Art & Soul post #35 by guest author Valerie Sjodin
Why I Art and Bible Journal
As a child, I was always seeking to make some kind of art or craft, arranging things, instinctively knowing I was made to be a maker, but it wasn’t until I was an adult and had small children that I began to value pursuing art as a worthwhile activity. It even felt like a need, and so, little by little, I attended art classes and pursued art-making whenever I could.
Since high school, journal writing has been a main way for me to process life. I would often add poetry, songs, and pattern embellishments in my journal as well as my thoughts, but Scripture provided the greatest foundation and springboard for my creativity.
Art journaling became integrated into my daily life after I had shoulder surgery in 2004 and couldn’t hold a paintbrush up to an easel for an entire year. Being a painter as well as a middle and high school art teacher, this was quite a blow. Initially, I had a very limited range of motion but soon began doodling in 1.5” square boxes, and, after a while, I was able to add words and even some paint to the page.
Benefits of Bible Journaling
Combining Scripture, art, and journal writing is a visual language – a way to listen to and respond to God. It is a kind of worship, a way to express my faith. It is also a way to process life’s hurts and joys and even walk through healing. It has changed my life, and I can’t imagine life without it.
It is said, “A picture paints a thousand words.” Art journaling the symbols and imagery in the Bible made the message come alive to me and made it easier to remember. The Bible is full of imagery that invites us to go deeper into the meaning of what God is saying through a symbol or what is illustrated in nature. Being aware of the imagery God uses in the Bible helps me recognize that God is always speaking to me. He often brings me to a place of worship and gives me a message through nature. As Job said,
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.”
Job 12:7-8 (NRSV)
Words are powerful! If a word is emphasized or highlighted to me in a passage of Scripture, I look up the definition and include it in my Bible journaling. This provides a reference for greater insight when revisiting the passage later. I have found that adding a personal note or other information is also helpful when revisiting the passage, as well as adding the date of when I did the Bible journaling.
The Difference Between Bible Journaling and Art Journaling
There are two main ways to do Bible journaling. One way is to add visual art directly onto the pages of the Bible. There are now single-column journaling Bibles with one column of text on each page and extra wide margin spaces on the sides where words and images can be added. Other Bible journals have entire pages that can be used for journaling. The second type of Bible journaling is what I call art journaling. This is done in a separate journal in which Scripture and artwork is added. For my art journaling, I have used planner journals, theme journals, and diary journals as well as other kinds of journals. I especially enjoy making journals out of large sheets of watercolor paper which gives so many options of size, shape, and media that can be used including watercolor, pen, colored pencils, Gelatos®, acrylics, collage, etc. I do both types of Bible journaling, but I do far more of the latter outside of my Bible.
Using Themes to Guide You
Each year, I ask God for a word theme, and it’s like a treasure hunt looking to see what word God is presenting to me. When a word is given, I look up all the passages in the Bible that have that word and make a computer document to print out. From these, I choose the ones that are the most meaningful and feature them throughout the year in one or more of my journals.
Along with having a word theme for the year, sometimes an animal or something in nature will keep coming to my attention. One year, deer kept showing up in surprising ways. It wasn’t a coincidence that I was reading Song of Songs around that time. After I looked up Scripture about deer and the symbolism of deer, they made their way into my Bible journal and art journal as shown below.
Overcoming Perfectionism in Bible Journaling
I think it’s important for art journaling and Bible journaling to reflect personal experience and life journey. That requires me to let go of perfectionism, which is my number one struggle holding me back from Bible journaling. Art journaling in a separate journal can be intimidating enough, but journaling in a Bible was over-the-top difficult for me. To be honest, it still is to a certain degree.
One thing that’s helped me overcome my perfectionism is to keep a journal designated to being spontaneous, without any thought of making good art or something beautiful. This journal is like a diary, doodle sketchbook, and prayer journal combined. In it, I can scribble and write how I feel without thinking of the outcome, just pouring my heart out to God and getting it on paper. It is also a place where I listen to God, asking Him what He wants to say and then writing down what comes to mind. Scripture verses often come to my mind during the process. Sometimes, instead of a verse, a word will come to my mind during this visual prayer activity and so I look it up in the Bible. Many of my Bible journaling ideas have started during this way of connecting with God through activating my creativity. I call the activity prayerful doodling or visual prayer.
The process is basically described in these six steps:
- Thank God for His love, for His presence, and that He wants to speak to you personally.
