JustBeginning
Beginner's guide

So you're getting into art journaling

Art journaling is mixed-media play on paper: acrylic paint, stamps, Gelli plates, collage, and mark-making layered into a bound journal that's yours to fill. The pages are private, the process is the point, and almost any supplies will work once you nail the one thing that matters most: paper weight.

By Colin B. · Published June 17, 2026 · Last reviewed June 17, 2026
person holding black pen and white paper

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The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

  1. Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Art Book, 5.5×8.5" — Strathmore's 400 Series takes paint, stamps, and collage without warping, the paper that unlocks everything else.
  2. Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Colors — 24 workable colors that stay wet long enough for a beginner to actually blend and layer properly.
  3. Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate, 6×6 Inch — The 6×6 Gelli plate is the art journaling tool: one brayer pass makes backgrounds you couldn't paint by hand.
Budget total
$60
Typical total
$125
A solid art journaling setup runs $60-125. The journal and paints alone cost under $60; the Gelli plate and brush set add another $50-65.

We earn commission on qualifying Amazon purchases — see our affiliate disclosure. Price tiers and budget totals shown above are editorial estimates; actual Amazon prices vary.

At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

CategoryTop pickPriceWhere to buy
JournalsStrathmoreStrathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Art Book, 5.5×8.5"$$ See on Amazon →
Acrylic PaintsLiquitexLiquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Colors$$ See on Amazon →
Gelli PlatesGelli ArtsGelli Arts Gel Printing Plate, 6×6 Inch$$ See on Amazon →
Brushes & Mark-MakingPrincetonPrinceton Snap! Paintbrush Set, 4 Brushes$$ See on Amazon →
Gesso & MediumsLiquitexLiquitex Professional White Gesso, 8 oz$$ See on Amazon →
Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Paper weight is the single decision that makes or breaks your early experience. Art journal paper needs to be at least 90 lb to handle paint and stamps without buckling into a crinkled mess. Check the label before you buy a journal; beautiful covers hide terrible paper all the time.

Student-grade acrylics and student-grade journals are genuinely fine to start. Artist-grade pigments are richer, but you won't feel the difference until your layering technique is developed enough to show it. Spend the savings on more pages and more practice.

The Gelli plate feels like a magic trick the first time you pull a print. But you can skip it for your first few weeks while you get comfortable with paint on paper. Start with the journal and paints first if budget is tight; add the plate once you're hooked.

The gear

What you actually need

a pen and a notebook on a table

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Journals

The paper inside your journal determines what's possible. Regular diary paper (under 70 lb) buckles and bleeds under acrylics or stamps. You need at least 90 lb mixed-media paper to use paint without pages warping into a mess. Watercolor paper (140 lb) handles the heaviest wet media but costs more per page. Start with 90-140 lb mixed-media; upgrade once you know your style leans wet.

Best starter
Strathmore

400 Series Mixed Media Art Book, 5.5×8.5"

$$

Our rating

Paper weight is the number-one thing that derails new art journalers, and Strathmore's 400 Series fixes it. The 90 lb mixed-media paper handles acrylics, stamps, light washes, and collage without warping. Hardbound, lay-flat construction keeps both hands free while you work. The 5.5×8.5" size is the classic portable format.

What we like

  • 90 lb paper handles acrylics, stamps, and light washes without warping
  • Hardbound lay-flat construction keeps both hands free while working
  • 30-34 pages, enough room to experiment and make real mistakes

What to know

  • Per-page cost is higher than buying a loose pad
  • Cover options are limited; decorate the outside yourself
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Canson

XL Mixed Media Pad, 7×10"

$

Our rating

Under $15 and a solid first surface. The 98 lb paper handles markers, light acrylics, and stamps without buckling badly. Side wire bound, which lays flat for photography and stays open while you work. Canson markets this as a pad, not a journal, but it's what most beginner art journalers actually use.

What we like

  • Under $15, the right price to experiment freely without hesitation
  • Spiral binding stays completely flat; easy to photograph finished pages

What to know

  • Thinner 98 lb paper shows bleed-through under heavy paint layers
  • Spiral snags tools and supplies when working across the spine
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Pentalic

Aqua Journal

$$$

Our rating

Heavyweight cold-press watercolor paper in a hardbound journal. This is where art journaling and watercolor painting converge. The 140 lb paper takes aggressive washes and heavy paint without a ripple. Once you know your style leans wet and loose, this is where to land.

