Best Art Journals You’ll Love Using For Different Art Styles And Techniques

There is a great number of art journals you can get in shops or online, and you might feel confused with all the choices out there. You might also be wondering what journals you could use with all that wet media you have around, or with all those art supplies that require thicker paper to work on.

First of all, I’m sharing the best art journals I’ve been using for a long time and why I love them. I hope this can help you decide which one to buy.

These art journals are great for mixed media lovers and for those of you who love painting in watercolor. Why? Because they have thicker paper that can handle water and we media well. I’ll show you which one of these journals are great for mixed media and which ones for watercolor.

Also, I’m going to tell you where you can buy them, so you can start this art journaling adventure ASAP.

Finally, you’ll learn which art journals are adored by artists like you and me. This info is a result of a survey where art journalists shared which art journals they love using and why. I’m so excited about this because this is what’s important to us: to have somebody honestly tell us which journals are a great choice for us. So, stay tuned!

Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through that link, I get a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

The list of the best art journals

I’ve tried all these journals and that’s why I’m recommending them to you: they have worked really well for me! I’ve been making mixed-media pages in them as well as using watercolor and they haven’t let me down.

Jane Davenport Art Journal A5

These are the art journals I’d always recommend. What I love the most about them is their paper. They have thick watercolor paper inside which is amazing if you want to use different wet techniques.

The thick paper lets you use different wet media like watercolors, acrylics, or spray inks, without worrying about pages bleeding. These can take so much water and still not bleed.

Watercolor paper is the best paper ever! I’ve tried painting with watercolor on different kinds of paper, but it’s never as pretty as on watercolor paper. The thicker, the better.

I’m using the A5 size of these art journals, they are sturdy and easy to carry around.

Even more, you can get a journal with blank canvas covers so you can paint them in whatever way you like.

Marabu Mixed Media Art Journal A5 & A4

These were the first art journals that I purchased and I’ve loved them since.

However, their pages are not as thick as in Jane Davenport’s art journals.

They’re still great for drawing and painting, but you have to be careful not to put too much water on them because the pages bleed. You can use watercolor but with limited water. Also, spray paint can also make the paper bleed, that’s why I love this art journal for other mixed media, especially acrylic paint.

They are amazing for drawing, sketching, and painting with acrylic paint. I have these in two sizes: A4 and A5. They’re both great, depends on how comfortable you are with bigger art journals. There’s really a lot of real estate in the A4 size of this journal.

These art journals are super thick, they have 72 pages, and that lasts for a long time of art journaling.

Check out this journal on Amazon

Marabu Ring Binder A4

This is my recent discovery and I must say that I love the paper inside it. The Marabu journals I mentioned above have slightly thinner pages than this one.

This binder journal has very thick pages of 300g/m which means the paper is really thick. Marabu has created these art journals specifically for mixed media, and it says so on the cover. That said, I’ve tried all my media on this paper and I’m amazed at how much it can take.

So, if you’re into mixed media, this is an excellent choice for you, especially because it’s an A4 size, which is about 8,3×11,7 in, so you can knock yourself out and create endlessly in this huge real estate.

Another good thing about it is that you can rip out pages easily if you want to frame your artwork or something. The pages come out easily.

Check out this journal on Amazon

Moleskine ART Collection Journals

These are some of the best art journals I’ve ever had. The paper inside is 200g/m, it’s perfectly thick for different wet media, especially watercolor. Actually, the paper is designed specifically for painting with watercolor.

However, it can crumble just a little bit if you add much water, but I’d expect that from other journals, too, and from watercolor paper as well. But that doesn’t hurt at all, I can paint with watercolor in it and my painting will look gorgeous on this paper.

The art journal comes in different sizes, some of them being A3, A4, large size, and pocket, and in different shapes.

You can explore these journals at their official site here.

Check out this journal on Amazon

Best art journals other artists recommend

The info I’m sharing here is the result of a survey I conducted among my readers. According to a hundred art journalists, here are the best art journals you can use.

DIY/Handmade art journals

As you can see, the most popular kind of art journal is the one artists make themselves. Here are the reasons they love making and using them so much.

Isn’t this creative and witty? There’s an idea for all of you who can’t find premade art journals.

