Everything You Need to Start Your First Creative Journal
If you have been curious about art journaling but were not sure where to begin, you are in the right place. Art journaling is one of the most welcoming creative practices out there, and you do not need training, talent, or a shelf full of supplies to start. All you really need is a book to work in, something to make marks with, and a little willingness to play.
An art journal can be so many things: a sketchbook, a visual diary, a place to process feelings, or a playground for trying new materials. There is no single right way to keep one, which means there is no way to do it wrong. Your journal becomes whatever you need it to be.
In this guide, I will walk you through what art journaling actually is, why people love it, how to get started, and a few gentle prompts to fill your first pages. Take what is helpful and leave the rest. This is your practice, and it should feel like yours from the very first page.
What Is Art Journaling?
At its simplest, art journaling is combining art and personal expression in a book that belongs to you. Some pages might be full paintings, while others are just color, collage, doodles, or a few handwritten words. You can work abstractly or realistically, plan your pages or make them up as you go. Unlike a finished piece meant for a wall, an art journal is a process, a place to explore rather than perform.
That freedom is the whole point. Because no one is grading your pages, you can experiment, make mistakes, and follow your curiosity without any pressure to impress. The journal is a safe space to simply create.
Why People Love Art Journaling
People come to art journaling for all kinds of reasons, and often for several at once. Here are a few of the most common:
- It is calming: The focus of making art can quiet a busy mind and help you slow down.
- It builds a creative habit: A journal gives you a low-pressure place to create regularly.
- It helps you process feelings: Color and mark-making can express things words cannot.
- It is a place to experiment: You can try new materials and techniques without fear of ruining anything precious.
- It becomes a keepsake: Over time, your journal turns into a personal record of your days, moods, and growth.
How to Start Your First Art Journal
1. Choose a Journal
Best for: giving yourself a comfortable place to create.
Pick a book you feel happy to open. A mixed media journal is a great all-around choice for beginners because its thicker pages can handle paint, glue, and layering. That said, any notebook you already own will work perfectly well to start. Do not let choosing the perfect journal become a reason to delay. The best journal is the one you will actually use.
2. Gather a Few Simple Supplies
Best for: keeping things easy and low-cost at the start.
You do not need much. A pen or pencil, a few colors of paint or markers, and a glue stick will take you a long way. Look around your home first, because you likely already have markers, colored pencils, or old magazines you can cut up. Starting with just a handful of tools keeps your choices simple and your sessions quick.
3. Make Your First Marks
Best for: getting past the fear of the blank page.
Open to the first page and simply put something down. Wash it in a color you love, glue in a scrap of pretty paper, or cover it with dots and lines. You do not have to draw anything at all. The goal of that first page is not to be beautiful. It is to break the spell of the blank book so the rest feels easy and inviting.
4. Keep Going in Small Sessions
Best for: building a habit that sticks.
A few minutes at a time will do more for your practice than a long session you keep putting off. Leave your journal and supplies somewhere you will see them, and let yourself create in short, easy bursts. Over time, those small moments add up to full pages and a habit you look forward to.
A Few Beginner Tips
- Let pages be imperfect: A page you dislike is not a failure, just a step in the process.
- Work in layers: Start with color, then add shapes and details on top. Layering builds depth and feels playful.
- Do not fear the blank page: Cover it quickly with color or collage so there is something to build on.
- Follow what excites you: Use the colors, themes, and materials you are drawn to, not the ones you think you should use.
- Let each layer dry: If you use paint, giving layers a moment to dry keeps your colors clean and clear.
Prompts for Your First Pages
If a blank page feels intimidating, start with one of these gentle prompts. None require any drawing skill.
- Fill a page with your favorite color and simply enjoy the process.
- Glue in three things that made you smile this week and add color around them.
- Cover a page in simple repeated marks, like dots, loops, or lines.
- Write a word for how you feel today and decorate it however you like.
- Paint the colors of the season outside your window.
Common Questions From Beginners
A few worries come up again and again when people are starting out, so let’s gently put them to rest.
Do I need to know how to draw?
Not at all. Plenty of art journalers rarely draw a thing. You can fill pages with color, collage, patterns, and words, and it all counts. Drawing is just one of many tools available to you, and you can pick it up whenever, or if, you feel like it. The practice is about expression and enjoyment, not technical skill.
What if I ruin a page?
There is really no such thing. Art journaling is wonderfully forgiving, because you can paint over a page you dislike, glue paper on top, or simply turn to a fresh one. Every artist makes pages they are not thrilled with, and those pages are still part of the process. A page you dislike has taught you something, which makes it useful rather than ruined.
How often should I journal?
As often as feels good, and no more. Some people journal daily, others once a week, and others in occasional bursts. There is no rule and no schedule to fall behind on. A few minutes here and there is plenty, and the best rhythm is simply the one you can keep without it feeling like a chore.
Should I plan my pages or improvise?
Either way works, so let yourself do whichever feels good on a given day. Some people love sketching out a plan before they begin, while others prefer to put down a color and see where it leads. Many do a mix of both, planning some pages and improvising others. There is no correct method, only what keeps you enjoying the process, so feel free to experiment until you find your own comfortable rhythm.
What Your Practice Can Become
As you keep going, your art journal tends to grow into something more personal than you expected. Early on it might just be a place to test colors and play. Over time it can become a spot to process your days, capture memories, work through feelings, or simply unwind after a long afternoon. Many people find that the habit becomes a small daily comfort, a few quiet minutes that belong entirely to them.
Your style will slowly emerge too. As you notice which colors, materials, and themes you keep returning to, a way of working that feels unmistakably yours begins to take shape. You do not have to chase this or force it. It appears naturally, page by page, the more you show up. That gradual unfolding is one of the quiet joys of keeping an art journal over time.
Final Thoughts
Art journaling is one of the most flexible and fulfilling creative practices you can start, and the barrier to entry is wonderfully low. You do not need talent or fancy supplies. You just need a book, a few materials, and the willingness to play. There is no right or wrong way to keep an art journal, and the best one is simply the one you enjoy using. Give yourself the freedom to begin badly, to learn as you go, and to make the practice entirely your own.
So grab a notebook, pick a color that makes you happy, and make your first mark. Your creative practice begins the moment you do.
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