Bible journaling allows you to add creative and unique style to Bible study! Last year, I started Bible journaling and initially, I hesitated because I didn’t want to mess anything up! This article on bible journaling for beginners offers some tips, tools, and bible journaling ideas to get you started!

Teachers, find your local ministry group for your school or at your church for your age group and host a journaling party. This is a fun way to be involved!

Top Tips!

• Bible paper doesn’t look, feel, or act like regular paper. The paper used for your bible is thinner which means ink and water colors can (and will) bleed through. Be easy handed with water colors and add a piece of cardstock under the page if you are using sharpies or water colors.
• Buy water color pencils! Water color pencils changed the game for bible journaling, more on those in the supplies!
• Don’t feel like you need to draw something amazing on every page. It’s not about creating a trophy bible – it’s about worship.
• Practice before you dive into your bible. If you find yourself hesitant to mark on the page, sketch out ideas on regular paper first.
• Just get started! You will mess up. I’m so sorry to break the news. Channel some inner Bob Ross (if you don’t know Bob, find him on Netflix) and be cool with “happy little accidents.”
• BONUS: Take a calligraphy class! I did and it changed the game for the margins of my bible!

Supplies for Bible Journaling

Getting supplies as a bible journaling beginner can be overwhelming and exciting – so many options. The following links will be Amazon Affliate, LLC links. The affiliate programs allows me to make a small commission at no additional costs to you. As you can see, I use these products (and love them or I’ll tell you)!

Adding Color

First, water color pencils. I love these pencils because you can use them just like regular colored pencils. BUT, you can also take a slightly damp paint brush and smooth over your drawings to create a water color vibe with very little bleed through!

Wait, I guess first you need a bible – OOPS! Here is the link to mine. I like the margins along the side because this bible also goes with me to church on Sunday and I can take sermon notes. I also teach from this bible so it is multi-purpose. This particular bible I have packed around for just over 5 years and it still looks great! For more general bible study resources, check out the resource page.

Okay, back at it — the first thing I would buy, other than a bible, are for sure the water color pencils. Easy to use and can create a lot of designs with relative low-risk. You can see I also have regular water colors (I couldn’t find a single pack to link). I don’t use these often because…water color pencils.

Calligraphy and Writing

I took a calligraphy class and the instructor gifted us these. If you can find a calligraphy class in your community, take it! Considering this is bible journaling for beginners, the class absolutely transformed my confidence in my “doodles” and I feel at least intermediate after the class 🙂

Calligraphy, even with the correct pens, requires a different writing technique than your daily handwriting. Once you understand the basic principles of calligraphy, you will love meditating on verses as you add flourishes (to your letters, not the scripture).

Did you see the Sharpie in the supply picture? I don’t recommend those for your bible pages. Some experts in the game of journaling can use those markers, I am not one of those people. However, they do work well for practicing calligraphy in a notebook or on tracing paper!

Stamping

One of my favorite ideas for bible journaling doesn’t have a thing to do with the actual doodles. I love to date stamp when I journaled. This is the date stamp I use (you can get fancier, but I went with old school). I started to purchase stamps and ink pads, but it doesn’t fit my creative style. It might work better for you! I would make a visit to Hobby Lobby for stamps as there is a full aisle of stamps to browse!

Sermon Notes

As I mentioned earlier, I use my journaling bible for everything. When I listen to a sermon, I use Paper Mate profile ballpoint pens – these don’t bleed, I like how they move across the page, and there are so many colors to pick from! Here’s a starter set!

Bible Journaling Ideas

That does it for bible journaling for beginners!

Don’t forget to Pin!