How to Make an Art Journal: My Top 2 Favorite Methods

Art journaling is one of my favorite creative outlets it’s messy, personal, and deeply freeing. Over time, I’ve experimented with different ways to make my own art journals, and I’ve landed on two go-to methods that I absolutely love. Each method gives the journal its own personality and lets me play with texture and color from the very beginning.

Here’s how to make an art journal using two simple methods anyone can try:

Upcycled Hardcover Book: How to Make an Art Journal from Old Books

I love giving new life to old hardcover books by turning them into unique, handmade journals. This method gives you a strong, durable base to build your art journal from scratch and it’s surprisingly simple.

Steps:

Gutting the Book

Start by removing all the original pages. You can do this by cutting them out close to the spine using a craft knife or scissors.

Prepping the Cover

Once the book is empty, apply gesso to the entire outside cover to create a good surface for paint or glue. Then, I mod podge handmade or decorative paper over the cover for texture and character.

Inserting New Pages

For the inside, I fold my own pages watercolor paper, mixed media paper, or even recycled materials. Rather than stitching the pages into my journals, I like to keep things simple by using ribbons or elastic bands placed in the center to hold them in place. This way, the pages are totally removable, which is perfect for rearranging, adding new sections, or swapping them out when they’re full. It turns the journal into a more flexible, refillable system, giving me the freedom to update it as I go.

Why I love it

It’s totally customizable and reuses materials that would otherwise be discarded. Plus, the structure is super sturdy great for mixed media projects.

Composition Book Makeover: Transform from Within

This method is perfect if you want to keep the original structure of a book but make the pages strong enough to handle all kinds of media. I use composition books, which come in various page counts and sizes.

Steps:

Strengthening the Pages

Start by gluing two pages together throughout the book. This gives each page a thicker, more durable base. You can use matte medium or glue sticks whatever you prefer.

Priming with Gesso

Once the pages are dry, coat them with gesso. This step preps the surface for anything paint, ink, collage, you name it.

Reworking the Cover

I like to cover the outside of the book with fabric or printed paper to give it a fresh look. You can go bold or subtle depending on your mood or the journal's theme.

Why I love it

This method retains the original book and spine stitching while turning it into a canvas for new ideas. The built in pages mean I don’t have to bind anything, and the transformation feels magical.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re breathing new life into an old hardcover book or transforming a simple composition notebook, making your own art journal is a creative act in itself. Both of these methods let you customize your journal from the ground up and that’s part of the fun!

If you’ve been wanting to start art journaling but felt overwhelmed by fancy supplies or complicated bindings, I hope these ideas show you how accessible and personal it can be. Grab what you have, experiment, and make it your own. Your journal doesn’t have to be perfect it just has to be yours.