The 5 Best Bible Journaling Supplies

Editor’s Choice

View on Amazon >>

• This kit has everything that a beginner in Bible journaling would need.
• The ruler has all the books of the Bible written on it.
• The highlighters are unlike the regular ones, as they glide like crayons on the page and don’t bleed through.

Best Overall

View on Amazon >>

• The pages are thick enough to withstand heavy note-taking.
• It has a ribbon marker to help you remember where you left off.
• The lightly lined broad space makes for easier note-taking.

Budget-Friendly

View on Amazon >>

• The stamp is made of heavy-duty material and is easy to use
• Self-inking Stamp allows for rapid, repetitive stamping.
• Date Range: Good for 12 years

If you are in a hurry and just want to find out the best Bible journaling supplies, then I’d recommend the NIV, Journal the Word Bible by Zondervan as the best one.

You just need a couple of things to remember when you’re looking for Bible journaling supplies. First is, that art is just a secondary aspect of this journey, so you don’t need to splurge to produce extraordinary work. As 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us, God looks at the heart. He doesn’t care about how our design looks, but He cares a lot about our motives and intentions.

If you’re on the lookout for the best Bible journaling supplies, allow us to help you out with this guide. We have listed here the journaling tools that you might want to add to your collection. If you’re a beginner, you may also find this helpful to get you started with your journey of unlocking your creative potential through Bible journaling. 

Here are the best Bible Journaling Supplies we will be reviewing:

• NIV, Journal the Word Bible by Zondervan
• Complete Guide to Bible Journaling by Joanne Fink
• Mr. Pen Bible Journaling Supplies
• Mr. Pen 18 Pack No Bleed Bible Journaling Kit
• MaxMark Date Stamp with 4-Line Custom Text

What are Bible Journaling Supplies

Whether you are already a Bible Journaling enthusiast or just starting, Bible journaling supplies are your essentials for this craft. 

Purpose

Crafty or not, sometimes you just want to put more into your journaling. Bible journaling is our personal and intimate time with the Lord, and sometimes we just want to pour out more. Sure, we can use pen and paper to journal, but adding colors and embellishments makes our quiet time more exciting and fun. That is the purpose of the Bible journaling supplies. They add more to the art that we produce in our devotions. 

Benefits

In Bible journaling, art is only secondary. What matters is the heart of the artist. Art is just a by-product of our spirit that desires to draw near to the Lord. The benefit of Bible Journaling supplies is that it gives us more room for creativity. The variety of journaling tools and accessories allows us to unlock more of our artistic potential. 

What Bible Journaling Supplies Do You Need?

You don’t need a buffet of Bible journaling supplies to start your artistic journey. You will realize that there’s a ton once you get into this creative world. It can get costly and overwhelming. You can start with just a few and slowly build up from that. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list where you can pick out the tools you can use for your art and illustrations.

Journaling Bible

If you are new to this creative act of worship, you may ask, “There’s such a thing as a journaling Bible?”. Interestingly, yes, there is. Bible journaling may have just started back in 2014, but illustrated or illuminated Bibles have been in circulation since the Middle Ages.

A modern-day journaling Bible has wide spaces or margins on the side of the page. That space is where you can apply your creativity and write down your notes or annotations. 

That’s one good thing about having a journaling Bible. You can quickly put your thoughts into writing on the side of the page when you feel that a verse or verses speak to you. 

Secondary Journals

Some people are not comfortable writing in their Bible, and that’s okay. And then some just want more space to write or paint or create. It’s always a matter of preference. After all, our goal in Bible journaling is still to dive deeper into the Word of God and allow it to transform us and shape our lives. 

If you don’t fancy a journaling Bible, you can then use a separate or secondary journal. It can be just a regular notebook, but you will find more options because this has already become a trend. You can pick from different sizes and page styles like blank, lined, dotted, or grid.

Writing Tools

You’d think that a regular pen or pencil would do with Bible journaling. However, the pen or pencil you would use would sometimes depend on the type of paper your Bible or journal has. 

Pens

You will be surprised by the wide variety of pens you can include in your Bible journaling supplies. There are pigment liners that are pretty popular in the community, and they come in different colors. Then there are the felt tip ones that are rather loved, too, since they dry quickly and don’t smear. If you want a touch of elegance and clean lines, you can also opt for fountain pens. There are also gel pens that come in different colors. 

You just need to be careful not to smear them, as it takes a while before they dry out.  And if you are familiar with brush calligraphy, you can also use brush pens. They are a great tool to use when you want to rewrite a verse or quote that speaks to you. The dynamics of the letters written in brush calligraphy just add more beauty to your work. 

There’s just such a fantastic collection to choose from, and it will all boil down to whichever works best for you. 

