7 Tips for Creating an Visual Journal Page

Have you been wondering how to get started with visual journaling? Here are 7 quick tips for creating an visual journal page that is meaningful and pleasing to you.

Are you seeing all those pretty pages on social media and wondering if you could do that too?

The answer is yes! You absolutely can start visual journaling and create pages that are both meaningful and beautiful.

Here are my favorite tips for getting started with visual journaling:

1. Find a blank journal you love. I prefer ones with no lines. In the sample below I worked on a loose piece of paper that I will paste into my Strathmore mixed media journal.
   
   
2. Write or scribble on the page to get something down. Consider starting with a journaling prompt if you don’t know what to write about. 
   
3. Cover over the writing and scribbles with white paint or gesso. Allow it to dry thoroughly (you can use a hair dryer or craft dryer to speed up the process.)
   
   
4. Add a few pieces of collage material like magazine images, scrapbook paper, old book pages, tissue paper or paper napkins. You could stop here if you love collage. Use glue stick or my favorite, matte medium, to adhere the images. Be sure to get them nice and flat.
   
5. Add layers of paint over and around the collage. Pick 2 or 3 colors, try using colors on the same side of the color wheel like red, yellow and orange. That way you keep your pages bright and not muddy. In this version, I added the magenta once the green and yellow were mostly dry.
   
   
6. Create a focal point for your page: this could be abstract marks, a photo of a person or the addition of something more representational like an animal or flower. On this page, I used painters tape as a mask to create the circles. The balloons become my focal point.
   
   
   
7. Finish it up and make it yours with a few marks or lines in black and white to make the page feel cohesive and unique. Add a quote or inspiring words. This page pays homage to one of my favorite bands and songs, the Eurythmics Sweet Dreams.
   
   

The most important thing is begin! Dive in, get messy and get going. Visual journaling is all about creating layers that hide, reveal and tell your personal story.

Visual journaling is not about perfection or getting it right. It is about learning, growing and finding your authentic self through the process. You can see more of my progress and pages on Instagram here.