Finding materials to use in your journal can be a bit bewildering because there are so many possibilities and there is a lot of hype and marketing that can make it difficult to decide. Because I work in a lot of different mediums, I thought it would be helpful to put together a detailed list of materials that I have used for art journaling, collage, and drawing practice. These are materials that I enjoy using. I’ve included tips for getting started with these materials, for example, whether to purchase a set or small assortment.

Post updated July 2023
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materials by category

Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is intense & opaque and incredibly versatile for art journalists. The paint dries quickly and can be layered, scraped, scratched & textured too. Although it is water-based, acrylic paint does not rewet once dry. You can use acrylics with a variety of mediums to alter their characteristics. When a layer of acrylics is dry, you can add more paint or adhere papers without altering the original layer.

Golden Heavy Body Acrylics {thick and opaque}
Golden Fluid Acrylics {more fluid}
Golden High Flow Acrylics {most fluid, almost like ink}

Artist quality acrylics are more intensely saturated and have a higher pigment load than craft/student acrylics, but they are also more expensive. Craft acrylics are less expensive but also less vibrant/saturated; lightfastness and consistency differ. I would suggest buying the best quality paints that your budget allows, even if that means buying fewer colors. 

You might start with five 1 oz. bottles of Golden fluid acrylic paint. If buying individually, consider: black, titanium white, quinacridone magenta, ultramarine blue & hansa yellow. Then… as your budget allows, add a green, an orange, a red & dioxazine purple. A splurge? A metallic like stainless steel, iridescent light gold or iridescent copper. 

Watercolor and Gouache Paint

Watercolor is transparent or translucent; gouache is more opaque and can be layered. They both dry quickly and can be rewet or further altered after they dry. You can use watercolor and gouache along with several different mediums to alter their characteristics. They are water-soluble and can be rewet.

Use these paints to create abstracts of lush color or embellish inked drawings. I use Winsor & Newton watercolor paint and several brands of gouache. Artist quality watercolor & gouache paints have a higher pigment load and are more intense. You can mix a variety of colors, so there's no need to buy every color! 

My general suggestion is to start with a kit of artist quality half-pan watercolor paints. You can gradually expand the colors in your kit to go along with your experience and budget. Details about the watercolor and gouache paints that I use in my journals. 

Pens & Tools for Writing on Acrylic & Collage Backgrounds

Here's a question echoed by art journalists and mixed media artists around the globe. How on earth do we write on acrylic paint? After trial & error over many years, I'm happy to share my go-to ideas with you!

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. Permanent and quick drying. The M nib & brush nib & Big Brush nibs provide thick lines. Try dark gray, black, navy & sepia for light backgrounds.

Ordinary #2 pencil. Sometimes it works when nothing else works!

White gel pen, i.e. Sanford Uni-Ball Gel UM-153 gel pen or Sakura Gelly Roll

Dip pen + india ink. Draw your words with a dip pen nib with opaque india ink, i.e.  Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay White. 

Sakura Gelly Rolls. Here’s a huge post All About Gelly Rolls.

Small brush. Hand-letter your words. Try opaque india ink, i.e.  Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay White, fluid acrylic paint or Golden high flow acrylic paint. 

Alphabet stamps. Stamp phrases and quotations with hand-carved stamps & alphabet stencils. 

Pens & Inks & Mark-Making Tools

For more detailed pen & marker recommendations, go to this list of my favorite pens, markers, etc.

Caran d’Ache Neocolor II wax crayons. Guide to Caran D'Ache Neocolors

Dr. Ph. Martin's India Inks. Pigment-based inks in vivid colors. Use with a tiny brush or dip pen. Guide to Dr. Ph. Martin's India Inks.

Stamps & Scissors & Tape & adhesive

Hand-carved eraser stamps. Carve your own unique stamps from erasers or linocutting materials. There's a stamp-carving tutorial here. Rubber stamps. Alphabet stamps.

Found objects. Use as stamps with acrylics or stamping ink. Medicine cups, cookie cutters, clay-carving tools, twigs, leaves & feathers.

Scissors. The ONLY scissors I use are Fiskars Softouch Scissors. That helper hinge means that they do not tax my hand like other scissors — that's a huge deal because I've had hand and elbow surgery. The scissors are extremely sharp, with a precise tip. 

Washi Tape. Japanese washi tape (MT is a great brand) is made from rice paper and is one of the must-haves in my art journaling kit! It is removable and can be torn with fingers or tape - yet surprisingly strong. Note: This is not the same as the cheap dime-store tape which is not true washi. Use washi tape to add pattern and color, to reinforce paper tears, to adhere (or tip-in) postcards or index card art inside your journal, and to add dashes of visual interest.

Liquid Adhesive. Golden fluid matte medium or Golden Soft Gel to adhere papers to art journal pages and paper substrates. Fluid matte medium also multi-tasks as a thinner for fluid acrylic paint {makes it less opaque/more translucent}.

Papers & Journals for Mixed Media using acrylics, acrylics + collage, or collage using a liquid adhesive

The paper section ⬇️⬇️⬇️ is categorized by what you plan to DO with the paper. Generally you want to match the type to the medium and materials you plan to use. Each medium interacts with each paper in a different way. So if you are frustrated with the particular combination you've selected, try a different type of paper.

Select paper > 180gsm. Try loose sheets of watercolor paper or heavy card stock. Loose paper gives you the freedom to play with less commitment! You can bind it together later using book-binding techniques or simply store in a large flat archival box.

Strathmore 300 or 400 Series watercolor paper in huge sheets. Work on loose paper or bind your own journal.

Paper & Journals for Writing & Drawing in Pencil, Ink, Markers

A standard writing journal or composition journal is all you need! 

Moleskine Classic Notebook. The unlined and unlined versions have thin, smooth, slightly off-white paper. Good for doodles, sketches, drawings, lists + note taking. My to-do list resides in this journal. Too thin for paint applications.

Bee Paper Super Deluxe Sketch Pad aka Aquabee journals. The paper is 93 lb/150 gsm. Can take a bit of watercolor/gouache/ink.

Rhodia Web Notebook. Lovely drawing journals. Dotted grid, grid, lined. Classic orange cover.

Brushes for Acrylic Painting & Mixed Media Art Journaling

I find these three most useful, all short-handle. These are $10-$20 price range depending on brush size. Acrylics are hard on brushes, so a brush may last just a few months, even with good care.

a) round Da Vinci hog bristle series 7707, size #8 [I like this better for blending]
b) round Da Vinci Top Acryl, series 7785, size #8 [very smooth]
b) round Da Vinci Top Acryl, series 7785, size #2 for lettering/details

Brushes for Watercolor & Gouache Painting

Watercolor brush quality varies a lot. Your painting experience will be significantly better with a better quality brush —water/paint flow through better brushes more consistently. A good watercolor brush can last for years with good care. For the $15-25 price range, I recommend these W&N short-handled brushes:

a) round or pointed round W&N sable brushes, #8
b) round W&N sable brushes, #2 for details
c) W&N 1/2” one-stroke for large areas and washes