Art Journal Idea: Create Journaling blocks

Sometimes it’s hard to incorporate journaling into an art journal. Personally I tend to get so excited about colors and patterns that I forget all about leaving some room for writing. That’s totally fine, if that happens, but sometimes you want to write a bit – but where? That’s when I came up with the idea of creating journaling blocks for writing.

I thought it might be something you could try in your journal too…

Art Journal Spread: Kitten block
The cat on the left page is actually a container for text, a block for writing!

Before binding the Kawaii journal I made a few illustrations that are designed so that you can write in them. Journaling blocks!

Not only did I enjoy to draw these, but it was fun to come up with designs that you could actually write inside. For example the cat drawing above, based on my softies series Kitty-pat-cat, was designed so that you could write inside the stomach of the cat, and also on the lines or stripes that surrounds it. Double journaling blocks actually! So far I haven’t written on that page, but here is another one that I also drew with the intent of writing inside the art:

Flower Art Journal Page
This big flower is perfect for filling with journaling!

On the right is my journaling hero, Anne Frank, with another (very shy) flower. Here is the big flower again, filled with text:

Writing detail - in a flower block

I love the look of this flower/journaling block! I kind of wish I had scanned it before I wrote in it, but I’ll just have to draw another one. I also wrote below the flower, in the grass:

Writing detail - in the grass block

What is your favorite way to work with image and text together?

* Also check out previous ideas on How to add Journaling to your Art Journal!


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7 Responses

  1. I hardly ever do any journaling in my art journals… but now that I think of it, I have quite a lot of pages with empty journaling blocks on… maybe I should start filling them up!

    • Daire, it’s not necessary to fill every page totally either… And my pages tend to be overfilled and busy. Sometimes I wish I could leave them alone a bit and let there be “empty spaces” too, some breathing room… And for that sweet balance we keep looking for… :-)

      • Sometimes you just make me do a double-take…I’ve been obsessed with that ship quote for a few weeks…to the point where I tracked down who said it, originally (John A Shedd, in 1928…there are several attributions on the internet) and have been toying with the idea of making a poster or embroidery with it…and then it pops up here! Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but sometimes I think we’re on the same wavelength… ;)
        xx Nat

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