Cheap and Easy Art Journal Backgrounds

5 minute read

My art journal is a “junk journal”, which for me means that I use a lot of scraps and throwaway items in here. In particular, the core pages of the book are made from random sheets of paper. Posters, mail, a program from a conference — paper that would otherwise go in the recycle bin.

Which means that the backgrounds are very random, and often don’t match the content. Never fear! That’s why goddess invented art supplies!

Here are FOUR cheap and easy ways to make backgrounds in your junk journal.

PAINT AND STENCIL

Back in my hey days of being a scrapbook store employee, I purchase a lot of stencils. This was a new thing for scrapbookers, to add wet media to their books, and we went a wee bit bonkers. It was wonderful.

For stencil artists, my mess probably makes them shiver, but this is a junk journal, not a piece of art I am displaying in my home or a gallery. The paint smudges and smears, and that’s fine by me. If you wanted to get it just right, you could purchase a proper stencil brush.

Mediums to use in a stencil:

• acrylic paint
• stamp ink
• ink spray
• ink daubers

Honestly, use whatever you have on hand and whatever colours. It’s fun to play around with the way the ink goes onto and into the stencil, mixing with other colours, mixing with the background. And if you have a stencil that covers the whole page, you’ve just created a one-of-a-kind background.

DOODLES

I have been doodling frames for over a decade. No idea where the inspiration came from initially, but now it’s one of the first things my hands want to do when I get a pen in them.

This is so easy I could cry–easy for me, but also easy for you.

1. Draw a line around the perimeter of your page, about 1/2″ to 1″ from the edges.
2. Draw loopy lines between the line and the edge of the paper.
3. Optional: add dots, dashes, more loops inside the loops in the same or in a different colour.

If you want to doodle other shapes, make yourself a “doodle catalogue” that you can reference. I have most of my favourites in my head by now, but you could use a notebook or single sheet of paper you post in your crafting space. As you collect new shapes, add them to your catalogue so you can easily reference and add them to pages in the future.

You don’t have to be good at drawing to draw doodles. The messier the better.

More junk:

• On the left page there is a bunch of random “junk” and one very expensive sticker (caterpillar). The photo flips up to reveal my writing about this event.
• On the right page I cut up words and graphics from some old Ritchie Community League posters to add to the page–on theme of course.

STAMPED PATTERN

After I organized my stamps, I started using them again (imagine that). Arrows were–and probably still are–a great shape for scrapbooking because they can be used for any theme. I have a lot of arrow stamps, stickers, and wooden shapes in my stash. “Hello friend” is almost the same shape and size as the various arrows, so it was easy to fit into the pattern.

Using an acrylic block makes it much easier to line up the individual stamps to create your pattern. It won’t be perfect, but that adds to the charm IMO. Choose a coloured ink you love, or stick with black for a more neutral look.

SHIMMERY PAINT

I’m not the biggest fan of this layout, but I’ve decided to move on with my life. Sometimes I forget that I don’t like brown ~shrug~. The photo on the left page flips up to reveal some handmade foam stamps in a shimmery gold. That I like! There is a hint of the same on the right.

When I need a quick background, but I’m feeling like I can handle a bit of clean up, this is one of my faves.

1. Grab some acrylic paint, any kind.
2. Squeeze a smidge at the top of your page.
3. Grab an old gift card and catching the paint at the top, drag it down the page.
4. If you have a texture tool for a gelli plate, that works here as well.

The foam stamps were made from the tray that holds the cucumbers. I hate extra packaging for vegetables, but remember: “it’s only single use if you use it once”.

ILLEGIBLE WRITING

This one might actually just be scribbles, but that’s the point with illegible writing! It’s illegible, which means you can’t read the individual words.

This is another flexible technique, because you can use whatever medium you have on hand:

• pens/markers
• pencil crayons
• paint sticks
• pastel crayons
• paint and paintbrush
• ball point pen
• crayons

You can use this technique to hide your journaling in plain site, or write one word (or sentiment) over and over again.

FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES

I’m 99% sure that the rain stencil is from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.

The paint I use is fancy Golden stuff, and cheap dollar store stuff, and everything in betweem. Use what you have.

Markers are random leftovers from when my son was in school.

Ink pads are mostly Ranger, from back in my scrapbook store days. Invest in a good stamp pad and it will last a long time! These colours aren’t super bright, and aren’t my favourite, but they still work and I don’t have the space (or desire) to expand my collection right now. Hero Arts makes a good product as well as Stampin Up.