What we like

  • 140 lb cold-press paper, the gold standard for heavy wet media
  • Hardbound with linen cover; the journal you keep and display

What to know

  • Higher price per page; overkill while you're still learning
  • Fewer total pages than lighter-weight journals at the same size
See on Amazon →
three silver paint brushes on white textile

Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash

Acrylic Paints

Acrylics are the backbone of art journaling: they dry fast, layer cleanly, and don't bleed through even lighter mixed-media paper. You want student-grade to start, not artist-grade; the pigment concentration difference is real but you won't feel it until your layering technique is developed enough to show it. A 24-color set gives you everything you need to mix any color for your first year.

Best starter
Liquitex

BASICS Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Colors

$$

Our rating

Liquitex is one of the most trusted names in acrylics, and BASICS is their student-grade line that's genuinely good. 24 colors covers every mix you'll realistically need in your first year. Fast-drying formula means layers stay distinct without muddying into each other. The standard art-journaling recommendation for good reason.

What we like

  • 24 colors covers every mix you need for your first full year
  • Fast-drying formula keeps layers distinct and clean
  • Liquitex student-grade is noticeably better than no-name sets

What to know

  • Small 22 ml tubes drain fast on backgrounds; buy extra white and black
  • Not lightfast for archival work (fine for journals, not fine art)
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Arteza

Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Colors

$

Our rating

Costs less than Liquitex and comes in sets up to 60 colors, useful when you want a wide palette without worrying about running out. Consistent color-to-color quality and widely available. The right pick if you're genuinely unsure art journaling will stick.

What we like

  • Lower price, with 60-count sets available to build a full color library
  • Consistent pigment quality across colors; reliable for mixing

What to know

  • Thinner body than Liquitex; some colors need two coats to cover
  • Color names don't align with standard mixing terminology
Find on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Golden

Open Acrylics Intro Set, 6 Colors

$$$

Our rating

Golden's Open formula stays workable for 30-60 minutes instead of the usual 5-10, giving you real time to blend, correct, and layer. Artist-grade pigments make a visible difference once you've developed a layering style. The upgrade to reach for once you've filled a full journal with regular acrylics.

What we like

  • Stays wet 30-60 minutes, giving real time to blend and correct
  • Artist-grade pigments; colors stay vivid through heavy layering

What to know

  • Slower dry time; longer wait between layers than regular acrylics
  • Higher price; buy individual tubes once you know your palette
See on Amazon →

Gelli Plates

A Gelli plate is a soft, gelatin-like printing surface you spread paint across, add texture to (leaves, lace, crumpled plastic wrap, stencils), then press your journal page onto and peel. The result is a unique monoprint background in seconds. It's the technique that gives art journals their characteristic layered, organic look, and the most fun thing you'll do in week one. Size should match your journal page.

Gelli Plates — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

Small (4"×6")

Entry price, good for card-size prints and smaller journals.

Print area
4×6 inches
Material
Reusable mineral-oil gel

Best for Beginners on a tight budget; half-page backgrounds on smaller journals

Tradeoff Too small to cover a full journal page in one pull

Standard (6"×6")

The workhorse size, covering a half-page in one clean pull.

Print area
6×6 inches
Material
Reusable mineral-oil gel

Best for Most standard journals; the go-to first plate for beginners

Tradeoff Requires two overlapping pulls to fill a full double-page spread

↓ See our pick
Large (8"×10")

Full-page coverage in one pull; for bigger ambitions and bigger journals.

Print area
8×10 inches
Material
Reusable mineral-oil gel

Best for Full 8×10 journals; artists who want seamless full-page compositions

Tradeoff Higher price and more paint per pull; buy after mastering the 6×6

↓ See our pick
Best starter
Gelli Arts

Gel Printing Plate, 6×6 Inch

$$

Our rating

Gelli Arts invented the modern gel printing plate, and this is the size that made it famous. The 6×6 inch surface covers a half-page of most standard journals in a single pull. Soft, self-leveling surface picks up fine textures from leaves, lace, and fabric. Real Gelli Arts, not a knockoff.

What we like

  • The original Gelli plate; other brands copy it but this is the real one
  • Picks up fine textures from leaves, lace, and fabric cleanly
  • Covers a half journal page per pull, right size to learn the technique

What to know

  • Requires a separate soft rubber brayer to spread paint evenly
  • Tears if stored with sharp tools; keep flat between sessions
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Gelli Arts

Gel Printing Plate, 8×10 Inch

$$$

Our rating

Full journal-page coverage in a single pull, no seam lines where two smaller pulls meet. The 8×10 is the plate artists reach for when they want to fill a whole page in one composition. More paint per session, more dramatic results.

