As we were going through our possessions after the fire, I stumbled across my textbook from beauty school. The margins were full of scribbles and sketches that had more to do with a wandering mind than cosmetology.
I have never been a great artist, but I LOVE art. I love the process of creating, I love the tools and implements.
I was introduced to Bible journaling through an oily (she likes essential oils, she isn’t physically oily) friend who would post her beautiful Bible pages on Facebook. I had no idea they made specific Bibles for this purpose or that there was an entire movement of believers who use art and the word of God to worship and study the Bible. I was instantly intrigued and started looking into getting my own journaling Bible.
Then the fire happened. Not only did getting a journaling Bible go on the back burner, every single Bible and book we owned was ruined. I suffered a case of sticker shock when I went to the Christian bookstore to replace Bibles!
Then my journaling friend sent me a message that she had not only purchased me a journaling Bible, but she also got one for my daughter! It was the perfect gift since we lived in a hotel at the time and had little else to do than sit around and watch TV.
I have cautiously dipped a toe into journaling in my Bible, but my goal is to have a regular time once a week when I illustrate a passage.
I have experimented with different pens, pencils and watercolor so far, although the possibilities are really endless.
I have even used some washi tape on the first page of every chapter to make flipping easy, and add some fun color.
Shanna Noel from Illustrated Faith is definitely a pioneer and huge inspiration in Bible journaling. She also has a HUGE Facebook group where members share photos of their work and encouragement!
Bible journaling is a unique way to get into the word. If you are creative or artsy I bet your interest is piqued just liked mine was! I am still learning and experimenting, but below I am going to share a few links to my favorite products for Bible journaling so far.
The main concern when choosing mediums to use in your Bible, is whether or not they will soak through the page. Micron pens are my favorite because not only do they dry almost instantly, they don’t soak through the page as bad as other felt-tipped pens. Microns also work well to write on washi. As for gel pens, these will need quite a while to dry, but they do not soak through the page. I love watercolors, but you have to use a light hand, and as you can see, the dampness will pucker your page a bit. If that is a concern, watercolor pencils can be a lovely alternative. A must-have is a good pencil to sketch out your design before you fill it in with more permanent options, and a good eraser to clean up the lines when you are done.
Have you done any art or Bible journaling? I would love for you to share pictures of your work on my Facebook page!
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