My Virtual Studio: Bible Journaling
Bible Journaling is the art of drawing the Scriptures on the pages of your Bible – most people get a special journaling Bible just for that purpose, leaving their treasured Bible untouched (at least until they are ready to trust themselves not to make pages they won’t want to look at! I purchased a large number of Bibles to test out pages in a bunch, and found most all Bible paper is the same – the only really different one was from the dollar store, printed on newsprint. The rest are really close to the same paper.
But before I get into the supplies of Bible journaling, let’s talk a bit about the heart behind the art.
- It’s all about time with God. If you’re just rushing to get a page done, you’re missing out on the BEST part of this process: time with God! It’s worth it to take the time to read, pray, meditate – and then create.
- It’s about being authentically you. Go on a Pinterest and Instagram fast if you find you feel inadequate, or discover you’re just copying what others create. This process is about you hearing from God and creating from your heart – not about being Pinterest-worthy or comparing yourself with ANYone else.
- It’s not about the art. Weird, right? But you don’t need to have #allthethings. You don’t have to buy all the supplies. For a long time I let the fear of the cost stop me – I worried I had to buy gessos and research how to use them, and buy all the kits, and get the right paints – and no, you start with what you have. A pack of pencils is PERFECT. Dollar store pencils. Yep, I said it. Dollar store.
I like to keep things simple, knowing that many Christians might want to begin Bible journaling but don’t have a studio full of art supplies, and no idea where to begin. It shouldn’t be an art that means you have to spend hundreds of dollars on stickers and paints and page prep – before even starting on a page!
I felt passionately enough about all that, that I wrote a book! Two books, as a matter of fact. The main book has lots in it about supplies, and how to think through pages, and step by steps and sketches for a bunch of ideas. The workbook is printed on Bible paper, and has prompts to journal about (in words) space for pictures to draw, a bunch of pictures to practice coloring in….and since it’s on Bible paper, you can practice a page in the book rather than taking a chance on a crazy idea going sideways in your Bible!
There’s a whole website all about the book, and there are tons of sketches there….and I started a whole Bible journaling channel where I post a new video every Sunday morning! And if you’d like, join our Facebook group where believers from all around the world get together and share.
One more thing before I get to supplies…..and that’s a confession about some of my own mistakes in my journey.
Bibles are a personal choice – do you want interleaved? Columns on the sides? Or wide columns like the Illustrating Bible (not in the video below)? What translation? Is the cover design important to you? These are the ones I have; know that the publishing industry is ALWAYS adding new Bibles, so check the categories that are bolded here to see the latest that are available.
- Journal the Word Bible CBD <—my main Bible
- Journaling Bibles, Dayspring – DS
- Journaling Bibles, Christianbook – CBD
- Inspire (preprint) Bible – Tyndale
- Illuminated Bible (Goldleaf) – CBD
- Single column Journaling Bible – CBD
- Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible (light drawings) – CBD
- Illustrating Bible (wide columns) – DS
Mediums
My favorite for Bible journaling is watercolor; while I’ve listed one simple link below, check out the watercolor lesson in this class for much more about Daniel Smith paints etc. And you can check out the lessons on each of these mediums (watercolor, watercolor pencil, pencil) in this class. None of these require page prep of any kind.
- Daniel Smith Watercolors – EH
- Albrecht Durer by Faber Castell
- Inktense by Derwent:
- Prismacolor Pencils :
- Polychromos Pencils:
- Singles DB
- PhMartins Hydrus Watercolors :
Miscellaneous items:
- Silver Brush Black Velvet Round 8 – EH or BLICK
- Kneaded Eraser EH or BLICK
- Darice Vellum instead of tracing paper – AMZ
- Micron pens, waterproof BLICK
- Signo Uniball White Pens – AMZ
- Iron – for flattening pages!
Join our creative community! Our Student Facebook Group is for all classes here …and while there are no finished projects in this class, you’re welcome to join the group and get an idea of what kind of beautiful works can be created from learnings in classes on this website!