What we like

  • Covers a full 8×10 journal page in one pull, no seam lines
  • More working space means more texture variety per print

What to know

  • Uses much more paint per pull than the 6×6; can feel wasteful early on
  • Higher price jump; start with the 6×6 and upgrade with intention
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Speedball

Soft Rubber Brayer, 4 Inch

$

Our rating

The Gelli plate only works well with a brayer. It spreads paint in the thin, even layer that picks up textures cleanly; a brush or your finger leaves streaks. Speedball's soft rubber version rolls out paint smoothly and works with both the 6×6 and 8×10 plates.

What we like

  • Soft rubber rolls paint out evenly without streaks or air bubbles
  • 4-inch width works with both the 6×6 and 8×10 Gelli plates

What to know

  • Must be cleaned between color changes; dried paint ruins the next pull
  • Handle can loosen; tighten the screws before first use
See on Amazon →
a group of brushes

Photo by Jennie Razumnaya on Unsplash

Brushes & Mark-Making

You need two things: a flat or wash brush for covering backgrounds quickly, and fine-tip tools for adding text, outlines, and small marks on top of dried paint. A 5-6 piece brush set handles most of what beginners need. Paint markers are underrated for beginners: they let you add precise lines and text on wet or dry paint without diluting color or rewetting the paper underneath.

Best starter
Princeton

Snap! Paintbrush Set, 4 Brushes

$$

Our rating

Princeton's Snap series was built specifically for mixed-media and acrylic work. Stiff enough to load paint and move it across the page, with enough spring to manage detail. A 5-6 piece set covers flat washes, round details, and the dry-brushing technique that adds texture over Gelli prints.

What we like

  • Designed for acrylics, stiff enough to load paint and springy for detail
  • Set covers wash, round, and flat shapes without redundancy
  • Noticeably better than no-name brush sets at a similar price

What to know

  • Bristles splay faster than artist-grade brushes in heavy mediums
  • Synthetic bristles don't survive dried acrylic; rinse every session
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Posca

Paint Markers, PC-5M Medium Round, 10 Colors

$$

Our rating

Posca markers are opaque, water-based paint in pen form: they write on dry acrylics, dark backgrounds, and even over gesso without bleeding or smearing. Use them for outlines, lettering, and layering bright marks on top of everything else. The 10-color set gives you the primaries plus the most-used mixing companions.

What we like

  • Opaque paint in pen form, writes on dark backgrounds and dried acrylics
  • Water-based, easy cleanup, and doesn't smell or off-gas

What to know

  • Fixed nib size; need multiple tip sizes for varied line weights
  • Nibs clog if pressed too hard on tacky or textured surfaces
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Tombow

Dual Brush Pen Set, 10 Colors

$$

Our rating

Dual tip: a flexible brush end for soft watercolor-like washes and a fine tip for outlines and lettering. Great for adding soft, transparent color over dried acrylics, or for journaling text that blends into your background instead of sitting on top of it.

What we like

  • Dual tip: brush end for washes, fine end for lettering and outlines
  • Water-blendable ink adds soft, transparent washes over dried acrylics

What to know

  • Ink is transparent, not opaque on dark or heavily painted backgrounds
  • Fine tip splits permanently from too much pressure; use a light touch
See on Amazon →

Gesso & Mediums

Gesso seals and primes a journal page before you start: it gives paint something to grip, prevents bleed-through on lighter paper, and adds a slight tooth that holds mark-making tools better. Apply one thin layer, let it dry, and paint over it. Mod Podge (matte version) doubles as a collage adhesive and a sealing varnish over finished pages. These two products cover 90% of what beginners need from the adhesive and medium category.

Best starter
Liquitex

Professional White Gesso, 8 oz

$$

Our rating

The benchmark gesso: thick enough to grip even slick covers and cardboard, dries in 20 minutes, and sands smooth when you want a glassy surface. Apply one thin coat before painting any journal page and you'll notice the difference immediately in how paint moves and how ink sits.

What we like

  • Grips even slick journal covers and card stock with one thin coat
  • Dries in 20 minutes, sands smooth if you want a glassy surface

What to know

  • Needs water dilution for very thin layers; practice ratio on scrap first
  • Brush marks stay visible when dry; treat them as texture, not defects
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Plaid

Mod Podge Matte, 16 oz

$

Our rating

Mod Podge is the collage essential: it's an adhesive for gluing paper, photos, and fabric to journal pages AND a sealing varnish you brush over finished spreads to protect them. The matte version dries completely flat with no sheen, better than gloss for pages you'll write on.

