12+ Ways to Get Words on Art Journal Pages
A list of different ways to get words on your journal pages, even on challenging surfaces. Ahead, examples from my own work.
We create these deliciously decadent, chaotic, busy, layered pages with paper and paint and all of the goodies and we want to bring it all together with a snappy quote from Ray Bradbury, maybe some David Bowie lyrics or free form poetry!
One thing I love to incorporate in my art journal pages? Words — in the form of handwritten thoughts, quotations, found snippets of text, words cut from magazines, symbols & letters, definitions, etc. In this post, I thought it would be helpful to talk about getting words on tricky surfaces that art journalists and mixed media artists encounter.
Examples: acrylic paint, uneven/textured surfaces, layers of collage & paint, and pages with materials that might damage your writing implements. Other difficult writing surfaces include paper overflowing with high contrast patterns or intensely dark pages.
So how on earth do you add words or text or journaling to a challenging background?
One of the most fun things about art journaling is the ability to incorporate random words and images (and not need to make any sense whatsoever)! You can transform the content with a series of phrases that combined make a sort of free verse. Make it flow or make it ridiculous if you wish! And while you certainly *can* utilize the principles of graphic design in your work, you can also just play and go with the flow and not work toward a particular end result. That’s up to you!
1) White gel pen
My go-to tool for writing words or drawing mandalas on dark acrylic paints, dark paper, patterned, textured, or otherwise challenging backgrounds — a white gel pen. I wrote the Tolstoy quotation with a Sanford Uni-Ball Gel UM-153 gel pen and the Eagles lyrics and drew the flowers with a Sakura Gelly Roll. Oh! And here's my Guide to Gelly Rolls, to get a feel for all of the different types.
2) Alphabet stamps or hand-carved stamps
There is something so magically meditative and methodical about adding your thoughts, words, lyrics, etc. letter-by-letter with alphabet/number stamps. I find the imperfect results so inviting. You can make your own letters, symbols, icons, motifs, doodles and words by carving the shapes into pencil erasers or linocutting material with an x-acto knife or lino-cutting tools. Here's a stamp carving tutorial. On this page, the surface is gesso and paper collage. I’ve stamped a quotation with tiny alphabet stamps.
3) Dark gel pen & PITT pen
My top two pens for writing on acrylic paint are the Uniball UM-153 (metal-nibbed pen with gel ink) and the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen (fiber-nibbed marker with permanent india ink). In the PITT pen range, the M nib & brush nib & big brush nibs all provide thick lines. Consider dark gray, black, navy & sepia for light backgrounds. Lighter colors won't show up on dark backgrounds; they are not opaque. On this page, the surface is metallic acrylic paint. I’ve lettered Grateful Dead lyrics with a black Uniball UM-153.
4) Neon or Metallic pen
Sakura Gelly Rolls are quite handy for both dark and light backgrounds. For dark backgrounds (i.e. black gesso, dark acrylics), try neon moonlight, metallic silver, and metallic gold. For light backgrounds, try the medium nib in moonlight or darker metallic versions.
5) Dip pen & India ink
Draw your words with a dip pen nib with india ink, i.e. Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay White ink or J. Herbin inks. Here's a quick review of Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay inks. On this page, the surface is a mix of acrylic paint and neocolors. I’ve lettered my words in dip pen & India ink.
6) Acrylic paint
Even if your page isn’t completely dry to the core, you can gently use a small acrylic brush to paint words directly onto the background surface with fluid acrylic paint or Golden High Flow acrylic paint. On this page, the surface is acrylic paint and neocolors. I’ve lettered Police lyrics with black Golden high flow acrylic paint using a small brush.
7) White correction tape
Roll the tape (this office supply is also used in scrapbooking) and write directly on the surface of the tape! The card below contains a texturing medium (which is a rough sandy/gritty surface that would not take pen or marker). The surface also has acrylic paint and neocolors. I put down white correction tape to even the surface a bit and then added words in pen and text snippets.
8) Paper & index cards
Write your thoughts or words on loose paper and adhere to your journal page. Try gluing a swatch of lined paper or index card as a target for future journaling. On this page, the surface is acrylic paint. I’ve added words in a BUNCH of ways (list on diagram above)!
9) alphabet Stencil
Use an alphabet or number stencil with ink, pencil or acrylic paint. On this page, the surface includes acrylic paint, neocolors, stitching, and paper collage. It is uneven and textured and that makes it difficult to add words or a quotation. So I added letters & symbol with an alphabet stencil.
10) Found text
Cut words from magazines and glue to your page. On this page, the surface is dark acrylic paint. I added words in several different ways — adhering found text, writing in Sakura Gelly Roll, writing on a sticker, and words from postage stamps and stickers.
11) Block-Out Poetry
Start with a page from a magazine or book and block-out the stuff that you don't want to read. You can do this with anything that will cover the words, including a bold magic marker or acrylic paint. The inverse, if you will. Austin Kleon is an ace at creating block-out poetry with magic markers. On this page, the words are actually peeking through the original book paper that is underneath the surface. I’ve painted “around” them with acrylic paint.
12) Found Poetry
Go on a word treasure hunt in search of inviting phrases and words. On this page, the surface is neocolors. I’ve adhered words and phrases from different places using adhesive.
13) Washi tape
Use washi tape to attach bucket lists, notes about books you’d like to read, action items, and checklists. On this page, the surface is drawing paper. I wrote notes in PITT artist pen and a ballpoint pen. There are also words on a sticker made from an image of another art journal page and printed at MOO. PS. I love washi tape.
14) Paint markers
Sharpie water-based Poster Paint Markers work extremely well even on the most challenging/difficult painted, uneven, or rough surfaces.
15) Rapidograph technical pen
Fill your rapidograph with india ink or Golden high flow acrylics and off you go. There's a bit of a learning curve, so do some research before jumping in.
16) ordinary #2 pencil or charcoal pencil
Surprisingly — a pencil works wonders when nothing else works.
EXTRA NOTE! Before you write on your pages with a pen or marker, you'll want to ensure that the page is truly dry.
While a thin layer of acrylic paint dries quickly, paper with layers upon layers {paint & collage} can take hours to days {if not weeks} to dry through and through. Definitely not minutes! When the paint starts to dry, a film forms on the surface, and it seems like it is dry but inside the paint is actually not dry. The moisture gets absorbed into the paper as well.
The good news is that you can use a brush dipped in acrylic paint or opaque ink to paint words on a background that is dry-to-the-touch, but not dry deep down. If you try to write with a pen/marker on the surface and the paint below is still wet, the pen can get some of that gunk into the tip or it will smush down into the paint below the thin dry surface. The surface that "seems" to be dry. The surface that you see and touch. The surface that destroys your amazing pen!
PS. I'm not a scientist but I have played + experimented + painted with acrylics for many years and I'll paint on anything, including paper, cardboard, books, index cards, canvas and wood! Here is the precise algebraic formula for drying time!
Ⓓ = 𝓛^3×[1.5÷(2-ℍ)+1/℉+℗(♫÷Ͽ)]
Ⓓ=Drying time
𝓛=Layers of paint
ℍ=Humidity
℉= Temperature in Fahrenheit
♫ = Time signature of background music
℗ = Elapsed level of patience
Ͽ = Daylight Savings Time adjustment factor