Whether you’re new to art journaling or it’s something you’ve been doing for years, you’re always going to need ideas for art journal page backgrounds.
Today we’re going to look at a few different ways you can create backgrounds for the pages in your art journal in just 5 minutes.
As always, I want you to play around with the supplies you’ve got, rather than having to go out and buy a load of new stuff. So I’ve tried to include a range of ways to make a background in your art journal.
So let’s get straight into it!
- Related: How To Start An Art Journal
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8 Ways To Make Art Journal Page Backgrounds In 5 Minutes
Acrylic paint
If you want a bright and bold background, acrylics are perfect. You’ll need to allow some drying time when painting with acrylics, but they dry fast so it should be minutes rather than hours (unless you’ve applied the paint thickly).
Acrylic blobs
Choose two colours you want to use for this effect and mix up the first. Paint blocks or blobs onto the page randomly, leaving blank space for the other colour.
Allow this to dry, then mix up the second colour and fill in the white space, overlapping the colours slightly.
You can go as big or as small as you like with the different blocks – it really depends on how busy you want your background to be.
Markers are great for this too, but it’ll probably take longer than 5 minutes…
Messy acrylics
This is similar to the above but a little less ordered. It’s also a great way to use up leftover paint from another project.
Take your brush and paint stripes and other marks onto the page, using a range of colours (or just a couple of different ones). Vary the angle of the brush strokes, and add in some scribbly strokes too.
You can let each colour dry before painting with the next, or just go straight from one colour to another.
Watercolours
This is a great way to use delicate colour to make a lovely background for a page in your journal.
You don’t need fancy, professional quality watercolour paints for this — any cheap watercolours will do.
Watercolour wash
Wet the page with plain water, then load your paintbrush with colour and run it over the paper.
You can work one colour from top to bottom and another from bottom to top, blending them in the middle. Or you could do what I did in the picture below and paint a watercolour rainbow!
Paper scrunch
Another great effect is to scrunch up a piece of paper and dab it on the wet paint.
Experiment with using absorbent paper (such as kitchen paper), regular paper (like standard printer paper), and non-absorbent paper (greaseproof paper or wax paper, for example). This will alter the overall outcome.
Watercolour blooms
Watercolour blooms are created when two colours bleed together on the page. I love this effect so much that I’ve written about it a few other times:
- Related: How To Create Watercolour Blooms In Your Artwork
- Related: How To Paint A Rainbow Watercolour Dandelion
- Related: How To Make Watercolour Gift Tags
As annoying as this effect is when it happens accidentally, it also makes for some beautiful artwork when you sit down with the intention of doing it.
First, wet your paintbrush and paint a wash (not too wet) of one colour onto the page. Wash your brush and then pick up another colour, making sure the paint is a bit wetter this time.
Paint another section of the page, allowing the second colour to touch the first while they’re both wet. The second colour will bleed into the first since it’s wetter.
Continue to repeat this until you’ve added enough colour, then leave the page to dry.
Watercolour pencils
Watercolour pencils work in a very similar way to watercolour paint in that they create a beautiful, delicate colour. But I find it can actually be a little easier to control the colours with pencils.
Pick out the colours you want to use and colour the page how you like. Then apply water to the page to blend out the colours.
You can also experiment with wetting the paper first and then working with the pencils straight onto the damp paper. The colour will be stronger this way.
Paper
There are lots of ways to use paper to make backgrounds for your journal.
If you know you want to use a certain patterned paper as a background in a journal you’re making from scratch, you can actually use that paper to make the pages.
- Related: How To Make An Upcycled Art Journal
Paper collage
Another option is to make a collage of different colours or patterns of paper. Using a variety of patterned paper will make a busier background than some of the other ideas I’ve mentioned in this post.
You could also try using different kinds of paper, such as tissue paper, linen paper, and other textured papers. I’ve got some handmade paper with tiny dried petals in it, which is perfect for this kind of project.
And rather than cutting the paper to make the collage, why not experiment with tearing it?
Pages from an old book
If you have an old book handy, you could tear pieces from a page to make an abstract background.
Depending on the old books you have available, you could use the text to tell a story or form a quote, or incorporate an image into your art journal page.
What other ideas do you have for super-quick art journal page backgrounds? Share them in the comments below!
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About Stacey
I’m Stacey and I’m a blogger, abstract artist and freelance writer. My aim is to help busy people feel inspired and get more creative with tutorials, hints and tips.
I live in Cardiff with my partner and dog, and in my free time you’ll find me hiking, reading, painting or sampling a craft beer or two.
Wow
Love the ideas
Wow, i really didn’t think it was that easy but your right, its quick, wish i would of found your blog earlier i have a blank journal but thank you for these ideas its not going to be blank any more great ideas.
I use water colors and bubble wrap