How to Start an Art Journal: A Beginner's Guide to Mixed Media Expression
An art journal is one of the most useful and underrated creative tools available.
It's part sketchbook, part diary, part creative playground — a place where anything goes and nothing has to be finished, polished, or shared.
Mixed media art journaling takes it further: combining paint, collage, ink, stamps, photographs, found papers, and handwriting into layered, textured pages that function as both expression and experimentation. If you've been wanting to start one but haven't known where to begin, this is your guide.
"In mixed media, mistakes become layers. Over-worked areas get collaged over. Nothing is ruined — everything is material for the next step."
— Dr. Destini Copp, HobbyScoolWhy Mixed Media Art Journaling?
The appeal of mixed media is that no single medium has to carry the whole weight of expression. If the paint isn't quite capturing what you feel, you can collage over it. If the words aren't enough, you can paint around them. Layers build meaning that no single material can achieve alone.
Mixed media is also inherently forgiving. Mistakes become layers. Over-worked areas get collaged over. Nothing is ruined — everything is material for the next step. This makes it an ideal medium for people who struggle with perfectionism or who feel intimidated by blank-page syndrome.
What You Actually Need to Start
It's less than you think. Here's the genuinely essential list:
- A mixed media sketchbook — at least 90lb/140gsm. Labeled "mixed media" at most art stores. Watercolor paper notebooks also work well.
- Gel medium or matte medium — your adhesive and surface prep in one. Seals pages, adheres collage elements, acts as a sealant between layers.
- Acrylic paint in a few basic colors — a warm red, cool blue, yellow, white, and black. You can mix almost any color you need. Don't over-invest when you're starting.
- A waterproof black pen or marker — for writing, drawing outlines, and adding detail over paint.
- Collage materials — old magazines, book pages, vintage papers, tissue paper, wrapping paper scraps, printed text, photographs.
Everything else — stamps, stencils, inks, washi tape, spray paints, specialized brushes — is an expansion of the basics, not a prerequisite. Start with the list above and let your practice tell you what it needs next.
Your First Art Journal Page: Step by Step
Prepare the Page
Apply a layer of gesso (white primer) or a wash of diluted acrylic paint. This seals the paper and gives you a better working surface. Let it dry completely before moving on.
Add a Background Layer
Use paint, torn paper, tissue paper, or a combination. Don't overthink it — this layer will mostly be covered. The goal is just to get something on the page.
Collage Some Elements
Tear or cut pieces from magazines or other paper and adhere them with gel medium. Words, textures, colors, faces, patterns — choose things that resonate with whatever you're feeling or thinking about.
Paint Over and Around
Add another layer of paint, covering some collage elements and leaving others visible. Try a dry brush technique for texture, or a wash of watered-down paint for transparency.
Add Mark-Making
Use your waterproof pen to add words, doodles, outlines, or gestural marks. This is where the page often comes together — the drawn layer unifies everything beneath it.
Sit With It
Don't immediately judge the page. Give it a day and look again. Most art journal pages look different — and often better — after you've had some distance from them.
Building a Regular Art Journaling Practice
The hardest part of any creative practice isn't the craft — it's the consistency. Here's what actually works:
- Set up a permanent space. Even a small corner of a table with your journal and a few supplies already out removes the friction of setup. If you have to gather everything before you start, you often won't.
- Use prompts when you're stuck. "What am I avoiding thinking about?" "What did today feel like as a color?" "What do I need that I'm not asking for?" — all rich starting points.
- Give yourself a time limit. A 15-minute timer removes the pressure to produce something significant. Most people find they keep going once they start.
- Don't curate as you go. The art journal is not for Instagram — at least not in the beginning. Let pages be messy, confusing, unresolved. That's where the real work is.
Go Deeper at the Art of Expression Summit
The HobbyScool Art of Expression Summit (May 19–21, 2026) includes a workshop on Mixed Media Vision Boards — a guided session that takes the mixed media art journal approach and applies it to a specific, focused practice of clarifying values and aspirations through visual collage and paint.
There's also a session on making your own journal or zine from scratch — a perfect companion to the art journaling practice you're building.
Free Virtual Summit — Mixed Media, Journaling & More
Live workshops on mixed media vision boards, journaling, zine-making, hand lettering, and poetry as visual art. Free and open to all levels.
Register Free →Frequently Asked Questions
Look for a sketchbook or journal labeled "mixed media" — these have heavier paper (90lb/140gsm or more) designed to handle wet media like paint and gel medium without warping or bleeding through. Watercolor paper notebooks are also a great option.
Not strictly required, but highly recommended for beginners. Gesso seals the paper, prevents paint from soaking in too fast, and gives you a smoother, more forgiving surface to work on. It makes a noticeable difference.
That's completely normal — and completely fine. Art journaling is a process-focused practice, not a portfolio. Messy, unresolved pages are part of building the habit. Paint over anything you don't like and keep going.
Reframe the practice: the supplies aren't being wasted — they're being used for the exact purpose they were made for. Expression and exploration are legitimate uses of art materials, even when the result isn't something you'd frame and hang.
Absolutely. Mixed media journaling works beautifully for kids — it's forgiving, hands-on, and doesn't require any prior skill. Simplify the supply list (paint, collage scraps, markers, a thick sketchbook) and let them lead.
