This is the first in a series of posts about Bible Journaling!
Steps in the Journaling Bible Journey: Supplies- The Basics
Yeah, I grew up in "church". Which is to say that since I was about a week old, I was in services with my family whenever they were held. The "gatherings together" are the only things that predate art in my life! I have always had a vivid imagination. I tell people that I have "mental cartoons" that play in my head, especially in a lively conversation. I see what is said. As far back as I can remember I was drawing. When I grew older it was called sketching, and then came watercolor.
I STILL love Prang watercolors!
They are what I cut my teeth on as a budding artist. I used them all the way
up to High School. Then I was introduced to the Artist grade tube colors.
I doodled, sketched sermon notes all those years.
Mom and Dad always brought paper and pencils to services for me. :)
Lots of pages from my notebooks, then journals
became full blown pieces of meaningful art, if only to me. :)
But this post is about Journaling in a Bible. So...
Let's talk about
What you see in the photo above is what I typically use when I
creatively journal in my Journaling Bible.
I am not going into depth with the How-to's in this post,
but rather letting you see what the basic supplies are that I use,
and what I recommend to others.
FIRST you need a pencil of some sort. Yes, the everyday "#2" pencil will
work, but you may have difficulty with erasures. The lead in that pencil is
much harder and therefore digs into the fragile paper of the Journaling Bible.
{
I really hope that manufacturers find a way to produce a J.B. with a different kind
of paper. Even if it results in bigger dimensions, because it would be so great
to work on a less fragile surface.}
I use Derwent pencils. They come in varying grades of softness.
"
H" =
hard; "
B" =
soft, or
blackness. {I know, why not "S", huh?! }
My go to's are HB, and 5B and an "F" for fine lines.
This chart shows the grades with the values:
I have many of the above grades, but use most only when doing piece that
is an actual sketch, not just laying down a guide in Bible Journaling.
NEXT: of course an Kneaded eraser for those rare occasions when you need an eraser
( pardon my puns)!
These are better than the pencil tip erasers or the traditional pink erasers
that most of us used in school. The reason being that they are much softer,
they are pliable and can be shaped into a point if needed. It functions by adsorbing and "picking up"
graphite and
charcoal particles. It does not wear away and leave behind eraser residue, thus it lasts much longer than other erasers.
Once my basic sketch is done, whether an image or lettering,
I move on the what is for me the fun part; adding color!!
COLOR:
I do work in many different mediums, but these are the easiest for a beginner.
Some use colored pencils, and I have the twistable set. But I went back to my
trusted watercolor pencils because they give me more options. I can have soft, pastel
hues, or dark and bold hues. I can leave them dry for a colored pencil look,
or go for the watercolor effect. The more color you lay down with the dry pencil, the darker it will be when wet. A tip which I will be demonstrating in a video is to wet your pencil and apply color. {video soon to come!}
I have
Derwent Watercolor pencils. These are easy to find and reasonable. If you just want to try a few pencils, then look for them sold individually- about $1.99 each. Go for the primary colors as you can layer & blend them to make secondary hues.
You do need a sharpener, I am not particular about those. You probably have one around the house right now!
WATER BRUSH for Application of color:
I LOVE this little guy!!!!! It can do a wash ( a broad area of color) or a fine line!
And the reason that is it great for Bible Journaling is because we need to control the
moisture level on our pages. A water brush lets you do that with very little mess.
When I paint a watercolor piece, I have lots of paper towels, two water containers, etc...
For Journaling Bible work, the water brush can be used with just one paper towel and NO water containers that can tip over or tempt you to sip, lol!
Just a swipe or two over the towel will clean color away. If you have especially heavy load of color, then a gentle squeeze of the brush will help release that color and
viola! -
you have a clean brush again!
DETAIL PENS
I use Faber Castell Pitt artist pens. NOT expensive. GREAT to work with,
they are permanent and waterproof, which means that once dry, you
may paint over them. Depending upon the tip, you get a different line. I have the brush and the SX , Black 199**. It lets me add detail in our small space!
If you've saved up a sum you may want to look for this set by Faber Castell,
it has all
but the drawing pencil and eraser!
I buy 90% of my supplies at Hobby Lobby because I want to support
a business that was willing to take a stand for Christian values.
It is amazing to me that they have a 40% off one item coupon EVERY week!
Start with what you have, and build upon it, one item at a time, if needed.
And don't forget Hobby Lobby's coupon, if you are in the U.S.!
When I cannot find the item in the store, I shop online. THEN, if I still need something
I will go to the "other" stores.
Here are just a few pages to show some different ways that
I have journaled in the Bible; simple and detailed.
"Messiah" is a sticker!
This one is looser and more free-styled.
Some people (sometimes including myself) prep the Bible pages with Gesso before working on them . Gesso ( pronounced "jess- oh") can be found in white or clear form. I find clear to be a bit more grainy in its finish, but many opt for it because it doesn't cover the text.
It is a matter of preference.
I have done pages with and without Gesso with watercolor pencils, and don't see any advantage to prepping the page. If I go into mixed media mode, then yes, I almost always prep the page. But that is another post- NEXT WEEK!
A demonstration video is in the works and the next post about J.B. will
explore the rest of the materials that can be used. I hope you enjoy your journey!!
