Bible Journaling Tips for Beginners
Have you been looking for Bible journaling tips? We’re sharing 58 awesome tips and tricks for better Bible journaling in this post.
So you think, “Finally! I have this Bible journaling thing figured out!” Then you scroll through Pinterest or Instagram and realize the creative world really is like a ginormous iceberg. Truth is, I don’t know if people will ever stop being able to think up new stuff.
Rest assured, this post is not about a new complicated technique or process. It’s not about a bunch of products or kits I think you should buy.
Here you will find Bible journaling tips and tricks for the beginner – some treasures I’ve discovered on my creative worship journey. Some you may have heard before. But, I hope these Bible journaling basics will simply assist you with where you already are in your Bible journaling journey.
Bible Journaling Tips for Beginners
Page Prep
1.) The best way to keep your hand lettering and art from bleeding through to the other side of a thin Bible page, is to prep your page prior to working on it. I suggest, depending on the heaviness of the medium you’re using, to lay down at least two layers of gesso, drying in between.
2.) Wrap your gesso tool in a wet wipe to prolong wetness for continued use over a short period of time.
If you are working on a project or multiple projects that require time between coats or layers, this is a great way to keep the tool you’re using moist. You do not want to allow gesso to dry on your tool, as it will ruin it for future use. However, if you don’t have time to completely rinse the gesso off, this is a great way to keep it wet for the second layer or an additional page. Note: This is a temporary solution and all gesso should be completely cleaned from your tool when you’re finished using it.
Basic Cleaning
3.) Wet wipes are a great way to clean yourself up, clean accidents and spills, and use with gelatos [see Gelato Techniques].
Getting Color On The Page
4.) Watercolor Wash
Using a larger paint brush, making long broad strokes, cover your entire page with your choice of watercolor paint.
5.) Smoosh Painting
This fun and easy process of laying watercolor down intermittently, requires a thin clear flat plastic, like what clear stamps are stored on, or you could even use a flat plastic clear wrapper. Paint your watercolor onto the plastic. Lay it on top of the page you are working on, paint side down. Smoosh the paint around the page by pressing against the clean side of the plastic. Simply lift and repeat to get your desired results.
6.) Acrylic Paint Scraping
Carefully place acrylic paint across the edge of an old gift card and scrape it across the page.
7.) Splatter Paint
As a fan of all things 80s and 90s, splattering paint is one of my favorite ways to get color down. You can dip your brush in watercolors or watered-down acrylic, and gently tap the handle of the brush with your finger. Be sure to test this on a separate piece of paper, until you have figured out how much paint you’ll need on the brush and how hard to tap the brush to get the outcome you’re looking for.
Gelato Techniques
The most common way to use gelatos is to rub the tip on a non-stick non-porous surface, add water, and blend. Then use the wet color you created as a paint. However, there are quite a few more ways to use them.
8.) Rub and blend gelatos into the page with your fingers.
9.) Blend gelatos with baby wipes (don’t use the same part of the wipe for light and dark colors).
10.) Make diecuts out of gelato painted paper.
11.) Mix gelatos with water in a spray bottle to spritz color.
12.) Add water from a water brush to make a paint-like substance and dip brush in it, then flick onto paper for splashes and splatters.
13.) After embossing paper, rub with gelatos and use a wet brush to wash color across page.
Lettering
I know that many people do not care for the look of their own handwriting. The next five lettering treasures on the list are for those of you, for whatever reason, prefer to forego hand lettering.
14.) Alpha stickers
15.) Diecuts
16.) Label maker
17.) Magazines
18.) Old books
Washi Tape
19.) You can attach tipins, journal cards, etc. with washi tape.
20.) Create a simple tab or pull out of washi.
21.) Tape different patterns of washi (or the same would work too) side-by-side on a piece of paper. Make sure you cover the area with enough washi. Then cut out a shape or design element [over the tape], maybe a wonky heart, and you’ll have a unique embellishment to use in your faith art.
