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Your Visual Journal

Journaling + Sketchnotes + Bullet Journal Ideas

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Favorite Supplies

Visual journaling supplies are highly personal.

When you first start journaling, we recommend starting with cheap supplies. The kind you can pick up at a drug store.

Journaling is a highly adaptive practice, and it will take awhile to figure out how you visual journal. What size journal works best in your life? Do you like markers or colored pencils?

Over time, you may want to upgrade the tools you are using. These are our favorite visual journaling supplies, starting with…

Journals.

Anything can become your visual journal notebook, a three ring binder, a spiral, a blank book… But there are companies that make blank books just for the purpose of journaling.  They can run from $12 to over $100 depending on the features you choose such as specialty covers, pockets, the type and weight of the paper… These are our go-to favorites.

Leuchtturm1917

The Leuchtturm1917 comes in a wide variety of sizes, paper types, and covers. We love the amenities such as page numbers, a preprinted index, double bookmarks, and stickers for archiving. The version with dotted pages offers guidelines without being distracting, and the notebook lies flat when open. There are multiple sizes, so as you research, be aware that A4 is about the size of US letter paper, A5 is the size of a folded sheet of notebook paper, and A6 is approximately passport size.

Find Leuchtturm1917 notebooks on Amazon. 

Leuchtturm1917 Whitelines Special Edition

Whitelines notebooks allow for to easily digitizing notes with a smartphone. The Leuchtturm1917 Whitelines Special Edition is a great way to merge the joys of analog journaling with digital backup and sharing features.

Purchase the Leuchtturm1917 Whitelines Special Edition on Amazon. 

Handmade Leather Journals

Soothi Leather Journals

If you‘re looking for an old world, romantic feel in a your journal, Soothi is the brand. Most of their journals are 5″ x 7″ and — depending on the style — will include features like embossed designs, handmade cotton paper with subtle specks of fiber, stitching, bookmark flaps, and latches.

Shop for Soothi notebooks on Soothi.

These travelers notebooks are by Cadeneta featured on Etsy.

Traveler’s Notebooks

The Traveler’s notebooks are designed to be carried with a passport or in a pocket. What we love about these is that you select a cover, and then customize the inserts that go inside. The paper is luxurious and comes in blank, grid, or lined. There are also pre-printed planner inserts and sketch paper available, along with bands or ties to hold the notebooks closed.

Find a variety of styles of Travelers-style notebooks on Etsy or on Amazon.

Pens

Lamy Safari Fountain Pen

There is something romantic about writing with a fountain pen, and this particular pen creates a good writing experience. It’s also a fantastic “starter” fountain pen for anyone who wants to learn. When ordering, pay attention to the nib size. Many beginning left-handed writers prefer a medium nib, but a fine nib creates thinner lines which performs better for those with smaller, more precise handwriting. 

Pro-tip: there are some great tutorial videos on YouTube for Lamy fountain pens, which teach everything from how to change the cartridge to how to write with the pen.

Purchase the Lamy Safari Fountain Pen with 5 ink cartridges on Amazon. 

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens

We are obsessed with how perfectly the Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens perform in journaling. If you want to pull off brush lettering in an A5 or A6 size journal, these are fantastic. Not only that, but some drawing brush pens are too floppy (which may be great for sketching, but is a nightmare for lettering). The Tombow Fudenosuke has just the right balance of stability and flexibility. We love these markers for creating beautiful headers, quotes, subheads, callout boxes, and sketchnotes. 

Purchase the Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen set on Amazon.

Bic Roller Glide Grip Pen with Black Ink

This is our favorite basic roller ball pen. It glides over the page, feels nice in your hand, and lays down a solid line of black ink. If you tend to write a lot or have a morning pages practice, this might be the best pen for you.

Shop for a pack of 12 Bic Roller Glide Grip Pens on Amazon. 

Markers, watercolors, and colored pencils

Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers

The Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers are simply fun to play with and our personal favorite for performance and affordability. They are blendable, create sweeping strokes, and can take normal journaling pages into works of art. 

(Note: YouTube videos for ideas on how to use Tombow Dual Brush Pens are addictive. You’ve been warned.) 

Choose from a wide variety of sets at Tombow.

