HOW TO MAKE EXCITING ART JOURNAL PAGES WITH TEXT

Inside: different ways to make amazing art journal pages with words, letters and text

Adding text is an important part of art journaling that is sometimes overlooked. Every art journal page has two parts: the ART which are the colors, layers and beautiful effects on the page and the JOURNALING which is the text. The text is what brings the page together and gives it the meaning or message we want to say.

TYPES OF TEXT ON ART JOURNAL PAGES

There are many types of text that you can add to your art journal page and I'm not talking about the style of text but the way you say what you want to say. Here are some ideas:

• Quotes: saying by other people can sometimes say exactly what we feel. You can find lots of quotes online but my favorite site is BrainyQuote.
• Lyrics: everyone has a favorite song with that one line that just pierce your heart...
• Proverbs: smart universal sayings that sometimes describe what you want to say but can't say it in your own words.
• Thoughts: your thoughts and feelings directly added to art journal pages.

HOW TO ADD TEXT TO ART JOURNAL PAGES

PAPER LETTERS COLLAGE

When you want a bold and short statement something like a title you can use a paper letter collage made from cut out letters.

Here's how to create it:

• Cut out letters from different papers, magazines or use stickers. The letters can be in different font, size or color to make your text more interesting and artistic.
• Arrange the letters according to your desired text on the page and attach.

HANDWRITING ON ART JOURNAL PAGES

Hand writing is a personal way to add text to your art journal page. Some people don't like to do that because they think their hand writing is not pretty enough to be displayed. But I disagree because I think that someone's handwriting is their personality, character and should be celebrated.

Here is why I think you should write on your art journal pages:

• It's Versatile: when you write a text you have endless possibilities and you can decide on the font, the size, the color and the shape.
• You can practice: your art journal is where you can try new techniques and experiment with new materials. Why not do that with your hand writing too? Practice shapes, pens and colors until you'll find the ones you like. Learn to love your hand writing and embrace it!
• It's fast: handwriting is the fastest way to add text to an art journal page. You just pick up a pen and start writing.

HOW TO WRITE ON ART JOURNAL PAGES?

Art journal pages are very challenging to write on because they have lots of different materials and texture. What if your pages are painted with acrylic paints and have paper stripes or grungy surface? What if they are very colorful or completely dark?

Here are the best tools to write on surfaces like that:

• POSCA PEN

My go to pen to write on any surface is Posca pens. It's very rich in pigments and provides results of incomparable density.
Its unique water-based formulation delivers bright, matte and opaque colors that withstand the passage of time. It has no odor. it's
Layerable, mixable, water-soluble and weather-resistant. It comes in various colors and tip sizes...what more could you want?

• DIP PEN AND INDIA INK

Draw your words with a dip pen nib with india ink. I love using my nib pen to give my text a different look.

• ACRYLIC PAINT

This is one of the best ways to get words on a page which isn't completely dry. You can paint words onto the background {directly on collage, directly on acrylic paint, etc.} with fluid acrylic paint using a small brush or a nib pen.

Before you write on your pages with a pen or marker, you'll want to ensure that the page is truly dry.

While a thin layer of acrylic paint dries quickly, paper with layers upon layers {paint & collage} can take hours to days to dry through and through. Definitely not minutes! When the paint starts to dry, a film forms on the surface and it seems like it is dry but inside the paint is actually not dry. The moisture gets absorbed into the paper as well. If you try to write with a pen/marker on the surface and the paint below is still wet, the pen can get some of that gunk into the tip or it will smush down into the paint below the thin dry surface and that will destroy your pen.

OTHER TOOLS TO WRITE ON ART JOURNAL PAGES

• Color pencils
• Charcoal pencil or regular pencil
• Crayons
• Markers
• Pens

MAKE YOUR HANDWRITING INTERESTING

When handwriting text make sure to think outside the box. Write your words in different directions like from top to bottom, vertically or in a circle. Draw different fonts and add details. Use different colors and tip sizes.

Check out these page ideas to see how to add handwritten text.

Never stop creating

Dance in the rain

Different is good

STENCILS

One of my favorite ways to add text to art journal pages is to use stencils. I love to use stencils in general so why not for text?

There are two types of text stencils:

• Background stencils: mainly letters and numbers you can add but without actual meaning other than the design element of the text.
• Words: phrases and words you can add to the page.

When stenciling always make sure to use a flat brush or a sponge with little paint or ink to avoid bleeding. Check out the 10 important tips for stencils evey crafter should know 

WORDS ON PAPER

Add text to the page on small piece of paper like building blocks or puzzle pieces.

Here's how:

• Hand write or print the text on a printer paper.
• Cut the paper into pieces with a word on each piece.
• Attach the pieces to the page.

Eyes art journal page

Forgive

Flowers

STAMPS

Stamping is a great way to add text to art journal pages especially if you don't like your handwriting (despite what I said earlier...). You can use word stamps and/or letter stamps to add your text.

TIPS FOR STAMPING ON ART JOURNAL PAGES

• Use permanent ink so you will be able to keep working with paint and other mediums. Water based ink will bleed and smear.
• Stamp on a leveled surface to get a crisp and sharp image.
• Make sure to use bold colors to give your text contrast with the background.

Here are some pages with stamping ideas:

An hour early

STICKERS

The easiest and cleanest way to add words to an art journal page is to use stickers. I recommend adding a little glue to the back side of the sticker because the glue they have might not hold on heavy layered and painted surface.

Here's an idea on how to use stickers in an unexpected way

Don't make me walk

TISSUE PAPER AND BOOK PAGES

Book pages and tissue papers are the perfect way to add black text on art journal pages.

Color your life

If you want to learn all about adding text, words and quotes to art journal page check out the Artful Words ebook. In this book you'll find step by step tutorials, tips and tricks and experts techniques and ideas for making your art journaling expressive and meaningful.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO ADD TEXT

Art journaling is a free no rules form of making art so you don't have to add text. Journaling can add a personal dimension to the page and an extra meaning that can't be said through the art. However, you can always add letters and words as an artistic element without any meaning like some of the examples I shared.

SAVE it for later - PIN IT!

Have fun creating!