Bible Journaling: 10 Supplies You Need

Guest post by Neely Beattie

So you've dipped your toe in the Bible Journaling water.

Now you may be wondering, "What supplies should I use?"

 I don’t use a ton of supplies. I have tried numerous things, but I always come back to these.

Everyone has a different style. After you’ve been journaling a while, you’ll probably notice that you tend to gravitate towards certain things. Some of my friends, like me, tend to only use watercolors.

Other's pages look like beautiful scrapbook pages, full of stickers, tip-ins (when you tape in a printable/prayer card/etc), and other types of embellishments!

There isn’t any right way to journal, and there aren’t any proper or improper supplies. You should use whatever you love.

That being said, here are the things that I love!   

Note: Links in this post are our referral links so, at no additional cost to you, we will receive a (small) commission if you make a purchase through these links. And we really appreciate it too. 

1. Journaling Bible

When I started my journey February 2015, it was almost impossible for me to find a journaling bible. There were barely any options to choose from, but now you can find them in so many places, and I have a feeling it’s just going to keep getting easier! And, there are so many different covers and translations to choose from.

I use a single column ESV journaling bible, because that is the only translation they made when I got mine. Make sure you pay attention to if you’re getting a double column or single column. Whichever you choose is completely up to you, but I prefer the single column because I find it easier to read and highlight verses.

If you look on Amazon, your local Christian bookstore, or other online stores that sell Christian products/books, then you’ll definitely find there are many, many options from which to choose.

Here are a few others to check out.

This is a single column NLT journaling Bible with bright white pages.

This is the ESV interleaved edition Bible. If you don't want to draw or make notes over Scripture, this Bible has a blank page between each page of Scripture.

This is the double column King James version journaling Bible.

Just pick what you like best!

2. Accu-Gel Bible Highlighter Study Kit

By far THE BEST highlighter for your Bible. These highlighters do not bleed through at all, and they glide over the page like silk. 

3. Paper Mate Mechanical Pencils

My favorites are the Papermate Clearpoint mechanical pencils. They are great to use because you're not constantly having to sharpen the tip. Cheap, functional, and cute! 

4. Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser

Just say no to colored erasers. They can leave behind smudges, color and residue. White erasers are awesome because they completely erase without leaving all that junk behind. My favorite is the Pentel hi-polymer block eraser. 

5. Micron Pens or Staedtler Pigment Liners

These are so wonderful for outlining your artwork, hand lettering, writing notes, or whatever! They don’t bleed through the page, and they work fairly well with mixed media, depending on what you’re working with. My personal favorites are the Staedlers because I feel like they last longer, but make SURE that you get the pigment liners.

There is another option called Fine liners, and those WILL bleed, so pay attention to what you're purchasing and steer clear of those. 

6. Watercolors

A huge favorite watercolor brand of the bible journaling community is the Pelikan watercolors. They’re vibrant, offer tons of colors and most importantly (to me anyway) they don’t leave a chalky finish! Oh, and they’re really affordable too (also extremely important!). 

If your kids happen to have a set of Crayola watercolors laying around, you can start with those to see if you like the watercolor medium. Practice on paper as these bleed through in your Bible. Once you've mastered your technique, you can always upgrade.

7. Aquash Water Brush Pens

For me, there’s nothing like an old-fashioned paintbrush and a cup of water. These water brushes are wonderful and convenient for when you’re on the go and want to journal, or you’re just too lazy to go get a cup of water to rinse your brush in (often me…). You just put water in the barrel of the brush and it gradually comes out of the tip. If you need more water, just squeeze! You’ll never confuse your coffee cup for your brush rinsing cup again! 

8. White Uni-Ball Signo Pen

I love this pen for writing over dark paint, adding accents to artwork or highlighting lettering. It can really add pop to your artwork. 

9. Date Stamp

This is great for dating your pages. This is a must so you can go back and see what the Lord was doing in your life and when! 

10. Stazon Ink Pad

If you have a date stamp, you, of course, need ink! This ink is also great if you want to use any other kind of stamps in your Bible! It’s pretty juicy when it's new, which can cause the ink to bleed, so if you let it sit with the top off for a while, problem solved. 

11. Tab Punch

This is great to use with scrapbook paper to add tabs to the tops of your pages!  You can add the tabs with washi tape or glue. This is a fun little extra.

13. A desire to grow closer to God

The most important supply you need is a heart for the Lord, and a desire for a relationship with Him. When you have this, God will lead you to do the rest in the way that is best for you.

Some other supplies that I don’t use but a lot of other people do and love are:

acrylic paint
stickers
stamps
colored pencils (a lot of people really love Crayola Twistables!

Please don't go out and purchase all of the things that I have listed all at once. I recommend getting a few that you think you’d be the most comfortable with and working up from there. If you get too many supplies at once you may get overwhelmed, and that will completely negate the whole process. You don’t want to get on a craft supply high that you will soon come down from and then find yourself disappointed and uninspired.  

Find what works best for YOU. That may be a simple pen and paper, and that’s okay. It doesn’t need to be flashy and extravagant to hold meaning.

I can’t wait to see what you create.