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens Shades of Gray

Having a set of gray pens allows you to add dimension to your journal. The simplest of doodles given a quick gray shadow ups the game, and using gray lines for page separators, underlining, or callout boxes can really make the black ink on the page pop. 

Shop Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens Shades of Gray on Amazon. 

Winsor and Newton Cotman Watercolors

We are in love with the Winsor and Newton 12-Color portable watercolor palette. It is so easy to throw in your bag to carry with you and the brush holds water. You truly can take it anywhere and the quality of the paints make it super fun to use. 

Get the Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolor palette on Amazon. 

Prismacolor Colored Pencils 

Once you’ve used them, you’ll know why they are worth the extra money. The pencils lay down a lot of color on the paper and unlike markers, won’t bleed through the page. These are artist quality and are light years ahead of the drug store version colored pencils.

Purchase a set of Prismacolor colored pencils on Amazon.

Crayola Crayons in a Cigarette Case

When I first started carrying crayons in my purse, the cardboard box they came in didn’t hold up, resulting in a lot of broken crayon sadness. Then, I discovered cigarette cases. They come in a variety of styles and are the perfect size for carrying crayons, this slim design is my personal favorite and Crayola is my favorite brand.

Select the slim cigarette case on Amazon.

Other accessories that make visual journaling enjoyable

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A5 Monthly Calendar Stencils from Imbusybeingawesome

We are raving fans of this stencil for Bullet Journalists. There are two versions in the pack–one that will let you set up your monthly calendar across 2 pages and one that will fit the month all on one page. The boxes are big enough to be truly functional, and we love the speed it gains us in setting up our journals! 

Find the A5 Monthly Calendar Stencil set on Etsy. 

Serene River 15″ Tall Pen Pencil Marker Organizer Holder for Desk

I love this tall marker organizer holder for my desk. It’s the perfect place to park my Tombow brush pens and my watercolor pencils. Best of all, I can stand it on the corner of my desk or lay it flat depending on where I’m working.

Get the Serene River 15″ Tall Marker Organizer at Amazon

Pen Loops

One of the easiest ways to keep your pen with your journal is to use a pen loop. It’s an elastic loop which sticks out of the journal that adheres to the back of your journal via a tab with peel & stick adhesive. 

Volin Crik has a pack of 5 on Amazon. 

Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case 

The Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case works like a standard zipper pencil case, except that you can stand it on its end and fold the sides down so that it fans out all of your pencils making them easy to get to.

Pick up the Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case on Amazon.

Magnetic Ruler by Nakabayashi

This magnetic ruler by Nakabayashi is such a great journaling accessory. It folds over a page like a bookmark and creates a large straight edge when laying out pages.

Find the Nakabayashi Magnetic Bookmark at JetPens. 

Our Favorite Books on Visual Journaling

The Simple Guide to Visual Journaling (even if you aren’t an artist) by Cathy Hutchison

This colorful book is designed to get people from zero to visual journaling quickly. This book is geared for people who aren’t artists (yet). It teaches the basics on page layouts, pictograms, ideagrams and gives instructions on how to use the techniques. 

Get the Simple Guide to Visual Journaling on Amazon.

Trust Me You Can Draw by Jesse Arnold

This is by far one of our favorite books for increasing your visual vocabulary. If the person on your gift list is a compulsive doodler but thinks they “can’t draw” this book is perfect.

Get Trust Me You Can Draw on Amazon.

The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

The Bullet Journal method is a game-changer for people living fast-paced lives who want to get organized and feel more connected to their lives. (We are big fans of this one. Even if the bullet journaler in your life has been journaling for awhile, this book has things to teach them.)

Pick up The Bullet Journal Method on Amazon.

How to Draw Cute Stuff by Angela Nguyen

We are obsessed with Angela Nguyen’s book on drawing cute things. It will help your visual journaler take their doodling to the next level. Warning: everything in this book is extremely cute.

Get How to Draw Cute Stuff: Draw Anything and Everything in the Cutest Style Ever on Amazon.

The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde

Our favorite aspect of this book is that it is written in Sketchnotes. (Also, Mike Rohde was the one who coined the term.) While the book’s targeted audience is people who scribe talks on whiteboards, it also serves as a great coach for journalers who want to use sketchnotes. 

Purchase The Sketchbook Handbook on Amazon.

