art journaling and bullet journaling?
Art journaling focuses more on creative expression, using drawings, paint, and mixed media. Bullet journaling, on the other hand, is more structured, focusing on productivity with to-do lists and habit trackers.
Do I need to know how to draw or paint to start art journaling?
Absolutely not! Art journaling is all about expressing yourself. Doodles, abstract patterns, and even collages are all valid ways to create.
How do I keep my journal pages from getting too bulky?
Use flat materials like washi tape, stickers, or pressed flowers. If you’re using thick items like photos, consider spreading them across different pages to distribute the bulk evenly.
How often should I journal?
There are no hard rules! Some people journal daily, while others work on their pages only when inspiration strikes. Aim for consistency but don’t pressure yourself.
What do I do when I feel stuck or uninspired?
- Take a break and browse inspiration on Pinterest.
- Use creative prompts to kickstart your ideas.
- Experiment with a new medium, like watercolor or collage.
Can I use digital tools instead of physical supplies?
Yes! Digital art journals on apps like GoodNotes or Procreate offer endless customization options with the added benefit of undo features.
How can I store my finished journals?
Store them in a cool, dry place. If your journal includes items like pressed flowers, consider using acid-free paper to preserve them.
Final Thoughts
Art journaling is a deeply personal and fulfilling practice that allows you to explore creativity without boundaries. Whether you prefer writing, drawing, painting, or collaging, there’s no right or wrong way to journal. Start small, use the tools you have, and let your journal evolve with you.
So grab your supplies, let go of perfection, and start creating today!
This guide provides everything you need to dive into art journaling—from supplies to how-tos and resources. If you’re ready to get started, remember: your journal is a space just for you—so have fun and let your creativity flow!
art journal ideas – the end
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