What we like

  • Adhesive and sealing varnish in one jar; paste, then seal finished pages
  • Dries completely flat and matte; won't add unwanted sheen to writing areas

What to know

  • Cures cloudy if applied thick; use thin coats only
  • Not truly waterproof when cured; keep finished journals dry
See on Amazon →
Going deeper

Your first month of art journaling

Most beginners freeze in front of a blank journal page, afraid to waste paper they haven't earned yet. Here's what actually happens when you sit down and start anyway.

Read the guide →
Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

  • Alcohol inks — Beautiful fluid effects, but expensive, fume-y, and they destroy paper that isn't Yupo or ceramic tile. Learn acrylics for a full journal first.
  • Embossing powder and heat gun — A fun rabbit hole, but it belongs in month three, not week one. Acrylic stamping and mark-making achieves the same visual weight without the setup.
  • Copic or professional alcohol markers — At $6-10 per marker, Copics are a significant investment. Posca paint markers and Tombows do what you need as a beginner for a fraction of the price.
  • Die-cutting machine (Cricut or Silhouette) — Great for cutting shapes and stencils at volume, but you can hand-cut shapes for months before this matters. Add it after you have a clear use case.
  • Specialty inks and mists (Distress, Glimmer Mist) — Distress oxides, Heidi Swapp sprays: all lovely, none essential. Start with gesso and acrylics and add specialty inks once you know your layering style.
First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

  1. Order your journal and Gelli plate together so they arrive the same day. · Buy
  2. On day one: gesso two or three pages in your journal with a thin coat of white gesso. Let them dry overnight. This is prep work, and it matters. · Action
  3. Do your first Gelli pull: squeeze two or three colors of acrylic onto the plate, spread with your brayer, press a crumpled piece of plastic wrap into the paint for texture, then press a gessoed journal page onto the plate and peel slowly. The reveal is the reason people get hooked. · Action
  4. Layer over the print: add a wash of diluted paint, stamp a word or pattern over it, and write something with a paint marker on top. You've just made your first art journal spread. · Action
  5. Don't save blank pages for when you're 'good enough.' Fill every page with experiments until the journal is done. The only way to get better is to cover more paper. · Action
  6. Order brushes and paint markers so you have detail tools before you finish the first spread. · Buy
FAQ

Common questions

Do I need to know how to draw to start art journaling?

No. Art journaling is a mixed-media layering practice, not an illustration exercise. Most of what makes a spread interesting (color, texture, pattern, composition) has nothing to do with drawing ability. Collage elements, stamps, stencils, and Gelli prints do most of the visual work.

How is art journaling different from bullet journaling?

Completely different. Bullet journaling (BuJo) is a productivity and planning system built around lists and trackers. Art journaling is a visual mixed-media art practice where the page is an expressive surface, not a calendar. They share the word 'journaling' and almost nothing else.

What paper weight do I actually need?

At least 90 lb mixed-media paper for acrylics, stamps, and light washes. If you want to use heavy watercolor washes or pour paint, go to 140 lb. Regular composition notebook or diary paper (50-70 lb) will buckle and bleed through immediately.

Can I use watercolors instead of acrylics?

Yes, but you'll need heavier paper, at least 140 lb cold-press watercolor paper. Watercolors require much more water than acrylics and will destroy 90 lb paper in a wet wash. Acrylics are more forgiving of paper weight, which is why they're the standard recommendation for beginners.

What's a Gelli plate and do I really need one?

A Gelli plate is a soft printing surface that makes monoprint backgrounds: you spread paint, add texture with leaves or lace or crumpled plastic, then press your page onto it and peel. You don't need one to start art journaling, but it's the technique most associated with the practice. Skip it the first week if budget is tight; add it once you're sure you're hooked.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

  • r/artjournaling — Active community for sharing pages, asking technique questions, and getting feedback on supplies. Beginner-friendly. Skip gear-recommendation threads from new members; search the wiki and top posts first.
  • Art Journaling Magazine (Stampington) — Biannual print magazine by the publisher that helped codify the practice. Deep technique features, artist profiles, and supply roundups. Physical issues worth collecting for the spreads alone.
  • Willowing Arts: Life Book — Annual mixed-media online art course that's been running since 2011. Each year brings 50+ instructors teaching techniques across painting, collage, illustration, and art journaling. Good structured curriculum once you've been practicing independently for a few months.
  • Art journaling beginner tutorials (YouTube) — Search 'art journaling beginner tutorial' on YouTube. Filter by upload date (last year) and sort by view count. The community is active and tutorials are free. Watch three or four before buying anything else.
  • Gelli Arts Blog — Tutorials and technique videos from the manufacturer of the Gelli plate. The source for monoprinting techniques, texture ideas, and troubleshooting the plate. Free and genuinely useful for anyone starting with Gelli printing.
a book with a sunflower drawn on it

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