Bible Journaling Tips for Basic Mediums You Can Use
22.) Colored pencils
23.) Stamps (clear cling or rubber)
24.) Watercolor paints
25.) Acrylic paints
26.) Spray ink
27.) Gelatos
28.) Watercolor pencils
Other Things To Use INSTEAD Of A Bible
My most favorite alternatives to use, instead of my Bible, are:
29.) Hymnals
30.) Traveler’s notebooks
Other great, equally effective tools used in creative worship are:
31.) Art journals
32.) Spiral notebooks
34.) Journals
35.) Canvas
Painting
36.) Do not use the same paint brush with watercolor and acrylic paints. The reason for this tip is that acrylic paint is harsh on the bristles. Watercolor, being much more delicate, is best used on brushes that haven’t been eaten up.
Mixed-Media Additions
The next four are great to cut out or rip off pieces to add to your journaling pages.
37.) Old Bible pages
38.) Dictionaries
39.) Hymnals
40.) Newspapers
Pen/Marker Choices
41.) Waterproof archival ink (stay clear of permanent markers)
Books I Recommend for Bible Journaling Tips
42.) Complete Guide To Bible Journaling by Joanne Fink & Regina Yoder
43.) A Workbook Guide To Bible Journaling by Shanna Noel & Friends
44.) The Art of Bible Journalingby Erin Bassett
Coloring Books
45.) One of my favorite Bible journaling tips is to use and trace coloring book images into your Bible or journal.
Tip-Ins & Such
46.) Post-it notes
47.) Library cards
48.) Restaurant checks (servers write your order on them)
Tracing
49.) Inexpensive light boxes are amazing tools you can use if you enjoy tracing.
Tabs & Clips
50.) Washi tape used as a simple tab or pull
51.) Ribbon or fabric tied to a paperclip
52.) Round epoxy stickers on paperclips
Favorite Techniques
(see Getting Color On The Page)
53.) Smoosh painting [watercolor]
54.) Scraping paint [acrylic]
55.) Splatter painting [watercolor or watered down acrylic]
Favorite Tool
56.) If I’m sharing Bible journaling tips, I have to share one of my favorite tools. Needle nose plyers are my most used tool, other than gesso. I use them with diecuts, stickers, alphas, and more. When you are trying to place a sticker on your page, it is extremely helpful to hold it with the plyers, above the page, so you can choose appropriate placement before sticking it down.
Random
57.) Traveler’s notebook dimensions = 11cm x 21cm (approximately 4.33in x 8.25in) These notebooks are easy to make yourself, using pretty card-stock and regular copy paper.
Don’t’s
58.) Do not use oil paints or oil-based products. Oil is known for continually seeping into things long after the first application. With Bible pages being as delicate as they are, we can’t predict what oil will do to your Bible down the road.
There you have it – tips and tricks for better Bible journaling! Be sure to check out Creative Worship 101 for more information on how to use creativity to praise the Lord and learn His Word.
Ready to get started? Be sure to grab our FREE Bible Study Sheets!
Additional Resources for More Bible Journaling Tips:
25+ Best Bible Journaling Accessories
How to do Bible Journaling in a Notebook
How to do Bible Journaling
9 Easy and Simple Bible Journaling Ideas
Ultimate Bible Journaling Glossary
5 Steps to Bible Journaling for Beginners
Kimberly is the owner of the blog www.hispalette.com where she writes about many different forms of creative worship. Learning to Bible journal is a large portion of her blog, but she also shares about faith art, prayer and scripture journaling, special faith-based projects, faith planning and more. She includes tutorials, techniques, and truth. Plus, she’s creating new Bible studies that include a creative aspect, called study starts. As a creative Christian, or as she likes to refer to herself, a Jesus freak with a journaling Bible, she regularly tries to find new ways to glorify God, to share His Word, and to nurture her relationship with Him. Out of this love and creativity His Palette was born. You can connect with Kimberly on her social media: Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.