Other artists from the survey make DIY art journals because they can choose the paper, the binding, and the cover. One of them says that she enjoys the freedom of building such a journal because she gets to decide about everything so the art journal fits her needs perfectly.

Canson Art Journals/Paper/Notebooks

This one seems to be the favorite one to buy. Honestly, I’ve never tried this one, but here’s what other art journalists have to say about it.

Tathy loves Canson’s sketchbook because “The pages welcome all kids of pens and paint.”

In addition, others love these Canson journals because they can take a wide variety of media without falling apart, or because they have heavy-duty chipboard cover; a spiral spine so you can tear out pages. Also, they can withstand mixed media (paints, watercolor), it’s good for collages and has different sizes available.

In conclusion, the Canson papers and journals are great because of:

You can buy these art journals on:

Amazon

Blick Art Materials

Strathmore Art Journals

It seems many art journalists love the Strathmore paper and journals. You can find their journals specifically for watercolor, mixed media, or sketching. So, here’s what art journalists say about them and why they love using them.

In conclusion, the Canson papers and journals are great because of:

You can buy these art journals on:

Amazon

Blick Art Materials (here, you’ll find a long list of all of their journals and paper pads)

Dylusions Art Journals

I’ve seen Dyan Reaveley (the creator of these journals) work in them with sprays and water, and the pages still hold really well.

Also, they come in various sizes, colors, and shapes and have a chipboard cover that you can paint as you like.

It’s been on my wishlist for quite some time and I can’t wait to try it.

Here’s why people love these art journals.

In conclusion, the Dylusions Art Journals are great because of:

You can get the Dylusions art journals on:

Amazon

Blick Art Materials

Ranger

Dina Wakley Mixed Media Journal

This art journal is specifically made for mixed media and I’ve seen Dina use it, as well as many other artists. They all seem to love the journal because of all the different papers inside. Among others, it even includes burlap, cotton, canvas pages, how fun is that?

Its size is 10×14,25 in and has 54 pages inside. I think this is the next art journal I’m going to try. Dina is an amazing artist and if she designed this journal, she knew what she was doing.

In conclusion, Dina Wakley art journals are great because of:

You can find Dina’s journals on:

Amazon

Ranger

Overall summary of the best art journals

All these art journals have amazing things about them. Choosing the right one for you depends on what you want to make in them, what size you’re comfortable with, and of course, the price range.

These are the results of the survey, showing what things are most important to artists when it comes to their art journals.

It seems the quality of the paper is the most important factor. Why? Because we all want to use our supplies without worrying about the paper crumpling too much or bleeding. All of the journals I’ve mentioned above have good paper inside, some are for watercolor, some for mixed media. But what they have in common is the thick paper that holds wet medial well.

Next comes the size. It seems most artists prefer the A5 size because they can carry it everywhere and don’t have to fear a large space to fill with paint.

Price is also important, and this really depends on your budget. If your budget is tight, then I suggest trying to make your own handmade art journal. You’ll have fun doing it and learn a lot, I promise you that.

Finally, binding is important and also depends on your needs. If you want to take out the pages, a spiral-bound journal might be the perfect fit. Spiral binding is also great if you need your journal to lay flat open. However, sometimes when you want to make a spread, including both pages, the spiral binding gets in the way.

Here’s a short recap of the best art journals I’ve mentioned above:

1. A handmade art journal: the freedom to make it the way you want, and is the cheapest option, but requires more time
2. Canson art journals/paper pads: great for mixed media and watercolor, with thick papers and the price is affordable
3. Strathmore art journals: wide range of sizes and purposes, thick paper for mixed media, the price might seem expensive to some with a tight budget
4. Dylusions art journals: thick paper, sturdy cover, great for mixed media
5. Dina Wakley art journals: an amazing variety of papers inside, quality paper, with a higher price than others
6. Moleskine art collection: great for watercolor and mixed media, different sizes, sturdy covers, some can be a bit expensive
7. Jane Davenport art journals: excellent watercolor paper inside that takes wet media really well, higher price range, canvas covers
8. Marabu art journals: affordable price, great for mixed media, but they can’t take too much water, except for the A4 Binder that has thicker pages