Pencils

As for pencils, Bible journaling enthusiasts usually use them for sketching. But of course, it would still be up to you if you want to write down notes using pencils, especially if you’re going to avoid dirty erasures that can happen when you use a pen. That goes without saying that you will also need an eraser in hand for this writing tool. 

Some people in the community use pencils that are great for sketching, like the HB and mechanical ones. It’s always best to outline your drawing first before adding color to correct mistakes quickly.

Coloring Tools

If you’re the type who will do plenty of illustrations, you most likely would love to add colors to your creations. We’ve talked about colored pens and brush pens, but there are more options you can check out. 

Acrylic Paints

Acrylic paint is a beautiful medium, and you can choose whatever brand and brush you want. You just need to ensure you prep your page first before painting. If you decide to use this for Bible journaling, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the process to avoid ruining your page. 

Watercolor Paints

Watercolor is also one of the most loved mediums in the community. Unlike acrylic, you don’t need to prep the page if you will use this. However, you need to put another piece of paper or wax paper under the page you’re going to paint to avoid wetting or messing up the other pages. Be careful as well with how much water you use because some journals and Bibles have delicate papers. Like acrylic, you would find it helpful to study watercolor for Bible journaling to learn more about using this medium. 

Colored Pencils

One of the great things about watercolored pencils is that they don’t bleed on the other side of the page. Plus, they also work great when you are blending colors. However, since they are pencils, you need to take extra care in sharpening them, or they might dent or poke through the page of the journal or Bible. 

High-quality colored pencils are more costly, but their colors are more vibrant and glide more sleekly. Nevertheless, you can always start with the inexpensive ones if you want to try them out first. 

Highlighters

There are specially made highlighters for Bible reading and Bible journaling. They are designed not to bleed through the page, which often happens when you use markers or regular highlighters. Using different colors to highlight Bible verses adds to the charm of your creative piece. 

Gelatos

Gelatos are one of the fascinating coloring tools you can add to your Bible journaling supplies. You can use them in different ways, and they don’t bleed through the page too. You can rub them on the page, use a paintbrush, or smear them. Not everyone is familiar with using this medium, and if you are one, that’s okay. You will find many online tutorials that will teach you different ways to use gelatos for Bible journaling. You can then incorporate them into your creative process. 

Distress Inks

Same with acrylic paints, you would also need to prep your page first before using distressed inks. If you are going to use this, you most likely need a blending tool to help you spread the ink or color. You can also use distress ink alongside acrylic paint, which can enhance the vibrance and look of your artwork. 

Stamps and Ink Pads

Stamps are probably the easiest to use among these beautiful tools. You only need to press it on the ink pad and then your Bible or journal page. But being easy to use doesn’t mean that it doesn’t add much. It usually makes the design more appealing.

The stamps are like stickers that work as embellishments to your artwork. 

Other Journaling Tools

Bible journaling supplies are not only about writing and coloring materials; there are still more you can add and use to make beautiful art. 

Bible Tabs

Suppose you have all the books of the Bible memorized; hats off to you! If not, that’s okay too. No judgment there because not all of us have that good of a memory. That is where Bible tabs can prove to be helpful. They can help us find what we need to see in the Bible faster.

Stickers

Stickers just bring out the kid inside us, don’t they? They just make creating and crafting more fun. You can put them wherever and however, you want to and give more character to your design. They come in sets too. You can even build up the composition of your artwork based on the theme of your sticker set. They are accessories, but they can also serve as a source of ideas for your next design. 

Washi Tapes

Paper tapes turned artsy, fun, and creative – these are washi tapes. These are fancy masking tapes made from rice paper material.  And unsurprisingly, these are also well-loved accessories among the Bible journaling supplies. You can gather inspiration from other journaling enthusiasts on how you can use washi tapes for Bible journaling. 

Paper Tags

Paper tag is another creative way to add more space for your notes, especially if you don’t want to cover a text in your bible. You can just tape one side of it, stick it above the text, and just lift the other side to reveal the scripture or verse beneath it. 

Straight Edge

A straight edge is a fantastic tool, especially for those who don’t have steady hands. It would be a great help with your illustrations and underlining text. It’s also good to invest in aluminum or steel instead of the regular plastic rulers that can easily get dented on the edges. 

Gesso

We’ve previously mentioned prepping the page before using some of the coloring mediums. Gesso is your best friend when it comes to that. It will serve as the page’s protection to prevent paint from bleeding through the other side. If you are keen to know how to use it, you will find video tutorials on applying gesso to your journaling Bible page to help you get started. 

Heat Gun

If you’re using watercolor or any medium that requires water, you would have to wait it out until it dries to avoid it from sticking to other pages. If you want to quicken this process, the heat gun is the tool for that. It’s such a time-saver and helpful when you want to layer colors and designs on your artwork. 