Praying in Color – Sybil MacBeth

If praying in words is difficult for you, this book teaches a technique of thinking about someone or something and simply doodling about it while focusing your attention.

Purchase Praying in Color on Amazon.

These are our favorite visual journaling supplies. We would love to hear about yours. Drop us an email via the contact page.

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people banish overwhelm,
boost creativity 🎨
and reconnect with their ♥️
through visual journaling. 🖌
Get the free Quickstart guide 📗 here

CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
Simple can be beautiful. A small doodled flower. A Simple can be beautiful. A small doodled flower. An underline of color. Your #bulletjournal can be as elaborate as you like, but our lives are complex. #Simplicity feels good.
#Sketchnotes help me manage my focus and stay enga #Sketchnotes help me manage my focus and stay engaged in meetings.
I love the A5 size journals because they can go ev I love the A5 size journals because they can go everywhere with me! #journaling #leuchtturm1917 #yourvisualjournal
This morning I received an email from @songdance.c This morning I received an email from @songdance.co with a link to a song. I had no idea how much I needed to hear these words. #journaling #yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal #artjournal #neocolor2
Making my inner 7 year old happy with sealing wax. Making my inner 7 year old happy with sealing wax. #journaling #stationery #artjournaling #sealingwax
I bought something that I wanted SO BAD when I was I bought something that I wanted SO BAD when I was seven years old. 

I realized that now that I'm a grown up I could just buy it. 

On Amazon. 

#sealingwax #journaling #artjournaling #yourvisualjournal
I love learning about the authentic fascinations o I love learning about the authentic fascinations of the people in my world. The obscure hobbies they love. The ideas they just can't stop thinking about. The things they pour time (and money) into for no reason except that it gives them joy .

As you jump into 2023, I highly recommend purchasing a #notebook that you can take with you everywhere to feed this part of your life . Write down your inspirations. Capture ideas. Develop thoughts by reviewing them periodically. (And definitely scribble doodles in the margins--that's an important part.)

Engaging a #journaling practice--whatever that looks like for you--can give space for the quirky, beautiful, creative part of you to grow. And as it turns out, #visualthinking in a #journal is my personal, random fascination.

#yourvisualjournal
#bujo #bujoideas #journaling #artjournaling #sketchnotes #bulletjournal #dotjournal #leuchtturm1917
I just did my 2022 annual review—a practice I le I just did my 2022 annual review—a practice I learned from @michalroots . 

As one part of this, I wrote the sentences that jumped out at me from my 2022 journals as I went page by page. It left me with a sense of what the year was about and gave me an appreciation for the incredible beauty of friends, creativity, inspiration, and big ideas. 

I also looked at my vision board to see what happened, and what didn’t. For the things that didn’t happen, I gave some heart time to figure out the level that I actually want them (and learned it was low.) The things that happened had a lot of desire behind them. (It was an interesting thing to observe.) 

If you want to take Michal’s course, DM him for the link. I found it a valuable process that I will continue going forward.
#journaling #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #bulletjournal #bujoinspiration
Do you create a #visionboard each year? The latest Do you create a #visionboard each year? The latest post at YourVisualJournal.com dives into how to create one in your journal. #journaling #artjournaling
Happy thanksgiving 🍁 Happy thanksgiving 🍁
Brush markers make my heart happy. #brushmarker #t Brush markers make my heart happy. #brushmarker #tombowdualbrushpens #bulletjournal #bujo #yourvisualjournal
Brush markers are easy to use, and putting a few d Brush markers are easy to use, and putting a few doodles at the bottom of your todo list makes it more engaging for your brain. This whole thing was quick to draw. (Mostly circles, a rectangle, and a few lines.) Coloring in with #brushmarkers was fast and easy. 

#yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal #artjournaling #sketchnotes #tombowdualbrushpens
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Disclosures

Some links on this site are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The author receives a  small (really small) commission if you happen to buy something.  Funds are used to support journaling supplies & four crazy sweet Aussies who bark for treats every time I come in the door. (To be fair, I have a pattern of giving in to them.) I write about all kinds of journaling, and if Bullet Journaling is your thing, I’m here to support you. But if you want to go deep, go to the original source–Ryder Carroll, who created the system, and started it all at bulletjournal.com. I use the method daily which is why I started writing about it here.
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