Home / Reflections / 31 Best Art Journal Prompts & Ideas to Inspire Creativity
Visual journals can be a lot of fun and a powerful tool to making sense of different emotions in everyday life. These creative art journal prompts are a great place to get started, and we hope it will inspire some wonderful ideas of your own as well!
The important thing to remember is that your art journal is an emotional expression of creativity, and there is no wrong way to do it! You don’t need to have an art background to get started!
Why Should You Have an Art Journal?
Journaling is a great way to help you work through your emotions. But if you’re a creative person, sometimes a traditional writing journal isn’t enough.
With the help of an art journal, you can create a visual representation of your thoughts and feelings to go along with the words on the page.
And with these art journal prompts, you’ll have one month of creative ideas to help inspire you as you journal.
What is an Art Journal?
An art journal is similar to a traditional journal because it allows you to jot down your thoughts and feelings each day. The only difference between the two is that a visual journal is typically filled with drawings, sketches, collages, and paintings, while a traditional journal is filled with written words.
Using an art journal is great for anyone creative. But you don’t have to be an artist to keep a visual journal.
Since this type of journal is used to help you sort through your thoughts and feelings, no one will see it but you! And that means you can use your own imagination and creativity to design each page.
And since there are a variety of different artistic mediums to choose from, you can create a unique piece of art every time you journal!
We love to include New Beginning Quotes to uplift us in a challenging season as well!
Try these different mediums, supplies, and techniques in your own art journal:
- Notebook or journal
- Old books or media journals for images
- Watercolour paints
- Gouchache paints
- Oil or acrylic paints oil
- Pastels: oil and chalk
- Charcoal and chalk
- Pencils: graphite and colored
- Markers: water-based and permanent
- Crayons
- Fountain Pens
- Flatline Pens
- Glue stick
- Masking tape
- Photography
- Graphic design
- Word art or quotes
- Collage
- Scrapbook paper
- Colored paper
- Stickers
- Stamps
- Washi tape
You may also like12 Best Pens for a Bullet Journal That Don’t Bleed!
Cool Art Journals on Instagram
If you’re just getting started and looking for inspiration, we love these creators on Instagram!
- @caffeinated_creator
- @cathialpha
- @feebujo
- @hopedreamjournal
- @ilgirasoleviandante_
- @plslars
- @seaweedkisses
- @tea.stained.and.tattered
Art Journal Prompts
While using a journal is perfect for unloading your thoughts and feelings onto the page, sometimes figuring out what to write or draw can be difficult.
On those days when you’re feeling uninspired, try using some art journal prompts to help get the creative juices flowing.
These 31 prompts are easy ways to help you come up with ideas to fill your journal for the entire month.
- Open up your favorite novel to a random page and draw the scene described on the page.
- Pick a verse from your favorite song and draw what you think the lyrics are saying.
- Draw random doodles until one page of your journal is completely filled.
- Grab an old magazine and cut out pictures you find beautiful. Use the pictures to create a collage on one page of your journal.
- Write out one of your favorite quotes in the center of a journal page, then decorate the space around the words with doodles or drawings to emphasize the quote.
- Draw or paint a picture of your favorite childhood memory.
- Fill the page with random shapes then shade or paint the shapes in different colors.
- Write a list of 10 things you’re grateful for, then sketch or draw each item as an accent to your list.
- Draw a self portrait accenting the characteristic you love most about yourself.
- Sketch a picture of your dream _______ (house, vacation, job, etc.).
- What is your biggest fear? Write it out and draw a picture of it (or how it makes you feel).
- Draw a visual representation or map of where you are in relation to your goals and where you want to be.
- Draw or paint what you think peace looks like.
- What does your inner critic say to you? Write down all that criticism, then cover the words with paint until you can no longer read them.
- What is on your mind right now? Write or draw your thoughts.
- Sketch or paint your favorite fairy tale.
- What are some of your favorite things? Draw or paint pictures of your favorite things (animals, food, colors, drinks, places, etc.).
- Pick an object in your room and draw it without ever picking up your pencil from the page.
- If you could have a super power, what would it be? Draw yourself with that power.
- Go outside or look out your window and draw what you see.
- Pick an object in the room. Draw it 10 different times in 10 different ways.
- What is your favorite color? Use the color to create a monochromatic art journal page.
- Draw or paint the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
- Use found pages (book pages, sheet music, newspaper pages, etc.) as the backdrop to a painting or drawing in your journal.
- Sketch yourself as a god or goddess.
- Draw a staircase or ladder depicting your goals, then connect each step or rung to the steps you take to achieve your dream.
- If you could live anywhere, where would you live? Draw what you see outside the window in your dream home.
- Use different mediums to create unique textures on your journal page.
- Create a drawing or sketch using only an ink pen.
- Write and illustrate your bucket list.
- Draw or map out an imaginary dream world only you can visit.
We hope these art journaling prompts provide some great ideas and get you out of your comfort zone!
If you love these art journal prompts, you may also like our series on21 Motivating Bullet Journal Goal Page Ideas to Achieve Your Goals!
You may also like:
- How to do Future Self Journaling
- 30 Days of Gratitude Journal Prompts to Boost Happiness
- 365 Mindfulness Journal Prompts for Adults
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