Bible Journaling Supply Kits

And if you still can’t decide which of these tools you should get, the Bible journaling supply kit is the way to go. They would usually already include pens, highlighters, and coloring tools so you won’t have to stress about what to get. This set of tools can help you jumpstart your creative journey or simply add to your growing collection. 

What to Look for When Choosing Bible Journaling Supplies

Choosing a Journaling Bible

There are a couple of things you would want to consider when choosing a journaling Bible. First, if you want something that already has illustrations, you can just color or paint. Or do you want something that has a vast space where you have the freedom to create your art?

You will also need to consider if you want a Bible with a broad space or margin on the same page as the scripture. Or do you want a separate full blank page where you can create a more significant design?

These are just some of the things you can check on when choosing a journaling Bible. 

Choosing the Type of Pen

When it comes to a pen, the first thing you need to check is if it writes or goes well with the paper of your journal or journaling Bible. Other things to consider are if they glide or write easily? Do they dry quickly, or are they easily smeared? And the most important thing to check is if they discolor or bleed through the paper. 

Take note that being expensive doesn’t mean it’s better. Do a test first before splurging on a pen or a set to prevent spending too much on something that won’t work for you. 

How to Store Your Bible Journaling Supplies

As you go along in your faith journaling journey, your collection of Bible journaling supplies will slowly grow. It can get messy and sometimes frustrating when you cannot find what you need if they’re all just piled up in one place, unorganized. That is why it’s essential to store your Bible journaling supplies properly. 

You can start by getting an organizer bag or a drawer where you will keep them. Then, sort them by groups of what should go together. Pretty much, just like how we listed the supplies. Then you can put them in separate drawers or pouches. This way, you would easily find where the pens, washi tapes, or stickers are. Organizing them will also help prolong their shelf life since they are stored properly. 

If you’re ready to start your creative journey, we’ve compiled here the top 5 best Bible journaling supplies that made our list. You might find this helpful in choosing your first set of tools to start your artistic process. 

NIV, Journal the Word Bible by Zondervan

The NIV, Journal the Word Bible by Zondervan presents a complete, precise, easy-to-read, and clear New International Version translation of the Scripture. They effectively designed this journaling Bible to complement one of the most commonly read modern English Bible translations.

This journaling Bible also gives you ample space to freely create your art next to the Scripture. This journaling Bible features a unique and pretty soft leather cover that lays flat when you open it, making it easier to work on your designs. It also has single-column cream-colored pages that allow you to take notes and create art as you reflect on the Word of God. 

The printing fonts (an exclusive Comfort Print® typeface of  Zondervan NIV ) make reading the Word even more pleasant and engaging. The ribbon marker will be helpful to you when you want a reminder of where you left off on your reading or when you want to mark the page of your favorite verse. 

You can even pass this on to the next generation of your family. You can give this as a gift, a precious heirloom that has your annotations and notes inside. 

Pros:

• The pages are thick enough to withstand heavy note-taking
• It has a ribbon marker to help you remember where you left off
• The lightly lined broad space makes for easier note-taking
• The exceptional and pretty cover makes it a lovely gift idea.
• The font size is large enough to present a smooth and easy reading experience.

Cons:

• The print from the following page appears like a shadow on the note-taking page of the previous one.
• Some marker inks can still bleed through the pages 
• It is big and heavy in size and can be hard to carry around. 

Complete Guide to Bible Journaling by Joanne Fink

In this Complete Guide to Bible Journaling, Joanne and Regina describe the fundamentals of this beautiful form of art that links faith with art and creativity. 

You will learn in this guide the satisfying benefits of Bible journaling. You will also get valuable advice on picking which Scripture and type of journals and Bible to use. They also give various tips and techniques on how you can express your faith through illustrations and creativity. A how-to section includes painting, coloring, and using accessories like stickers, stencils, stamps, and more. Besides that, this guide also covers easy ways to illustrate and hand-letter your favorite passages from the Scripture. 

What’s even more impressive with this guide is that it also includes colorful sample works of Shanna Noel, Karla Dornacher, Valerie Wieners-Massie, Rebekah R. Jones, and a lot more. It will help you learn from the other Bible journalers the various tools to illustrate their faith. You will be amazed to know how you can express your faith and Spirit through patterns, design, and color. 

Pros:

• It teaches easy ways to illustrate and hand-letter your favorite passages from the Scripture
• Includes sample works from leading Bible journaling artists 
• It includes stories of faith that will so encourage the users of this guide 
• There’s a how-to section that teaches painting, coloring, and using accessories
• You will learn creative techniques from other Bible journaling artists through this guide 

Cons:

• The biographies of other artists take up much of the content
• There are no step-by-step directions 
• Some of the creative techniques are challenging and confusing for beginners 

Mr. Pen Bible Journaling Supplies

This Bible Journaling Kit from Mr. Pen includes a variety of bible journaling supplies. The set has four Bible pens, one set of Bible tabs, four gel highlighters, one pack of three stencils, and one ruler. Both the pens and the highlighters won’t bleed through papers like those in the Bible and magazines. They don’t smear easily, smoothly glide on the page, and don’t quickly dry out when left uncapped. 

