Three Approaches to Art Journaling

There’s a moment many art journalers experience after creating the first layer of a page. The collage papers are down. The colors feel beautiful. There’s texture, movement, atmosphere…

…and then the question arrives: “Now what?”

What should the focal point be?
Should the page mean something?
Should you start with a prompt?
Or should you simply follow intuition and see where the page goes?

For a long time, I thought there must be one “correct” way to approach art journaling. But over time, I realized something important:

There are multiple valid ways to begin a spread. And understanding these approaches can completely change the way you create.

First, Let’s Talk About Layers

Most of my journal pages evolve in three stages:

1. The Foundation Layer

This is where I choose a color palette, tear & arrange collage papers, create movement and composition. At this stage, I’m not worrying too much about meaning. I’m simply responding to what I feel drawn to.

Sometimes it’s soft pinks and vintage papers. Sometimes it’s smoky grays, browns, and weathered textures. The page begins with attraction before explanation.

2. The Blending Layer

Once the collage papers are glued down, I begin integrating the page so it feels cohesive.

There are two main ways I do this:

1. Blending with more collage:

Translucent collage papers like tissue papers, deli papers, teabag papers & thin fabrics like gauze, lace, etc. These layers soften harsh edges and visually connect fragmented pieces together.

2. Blending with paint & gesso

Using gesso, paint & stencils, mark making, glazing, scratches, and texture. This creates harmony through repeated colors, marks, and surface treatments.

Sometimes I use only collage. Sometimes mostly paint. Sometimes a combination of both.

3. The Focal Point Layer

Finally, I add a grounding element.

This could be:

a stitched fabric cluster,
a quote, sentiment, found words
a botanical image,
a photograph / a figure / a symbol
a handmade embellishment / cluster

The focal point gives the eye a place to rest. But here’s what I’ve learned:

The focal point is not always something you “plan.” Often, it’s something you discover while listening to the page. And that realization led me to understand that there are actually three different approaches to art journaling.

1. Prompt-First Art Journaling

Starting with intention

This is the most structured approach. You begin with a theme, a color story, an emotional direction, a word or a quote, a memory or a journaling prompt.

For example: love letter, healing, becoming, home, silence, blooming.

Once the prompt is clear, everything else supports that idea:

the color palette
collage papers
words & symbolism
textures & focal point

This approach works beautifully for:

storytelling,
emotional processing,
themed journals,
cohesive spreads,
teaching classes.

The process becomes: Prompt → Color Palette → Collage → Blending → Focal Point

Very guided. Very intentional.

2. Materials-First Art Journaling

Starting with Intuition

This is the approach I naturally return to most often. Instead of beginning with meaning, I begin with colors, collage papers in that color palette, marks & textures, materials.

I simply ask: “What am I drawn to today?”

And then something fascinating happens. As the page develops, an atmosphere begins to emerge. The page starts speaking back.

A spread may suddenly feel:

quiet & peaceful
weathered & earthy
reflective
wild & fragmented
hopeful & dreamlike
nostalgic
melancholic
memory or ruins or old stories

At that point, I’m no longer forcing a concept onto the page. I’m noticing what already exists. And honestly, some of the deepest art journaling happens this way. Because the subconscious enters before language does.

Questions I Ask During This Process

Once the first layer is complete, I pause and observe. I ask:

What season does this page feel like?
Is it soft or heavy?
Quiet or energetic?
Does it feel like memory? decay? comfort? freedom?
What emotional atmosphere is already present?

This changes the role of the focal point completely.

Instead of asking: “What should I add?” I ask: “What does this page need?”

That’s a very different creative conversation.

3. Focal Point-First Art Journaling

Starting with a Central Image or Symbol

Sometimes inspiration arrives through a single element: a bird, a butterfly, a stitched heart, vintage photograph, botanical image, handwritten note, a face or a fabric piece.

And the entire spread grows around it.

This approach is helpful when: