Creative Journaling – creating a layered art journal page

This is the second of my series of posts on creative journaling. This week, I’ll be giving you some ideas about creating a layered art journal page.

The fun, beauty – and also the therapeutic process – of journaling can be enhanced by creating background layers in your journal page. It makes the process so interesting to create a series of layers on your page. Sometimes you can completely cover one layer with another, or you can let some of it show in your finished page. It’s up to you what you want to keep hidden, and what you want to reveal.

It’s completely up to you – that’s where the fun and playfulness of journaling come into their own. Just like a diary – it’s your personal creative journal, nobody else has to see it.

Creating a layered art journal page – an example

Here’s an example of a layered journal page that I made earlier. It didn’t take long and didn’t need any fancy art materials.

Firstly, I used some watercolour paints to create a messy background. You could use whatever art materials you have for this, for example the children’s paints, pencils, crayons.

An idea – you could write something under this layer and then paint over it. Sometimes it can feel good to do this, knowing that you’ve got it out of your system, but not having to read it again, covering it up with something else.

Next, I added a quote that I saw and liked. You could add anything you want – a motivational quote, words that are meaningful to you, or nothing at all.

Next, I added some doodles and coloured them in with felt tip pens. At this point, you can add whatever you feel like – more words, cuttings from magazines, stencils or stamps. You certainly don’t have to be a great artist to keep a creative journal!

Take your time over it and enjoy what comes up during the process. Notice the colours and textures that you create. You might also notice your thoughts and emotions as you create. If it helps, include them in the page.

You might want to do one layer and put your journal away, or work on another page. Enjoy the playfulness of it. There are no rules when you are creative journaling.

This is just one way of creating a layered art journal background. Let your creativity flow and see what you come up with!

You might also be interested in: Five reasons to keep a creative journal.

Important information

I have:

• a current enhanced DBS check,
• safeguarding training for children and vulnerable adults,
• BACP Accredited Counsellor/ Psychotherapist and Supervisor – MBACP(Accred),
• Senior Practitioner and Supervisor, General Hypnotherapy Register
• MA Arts Practice (Art, Health and Wellbeing), PGCE.