learning how to bible journal | beginner inspo and my favorite supplies | pt. 1

Hey, friends!

Last year, I wanted to start learning how to Bible journal since I love art + reading my Bible and it seemed like a fun way to practice my handwriting & calligraphy while spending time in God’s word. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and messy pages, but I’ve also spent so much more time reading the Bible and getting better at calligraphy. So for this post, I’m going to be sharing how far I’ve come from my first page to my most recent ones, plus tips and things I’ve learned along the way.

If you want to try Bible journaling or get some fun/simple art inspo, this post is for you!

When I first started, I did a lot of fun watercolor backgrounds which is so cool but makes your Bible harder to read and you have to be careful to only use lighter colors. As you can see, the blue on the bottom of the page on the right was way too dark, but I learned my lesson after that.

Verses: From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised ~ Psalms 113:3 | Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. ~ Psalms 33:3

If you do watercolor, I’d make sure to use Gesso to avoid having the paint leak through to the other pages, plus I love how it looks.

For the page on the left, I didn’t do a verse but just did a reminder / quote – Most of the time, I do verses but when there isn’t one that particularly stands out to me, I’ll find something that goes along with the chapter and write it. Also, I loveee the colors I used for both of these pages!

Verses: Saying, The Lord is risen indeed ~ Luke 24:34 A | 1 Corinthians Chapter 12

When I got my new Bible for my birthday (the one I was using before had illustrations for coloring on some of the pages & I wanted to be able to do my own), I switched from doing watercolor to more simple hand lettering. I do want to do watercolor again since it’s so pretty, but right now, this is working for me. (:

Verses: The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. ~ Luke 1:43 | For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ~ Romans 6:23

I don’t love either of the writing – most of these I do in bed at 6:15ish after I’ve only been awake for a few minutes so it’s definitely not my best work 😂 – but I liked the concept of both of them and I want to try again with different verses.

Verses: And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. ~ 1 Peter 4:9 | Luke 24

The thing about having a journaling Bible is that you can use it however you want no matter what it is. If your way of using it brings you closer to God and helps you know the Bible better, then you’re using it the right way! A lot of my pages aren’t pretty lettering but are full of notes & thoughts, like the page on the right, and I love having the space to write those down.

my favorite Bible journaling supplies

• KJV Bible & Praise, A Creative Journaling Bible: This was the Bible I started with and I loved it. The one thing that I found frustrating was it had a lot of art already in there to color, but if you want to be able to do journal and color, I’d definitely recommend it!
• KJV Journal the Word Bible: This is the Bible I’m using currently and I love it. The one thing that can be annoying is that it does have lines, but I also like that since I can use it for notes, so I think it balances out.
• KJV Cross Reference Study Bible: If you’re journaling, it’s so helpful to have a study Bible to look at notes, context, and other things around the Scripture you’re journaling about. This is the Bible my sister has (I can’t find the one I have) and she really likes it.
• Sharpie Gel Pens: I use these all the time for school, notes & journaling. They are my favorite pens by far and I’m so picky with the pens I use.
• Micron Pens: Another one of my favorite pens especially if I’m drawing & making actual art, instead of just writing and journaling.
• Mildliners: These highlighters are the best for doing hand lettering & highlighting. I’ve had them for a year and they still write like they are new. Definitely recommend them!
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen: For actual brush pens, I love these ones.
• Gesso: Like I mentioned before, if you do watercolor for Bible journaling, Gesso is definitely essential. You can use pretty much any kind you want and get it at most craft stores/Walmart/Amazon/.
• Sargent Art Watercolors: When I did a lot of watercolor, these were the ones I bought and I really liked them as someone who had just started. I still use them and I’ve had them for almost two years.
• Resources: These aren’t products, but these a couple of my favorite places to get inspiration – Scribbling Grace – Allison Marie – Bible by Hannah ~ Pinterest Board

Related: My favorite Bible study resources for Christian girls

one of my first pages & some thoughts

now, it’s your turn!

Have you ever tried Bible journaling before? If so, do you have any tips for me? Which page is your favorite that I’ve done? Favorite Bible verse? Comment below and tell me your answers!!