Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite Bible Journaling supplies! One of the great things about Bible Journaling is that you can really be creative and design your pages based on the tools and techniques you love best. My own set of supplies is heavily influenced by my background as a scrapbooker and I encourage you to shop your own stash of crafting supplies when you get started journaling.
What should I journal in?
One common question new Bible Journalers have is what to journal in. There are specific Bibles designed for journaling. They have wide margins with extra space for your art. I have an ESV Journaling Bible by Crossway. I picked one with a pretty cover but they have a wide variety of styles available.
The pages are a cream color with faint lines in the margins. If you are not a fan of ESV, other translations are available. At the time of this post, there are also NIV journaling bibles (they look very similar inside to the ESV ones), KJV and NKJV journaling bibles available. Other options are note taker bibles which have narrower margins than the journaling ones or even regular bibles. If you are on a budget or not sure that you are ready to commit to a journaling bible, you can do your journaling in a notebook or a Bible from a thrift store.
When shopping for a bible, I encourage you to go seek out your local Christian bookstore. There's something really awesome about getting to feel a book before you purchase them. If there's not one in your area, you can also purchase them on christianbook.com or even Amazon.
What supplies should I get?
If you are just getting started with Bible Journaling, I encourage you to start with what you have at already. There's so much you can do with just colored pencils! My first journaling supplies were colored pencils, watercolor pencils and some micron pens. Art supplies can get pricy so I like to buy a cheaper brand to see if I like it before investing in some nicer ones.
Watercolor pencils are just what they sound like-watercolors in pencil form! You can draw and then wet with water for a great watercolor effect. I also really like micron pens. They come in a variety of thicknesses and colors and won't bleed through your Bible pages unless you are very heavy handed. My most used ones are black size 05, 03 and 01.
Some other handy writing utensils are a pencil and good eraser. Pick a white eraser that won't leave pink marks on your page. I also have a white and silver Gelly Roll pens for accents. And a ruler for making things straight.
Stickers are also a great beginner friendly tool. You can use your own favorite stickers but I love the ones by Illustrated Faith. They are especially designed for Bible Journaling and have lots of great faith based words on them. You can't buy them directly from Illustrated Faith but Christian bookstores and etsy shops sometimes carry them. I purchase mine from the bookstore at my church.
Stamps are so much fun! No drawing experience required! I have quite a bit of stamping supplies from my scrapbooking days so it's a technique that I love to use. Many of my stamps and inks are from a scrapbooking company called Close to My Heart. I love that they make color coordinated products! There are also some faith based stamp companies. My favorites are Growing Meadows and Illustrated Faith on etsy. If you use acrylic stamps, don't forget your stamp blocks!
Speaking of scrapbooking, I also love using scrapbooking paper in my Bible. It's an easy way to add color and pattern to a page. Plus, you can stamp, paint, draw, etc on it with no bleed through! Again, a lot of mine is from Close to My Heart but use whatever kind you like.
I've also been experimenting with some new to me techniques and products. I have a beginners set of water colors which has been really fun. I also have been playing with Faber-Castell gelatos which are sticks of pigment in chapstick shape. They come in color coordinated packs of four and you can do so many things with them. Use them wet. Use them dry. Apply dry and then wet. Stamp with them. Fun things!
Cute crafting pet is optional but very adorable!
What are your favorite Bible Journaling supplies?
Wonderful timing on this post! I just got my first journaling bible for Christmas. I'm still trying to figure out a balance between the art and actually using it for useful notes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I do include sermon or bible study notes in with my journaling. The art part doesn't have to cover the entire margin. Hope you are loving journaling!
DeleteI've never been much of a journaler but your bible journaling had inspired me to try- until I looked at the price of journaling bibles in Australia. The cheapest is $50. Eeek! I think I might just enjoy looking at yours until there's a sale with some serious discounts here.
ReplyDeleteJournaling bibles in the US run $30-50 US dollars for most styles. Hopefully you can find some good sales soon but until then, you can start some journaling in a blank notebook. :)
DeleteI love the resurgence in hands on art projects and crafts that have been emerging in recent years, such as adult colouring books and bible journaling. It's awesome to see folks of all sorts of natural ability levels embracing the chance to let their inner artist out again, for some folks for the first time since they were kids.
ReplyDelete♥ Jessica