Bible Art Journaling – Illustrating your Faith – Scripture Doodling, call it whatever you want, but this movement is sweeping the globe. What is it?
The simplest definition of Bible Art Journaling is that it is a way to connect with God through creating art on the pages of your bible.
How do I get started?
Step #1 – Pick a bible verse or passage that you like. I started by taking notes in church and then going home to reflect on the bible passage in the sermon and create from that. Now, I bring my sketchbook to church with me and take notes and doodle in it while listening to the sermon. I also journal based on the bible reading plan or devotional book I am reading daily at home. (Note: Don’t pick your favorite bible verse of all time for your first entry. There is a learning curve and you might not want to tackle journaling your most beloved verse until you have a few bible art journaling entries under your belt.)
Step#2 – Pray and ask for God to open your eyes to what He wants you to learn from the bible passage. “God’s word is living and active.” (Hebrews 4:12) We can read the same passage at different times in our lives and different truths will stand out because its Author is truly fascinating.
Step #3 – Get out a piece of paper or sketchbook. Start sketching and creating and playing around with what God’s word is revealing to you. Now is not the time to worry about “getting it right” – now is the time to enjoy God and His word. If you have an idea but don’t know how to draw it, google it. There are “how to draw” videos on just about everything or you can print out a line drawing and trace it onto your bible page. Tracing is not cheating, it is a tool!
Step #4 – Take the plunge! Open your bible and create art right on the page. You can do it! The biggest regret I have (and lots of others have said too) is that I let my fear of mistakes keep me from starting right away. I thought I had to read up on it more, look at more examples, and become a better artist first. But the goal is to grow closer to God and learn more from His word. God blesses those who seek after Him – it is not dependent on our artistic abilities or knowledge.
EASY WAY TO START – Find a bible art journaling entry on pinterest that does not overly intimidate you and copy it. This can get your feet wet without being overwhelming!
Do you need a special bible to get started?
You can use an old bible, a new bible, a secondhand bible, or one specifically designed for bible art journaling with extra space in the borders.
The only guarantee I can make is that sometimes the creative process is messy and everyone makes mistakes, especially when starting out. Right now is the time to set aside your perfectionism. God saves imperfect people.
“There is none righteous, no, not one;” Romans 3:10 (NKJV)
What you need to get started is a bible that you are not going to freak out about if you mess up a bible art journaling entry. I knew that this meant a new journaling bible for me. I have a fairly inexpensive one created by Crossway: The ESV Journaling Bible. My 9-year-old daughter has the Zondervan NIV My Journal Bible – it’s pink with flowers, which is why she likes it. 🙂
Do you need a lot of fancy (expensive) art supplies?
Nope. Not at all. You can start with a pencil and eraser. A kid’s set of colored pencils or watercolors works for a splash of color and those can be purchased a dollar store. You can add inexpensive stickers or stamps too. I started by raiding my kids’ art supplies and they worked just fine.
However, the more you watch what other people are doing in their bibles on blogs or pinterest, the more you might want to invest in some supplies that make creating in your bible easier, less risky, or more fun.
Some of my favorite extra supplies are:
Micron pens (different size black ones and recently acquired some colored ones) – they don’t bleed through the thin bible pages like regular pens and markers, so they are great for outlining and lettering. Amazing!
Prismacolor Soft-Core Colored Pencils – My hubby got me these for Christmas during a crazy-good sale on Amazon.com. I love the fully saturated colors and the range they come in.
Art Basics Clear Gesso – Normally I don’t care a bit about brand name, but this gesso is the first one that I have used that didn’t leave a really strange texture on the page. It provides a clear protection on the page so you can use materials that would otherwise bleed through the thin pages.
Heat gun – My impatience makes this a necessity for me. I can dry gesso or paint quickly so that I don’t have to wait forever to create the next layer, turn the page, or close the bible. I have even used it to create burn effects on one of my journaling entries (happy accident, that was!) I already had an industrial strength heat gun similar to this one, but if I was going to purchase one today, this heat tool has the right specs and great reviews.
Watercolor pencils – These are so cool! You can color in something and then use a little water on a paintbrush and it looks like watercolor paint. Mine are from Hobby Lobby – click here to see them!
Acrylic paint – Interestingly enough, acrylics do not bleed through the page. They sit on top of it and create bold, bright colors. I have a very cheap set from Walmart, but they work.
What if you mess up?
Not if, but when. I have certainly messed up. We all have. But I don’t regret getting started bible art journaling one single tiny bit. The mistakes and mess ups are less important to me than the joy and freedom creatively journaling is bringing to my relationship with God.
Sometimes the mistakes turn out to be happy accidents, like when I burned a page with my heat gun and ended up liking the scorched effect so much I added more spots of it on purpose. Sometimes the page is ‘ruined’ and that is okay. The goal is not a perfect art portfolio bible. The goal is actually the journey into bible art journaling because the actual objective is drawing closer to God and spending time in His word.
Tip! Date each bible art journaling entry page because it is really cool to look back at different times in your walk with God and see what He was speaking to you.
Okay, it is time to stop reading about bible art journaling and get started.
Ready, set, go!
