10 Art Journaling Prompts Inspired by Famous Art Journalists
Art journaling is not about making perfect pages. It is about capturing a feeling, a thought, or a moment visually.
Sometimes the easiest way to start a page is to let someone else's art journal page spark the first idea. You do not copy the artwork. You respond to it. A color, a phrase, a texture, or a mood becomes the starting point.
Below you will find 10 prompts inspired by well-known art journalists. Each section includes a link to their Instagram so you can explore their work and find your own inspiration.
A Simple Art Journaling Ritual
If you want to make art journaling a habit, try this simple ritual:
- 1Open — Open your journal. No pressure. Just open it.
- 2Choose — Pick one emotion, one color, or one memory to focus on.
- 3Create — Fill the page in 10 minutes or less. Set a timer if needed.
- 4Capture — Take a photo of your page and upload it to Art Journal.
- 5Reflect — Write a sentence or two about the page. What were you feeling? What does this page mean to you?
- 6Return — Come back to your pages over time. They become a visual timeline of your inner life.
The goal is not a masterpiece. It is building a personal archive of your thoughts, feelings, and creative moments — one page at a time.
10 Art Journal Prompts from Master Artists
1. Colorful Expressive Layers
Dyan Reaveley is known for expressive mixed media pages full of color, texture, and playful characters.
Try this page:
Open a blank page and start with bold paint strokes. Then write a few words directly into the paint.
Journaling Prompts:
- What energy do I want to release onto this page?
- If today had a color palette, what would it be?
2. Storytelling Collage
Teesha Moore pioneered a collage-heavy art journaling style filled with fragments of text, drawings, and memories.
Try this page:
Create a collage using magazine pieces, tickets, packaging, or small photos. Then write around them.
Journaling Prompts:
- What story does this collection of fragments tell about my life right now?
3. Illustrated Emotion Pages
Roben-Marie Smith combines illustration, texture, and handwritten reflections in her art journals.
Try this page:
Draw a simple face that represents how you feel today. Then write around it.
Journaling Prompts:
- What emotion is asking for my attention?
- What would this feeling say if it could speak?
4. Nature-Inspired Florals
Alisa Burke's journals are full of nature-inspired florals, hand-painted flowers, and organic patterns.
Try this page:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Fill the page with patterns, lines, shapes, and doodles without thinking.
Journaling Prompts:
- What thoughts appeared while I was drawing?
5. Travel Sketchbook Adventures
Emma Carlisle captures travel moments with charming illustrated maps, buildings, and adventure documentation.
Try this page:
Sketch a place you visited recently or a journey you took. Add notes about what you saw and felt.
Journaling Prompts:
- What place has stayed with me lately? What details do I remember?
6. Playful Lettering & Doodles
Lori Vliegen is known for whimsical hand lettering, playful doodles, and cheerful color combinations.
Try this page:
Write a word or phrase that describes your day using decorative lettering. Surround it with doodles.
Journaling Prompts:
- What word sums up my week? How can I make it playful?
7. Layered Texture Pages
Seth Apter is known for rich layers of texture, paint, and mixed media.
Try this page:
Create three layers on your page: paint, collage, and marks or stamps.
Journaling Prompts:
- What layers exist in my life right now?
8. Everyday Life Sketches
Danny Gregory's sketchbooks capture everyday moments — coffee cups, kitchen items, shoes, and mundane objects beautifully illustrated.
Try this page:
Draw something simple from your day: your coffee cup, your desk, or a place you walked past.
Journaling Prompts:
- What moment today deserves to be remembered?
9. Expressive Abstract Pages
Her work often combines abstract painting with introspective journaling.
Try this page:
Paint without planning. Let colors mix and spread freely.
Journaling Prompts:
- What does this page reveal about my inner state?
10. Vision & Future Pages
Keri Smith encourages creative experimentation and intuitive journaling.
Try this page:
Create a page that represents a future feeling you want to experience.
Journaling Prompts:
- What kind of life am I slowly creating?
Start Your Visual Timeline
If you enjoy capturing moments when art moves you, try the Art Journal app. Save your art journal pages, reflect on them, and build your own personal visual timeline — a record of your creative inner life.