Confess any sin or unforgiveness and come back into His loving presence. - Invite Holy Spirit to lead and speak to you.
- Listen and wait until you feel ready to begin.
- Without thinking, pick up a drawing tool and begin doodling/drawing. If words come to mind, include them. Continue until you feel finished.
- Thank God for the image and ask Him what He wants to say.
- Listen to God and write what He brings to your mind on the opposite page.
The most important thing in Bible journaling is to seek God, let go of any pressure to perform, and let Holy Spirit lead.
Helpful Tips for Working on Thin Paper in Bibles
Another reason Bible journaling can be challenging is the thinness of the paper in most Bibles. I decided that, if I was going to Bible journal, I had to learn and experiment with what worked on the pages of the Bible. One thing that is helpful is to have a practice Bible to experiment on. The binding of my Bible from high school was falling apart and some pages had fallen out, so I decided to make that my test Bible. Even though it didn’t have extra margin space, it did have some blank spaces in it, especially at the front and the back.
I experimented with various media and found that acrylic glazing liquid and clear gesso both work well on the pages to make them thicker and more durable before painting on them. Another method I have discovered to overcome working on thin paper is to do the artwork on a piece of tracing paper or dry wax paper and then glue this paper onto the Bible page. Dry wax paper, which is also known as sandwich wrap or deli paper, can be found at chef supply stores. The paper with only one side coated with wax works best. I do the artwork on the less waxy side, cut it out, and glue it down with a glue stick. Once it is on the Bible page, it barely shows that it is a collage piece.
Where to Start
There are many different journaling Bibles available now, including spiral-bound ones which I have not tried. Some Bibles have a blank page across from every Scripture page which makes the Bible pretty thick, but it gives lots of room for Bible journaling. The one I use most and am happy with is the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible. Mine has a plain black cover on which I glued a watercolor illustration, but this journaling Bible also has options for beautiful covers in the Artist Series. It is also available with a canvas-like cover that is self-customizable.
I recommend reading Complete Guide to Bible Journaling by Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder. This inspirational book features the stories of many Bible journaling artists as well as their techniques and ideas, along with stickers and tabs. Also, Pinterest has a lot of Bible journaling examples for inspiration.
I have created a variety of learning resources to assist others in Bible journaling. My Bible journaling e-course shows how to use various media and also how to incorporate stencils. You can find Bible journaling blog posts on my website; many were featured between the years 2015 and 2018. If you would like to watch a video tutorial you can go to my website and search “Bible journal” or go to my website’s tutorials page.
Bible Journaling Blog Posts on My Website:
There are patterns for the Bible journaling pages from the book of Mark and 1 Peter 2:8-9 (shown in the two images directly above) in my book, Prayerful Doodling, along with 11 pages dedicated to Bible journaling.
Connecting art journaling with Bible journaling doesn’t need to be planned out like I’ve done on these pages. The most important thing is to seek God, let go of any pressure to perform, and let Holy Spirit lead. Some of my most meaningful times with God have started with a scribbled prayer or drawing of a simple circle, opening my Bible and opening my heart.
Combining visual symbols with words of meaning in Bible journaling can help nurture a relationship with God and express the creativity He’s given us. After all, we were made in His image, made to create. If this sparks your curiosity and creativity, I hope you will give art and Bible journaling a try. Whether you jump into journaling directly in your Bible or are inspired to include meaningful imagery to biblical text while you take notes and pray, I hope you will draw closer to our great and loving Creator and Redeemer.
Blessings to you as you create!
Valerie
Valerie Sjodin
I am a wholehearted follower of Jesus, wife, mother, and grandmother. As an artist, workshop facilitator, and spiritual director, my passion is meaningful art making and encouraging people to connect with God through creativity.
Valerie has created an AMAZING collection of Bible journaling resources, examples, articles, and courses on her website at: www.valeriesjodin.com
BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!
Valerie has created many stencils that can be used for Bible journaling. They are available on the StencilGirl Products website.
2 thoughts on “Art & Bible Journaling for Life”
Valerie, thank you so much for sharing your bible journaling artwork and knowledge! This is so inspiring to me! I plan to get a journaling Bible soon and give it a try! I look forward to what God will reveal to me through this new artistic process! I also purchased your Prayerful Doodling book and can’t wait to give it a try!!! 🙂
Elana, Thank you for your kind words and for the opportunity to share some of the experience of Bible journaling with your readers. God bless you!