The Bible tabs that come with the kit have pretty designs with clear printed letters. You will find it easy to find the books of the Bible when you use these tabs. It even comes with nine extra blank ones that you could write to add other labels to your Bible. The stencils work well with most pens and are an excellent addition to your collection. The ruler that comes with it also has a list of the books of the Bible and is quite flexible so that you won’t worry about it getting snapped. 

This Bible journaling supply kit has the essentials that you need to unlock your creative side as you begin your creative journey. With this tool, you can start connecting art and your faith through visual and artistic means. 

Pros: 

• This kit has everything that a beginner in Bible journaling would need
• The ruler has all the books of the Bible written on it.
• The highlighters are unlike the regular ones, as they glide like crayons on the page and don’t bleed through. 
• The pens also write smoothly and don’t bleed through the pages. 
• The colors of the markers were vibrant and high-quality.

Cons:

• The tabs only stick on one side, unlike others on both sides of the page. 
• The tabs are also thick and heavy, so they won’t work with Bibles with fragile pages. 
• The ink of pens tends to blob when you stop writing and then start back up again. 

Mr. Pen 18 Pack No Bleed Bible Journaling Kit

The 18 Pack Bible Journaling Kit by Mr. Pen includes ten gel highlighters or Bible highlighters and eight Bible pens in different colors. The pens in this kit don’t bleed through paper. They also glide and write through the page smoothly, don’t quickly dry out when left uncapped, and don’t smear easily. The pens also come in a colorful style that adds to their charm. 

Mr. Pen’s highlighters are also made out of high-quality materials and give off vibrant colors. What’s great about them is that you can still see the text of the Scripture through the bright colors after you’ve highlighted them. You won’t have to worry about it drying out even if you forget to put the cap back on. Just be careful not to leave them out in the sun if you are journaling outdoors. They tend to melt in the heat if left out for too long. 

Pros:

• The pens come in colorful, funky designs appealing primarily to pen collectors.
• The gel highlighters have a cute twistable, crayon-like design that can be sharpened.
• This set is perfect for Bible journaling beginners 
• The gel highlighters and pens are made of high-quality materials 
• You can still see the words through the bright colors of the highlighter.
• You won’t have to worry about the highlighters drying out 

Cons:

• If you’re journaling outdoors, the gel highlighters can melt in the sun if left out for too long.
• The pens tend to run out of ink faster than regular gel pens.

MaxMark Date Stamp with 4-Line Custom Text

One of the essentials that you can add to your Bible journaling supplies is a date stamp. This MaxMark Date Stamp with 4-line Custom Text can be a charming addition to your set of tools. It can help you document and record unforgettable moments in your spiritual journey. 

The format of this date stamp is classic, but what’s interesting is that it can be personalized by their own professional graphic design team. It has a Band Shield Technology that prevents ink from getting on your fingers when changing the date. You can also put a date on when you’ve prayed about something big, or God has answered your prayer, or you had a refreshing encounter with the Lord, or you had a fresh revelation from Him, and many more. 

Documenting them in dates can inspire you to reflect on how you’ve grown spiritually and how faithful God has been to you. Wouldn’t it be amazing to look back on these moments and see the times you worshiped, prayed, felt blessed, etc.? These may seem to be brief moments, but they are an essential part of your journey with the Lord. This date-it-stamp is an adorable tool to use in personalizing your Bible journal.

Pros: 

• The stamp is made of heavy-duty material and is easy to use
• Self-inking Stamp allows for rapid, repetitive stamping.
• Date Range: Good for 12 years
• Open base for easy alignment
• With many font and color combinations available 

Cons:

• Some stamped parts are uneven, so you may find some of your stamped dates or words to be misaligned
• The lettering needs to be a little bolder  

Conclusion

We hope this guide has helped you pick the Bible journaling supplies you need in your creative journey. Make the best of the tools you have and allow yourself to discover more of your artistic potential as you grow in the Lord.

These are all excellent Bible journaling supplies where you could take your pick. But if we would select one from the list, we would choose the NIV, Journal the Word Bible by Zondervan. Firstly, because it is a Bible, it has the Word of God, which is an essential part of this creative process. The typeface is clear and neat, which presents an easy reading experience. Also, it has ample space alongside the verses where you can quickly jot down your thoughts as they come to you. The cover is soft and pretty, which adds to its appeal and makes it a great gift idea.