Bible Journaling Hacks for the Artistically Challenged

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I love Bible Journaling for keeping a record of what God is teaching me. But, I am no artist. I can barely draw a recognizable stick figure, and my straight lines are wobbly. Even the simplest hand lettering is a stretch for my (non)ability. Bible Journaling Helper Today, I’m sharing my favorite Bible Journaling hacks for the art challenged. Using the following tips and techniques in my Bible Journal compensates for a lack of artistic talent.Bible Journaling Hacks for the Artistically Challenged. Great tips and tricks for making the most of your Bible Journal even if you aren't an artist.

Mixed Media

Using mixed media in your Bible Journal is a great way to disguise a lack of artistic ability. Thank goodness, there are a lot of fun options available! The scrapbooking section at your local craft store is the perfect place to pick out many of the following items:

  • Stamps- alphabets, shapes, and other fun things.
  • Stickers- alphabet and words are easy to find. I also like flowers, flourishes, and other pretty things to add to the pages.
  • Washi Tape– Perfect for adding color, making arrows to point to favorite passages, and making a base straight line to work from.

Washi Tape in Bible Journal

Trace it

It’s amazing just how many methods work for tracing and transferring designs to your Bible Journal pages.

  • iPad/iPhone- turn the brightness of your screen all the way up, and you can trace a design from Pinterest or letters from computer fonts right through the thin Bible pages! This is my most used hack ever!
  • light box – a light box is the perfect way to trace designs from anywhere into your Bible pages. I often print designs and letters from my computer to copy this way. It also works for designs I find anywhere, from children’s books to magazines.

**Tip- If you don’t have a light box, the flashlight app on your iPad makes a great light box

  • transfer (graphite) paper – simply place a piece of transfer paper on top of your Bible margin, then lay the art you’d like to copy on top. Use a pencil to trace the lines of the image. Remove the art and the transfer paper to reveal the design on your Bible page. Next trace and color it with your favorite colored pencils, markers or pens.

**Tip-you can use each transfer paper many times

  • adult coloring books– these fun books provide endless opportunity for fun shapes, letters, and pictures! Just use the light box or transfer paper methods I listed above to copy the designs into your Bible.

Tape it in

Add cards, photos, and more to the pages of your Bible using a small strip of washi tape. If you tape down just one side, you’ll create a flap allowing the memorabilia to tip back to see journaling below it. This is a great way to write a note or answered prayer underneath, and cover it with something pretty. Velum is another great way to trace something you love, then tape it into your Bible. Check out Sara’s method here.

Keep it simple

  • Use color to make your page interesting, then letter simply. This is a great time to try out paints, watercolor pencils or Gelatos!
  • A simple handwritten note about the verse’s significance in your life with the date is all you really need!Bible Journaling Hacks for the Artistically Challenged. Great tips and tricks for making the most of your Bible Journal even if you aren't an artist.

Don’t get frustrated

  • If journaling in your Bible stresses you out, it’s time to reevaluate. It’s one thing to use Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for inspiration and another if you find yourself critical or frustrated at yourself. Remember Bible Journaling is about worship, highlighting scriptures that stand out to you, and remembering what God has done and is teaching you. It’s not an art contest!
  • Know that you will make mistakes. Perfection is not the goal eitherBible Journaling Hacks for the Artistically Challenged. Great tips and tricks for making the most of your Bible Journal even if you aren't an artist.

If you are just beginning your Bible Journaling Journey, you might want to check out my post. Bible Journaling for the Beginner- 8 Ways to Get Started. Then, check out all my posts on Bible Journaling, including how to get starting, what supplies you actually need.Bible Journaling for the beginner. 8 simple ways to get started today! Aren't artistic- there are great ways to use your journaling Bible anyway! And follow this Bible Journaling Pin Board for more great ideas- tips, art ideas, lettering, and more! Follow Amanda’s board Bible Journaling and Bible Study on Pinterest. I’d love to hear your favorite Bible Journaling hacks for the artistically challenged!

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28 Comments

  1. Well, I am definitely artistically challenged! The tracing and stamps ideas are wonderful. I am always afraid of making my bible not pretty so I never write anything. I would be willing to do this so it stays beautiful.
    🙂
    Traci
    Happy 2016!

  2. Thanks for the hacks. I am one of the least artistic people on the planet. I can use all of the help I can get.

  3. What a great idea! I am not an artist either! I love the way you highlight your Bible and make sure you mark things that call to you. I know this has inspired many.

  4. This is such a great post! I also feel artistically challenged so I use a lot of the same things you recommend, like washi tape and taping in cards or printables.

  5. Great ideas! I teach a kids’ Bible study class for 4th-6th graders, and I just introduced them to Bible journaling last week. As it so happens, I have all boys this time around, so they were reluctant at first to do anything too artsy. But once I showed them a couple of ideas, they were into it. But you have some ideas here I will definitely pass along. I especially like using your iPad as a light source for tracing! Thanks!

  6. Thank you so much, just started and feel so challenged, but this puts it all into perspective … it’s not like I’m going to post my pages 🙂 … it’s about my journey with God. Love this, off to read more on your blog!

    1. I’m so glad you found help and encouragement here. I really struggled starting my own journal, since I’m not artistic at all. But, I’ve found that its about the worship, and remembering what God has done- not beautiful pages!

  7. I’m new to Bible Journaling and am trying to buy and organize supplies. Your supply “bucket” caught my eye. Where can I get one of those?

  8. When you click on the adult coloring book. You get one that has the “F” word in it. What kind of Bible journal is this????

    1. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention Brenda, the coloring books associated with that link were not so “adult themed” when I wrote this article! However the top books definitely changed to questionable titles since then.
      I’ve now changed that link to only include Christian themed adult coloring books.

  9. I am an artist and have actually found it difficult to apply my own artistic ability to my bible study time. I like that the Inductive Bible Study method I learned made popular through instructors like Kay Arthur as it encouraged me to use color and highlight specific words and write in the margins.

    I enjoyed the information on how to use various scrapbook elements, such as washi tape. I will be planning to add some of that to my bible study time. Thank you for this article!❤️

    1. Thanks so much for your comment! I’m glad to know it isn’t just those of us who struggle with art who get overwhelmed adding to a Journaling Bible. I too love highlighting words and underlining key points in my journaling bible- it isn’t all about making it pretty- but about making it meaningful!

    1. Mine is from a Christian bookstore that no longer exists. But, I see it on Christianbook.com and amazon. Just search ‘ESV journaling bible with flap’ and it will come right up. Mine is the single column version. Hope that helps!

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