ART JOURNALING??? Really?

 When I tell people that I study my scriptures by art journaling them, I get this blank stare. 

I then explain that I have purchased scriptures with extra wide margins, and I illustrate in the margins. I reflect on my feelings about that page or I try to show what is going on in a story. It takes a great deal of thought to determine the most important concept on the page. It forces me to reflect more deeply on what I am reading. After I explain that, the next response is, “I had no idea that you were artistic,” followed by, “I could never do that because I am not artistic”.

I am here to dispel the idea that I am artistic or that one needs to be in order to art journal. I want to reassure you that I have never been that good art. I am crafty and I am a quilter, but drawing pictures has never been my forte. Years ago, I took some watercolor classes to add credits to my bachelor’s degree. It looked like an easy way to get a raise in pay. I compared my work to others in the class and I always fell short, but I gained skills. I also took a step in accepting my work as being okay because it was MY work.  This is an important concept if you have not been blessed with natural talents. You have to accept that your work is not like anyone else’s work, but that is not a bad thing. You are creating a work that will be treasured by posterity because it is YOUR work. This a the hardest part of the process. One thing I can promise you, though, is that your skills will improve over time. 

Sometimes I use stamps, stencils, even things that I cut out from other sources and glue onto the page  there are endless possibilities. You just have to jump in and go with it!

Now, on to the basics. The first thing to do is get scriptures with wide margins. There are a few available from Deseret Book. The margins are wider than normal, and the prices are reasonable. Personally, I prefer an even larger page with a more generous margin. My preference is an edition from Line Upon Line. You can only get these on the web, not in any stores. They are higher priced, but in my estimation, well worth it. The pages are large and there is a nice sized margin to work with. The pages are a quality Vellum that hold up to artwork very well. The covers come a variety of colors. There are several versions available from this company. I use the “Journaling Edition”. The only drawback to this style is that there are no footnotes. Something had to go in order to make room for those nice margins! They can be found at lineuponline.com. 

The Old Testament editions come in a two volume set. As you can see, the two volumes are almost four inches thick. 

Next time, I’ll talk about other supplies you would need to get started. 

-Bethine