Bible Journaling: 6 Simple Arrows You Can Draw Today

Bible Journaling: 6 Simple Arrows You Can Draw Today
Arrows are very versatile. You can use them as dividers when you're writing Bible verses, to draw attention to something or just as cute little accents to your art. Most people can probably draw a simple arrow. But if you're looking to add a little flair, here are six arrows you can draw today!

(And if you like these, check out my post on how to draw wreaths & laurels.)

FYI, I'm using a micron pen here. They are great for Bible journaling as they do not bleed through thin pages, and they give a thin, but strong outline. For more Bible-J supplies, check out my post.

Whimsical Arrow
To start this arrow, draw a straight line. Don't worry if it's a tad askew... just go back and forth over it a couple times. To add the point, draw a sideways "v" shape. Then connect the ends back to the shaft. Next, add a kind of slinky shape with a couple dangling pieces. This should look like a string wrapped around the shaft. Next add your fletching to the other end by drawing a few angled lines and then connecting each one with a half-circle shape. Add a couple more dangly strings to the end and three circles on the shaft.

Tribal Arrow
For this arrow, begin with your straight line with the v-shape tip. Then make a smaller v-shape to connect it back to the shaft, so you end up with a kind of paper airplane shaped tip. Add another v inside the tip as shown. Draw three circular dots just below the arrow head on the shaft. Next add the coil shape to the shaft. And add your fletching on the end by drawing two angled lines and connecting them with a kind of zig-zaggy line. Add another coil with a couple dangly strings.

Boho Arrow

For this arrow, begin with your line and tip just like you did above. I also filled in the center of my arrow tip to make it more interesting. Draw two spiky shapes just below the tip and then add a few circles and a diamond shape as shown. For the end, start with two curls, kind of like a sideways "m". Next add a couple of wavy lines, kind of like a sideways letter "s". Add another, longer one and accent it with a few dots. Fill in with more curly shapes as shown.

Curvy Arrow

This next little arrow is a fun, curvy one. Start with a frowny-face shape and add your tip as shown. Next add three dots just below the tip. To make your fletching, draw oval shapes, larger at the end and smaller as you go up the shaft. Add a coil just below the fletching on the shaft. Finally, draw two dangly strings on the end.

Simple Arrow

This simple arrow is pretty self-explanatory. Just follow the steps as shown below.

Traditional Arrow

To draw, begin with your line and add two angled lines for the tip. Next, add the shaft lines, three and three, larger at the end and smaller toward the front. Add two little vertical lines next to the fletching and a coil to the shaft. You can also add a vertical line to the tip and fill it in if you like. Then finish with three circles near the tip.

Great Job!

Have fun and don't be afraid to experiment a little. Mix and match the designs. For color, you can outline your arrows in crayon or colored pencil. They also look pretty with just a watercolor or gelato background. You can read about gelatos here.

And there you have it! Six simple arrows to accent your next Bible Journaling project. Which ones will you try? Comment on your favorites below. or show off your doodles by connecting with Bible Journaling Ideas on Facebook.

Want more ideas? Check out my post to see what you can do with white crayon in your Bible.

Bible Journaling With White Crayon

Bible Journaling With White Crayon
I fondly remember doing this in elementary school art class, and the first time I discovered I could write a secret letter, that my friend could reveal when she colored over the words, written in white. Now, I'm taking those childhood skills and putting them to use in my journaling Bible. Here are a few ways to use white crayon in your journaling.

Granted, some of them did not turn out so great, but I'm sharing those, too. Maybe they will give you new ideas. Or save you the trouble of ruining a perfectly good journal entry.

Use A Traceable
So, first, I used my traceable (available at the end of this post). Putting it under my paper, I traced over it with white crayon. Of course, you could just freehand something, but keeping track of white crayon on white paper is no easy task, so I like to follow a guide--in this case, my traceable "faith, hope, love."

Method 1: Gelatos
For my first experiment, I used Gelatos. If you haven't used these before, they are so beautiful and fun. I highly recommend them for any Bible J-er. You can read about my first experience using Gelatos here.

I colored Gelato over my white crayon and then smeared and blended it with a paper towel. I think the effect is very soft and pretty. And the crayon shows through nicely. Plus, I know from experience that Gelatos don't bleed through fragile Bible pages. Win!



Method 2: Brush Markers
Next, I tried coloring over my white crayon with my Tanmit brush markers. This worked very well, leaving a crisp outline. However, it's a fairly simple look. I wasn't able to do any blending. These brush pens also do not bleed through too badly as long as they are not too thickly applied to the page.

Method 3: Watercolor Paints
My third attempt was a watercolor, which I did over another printable of an umbrella (find it here). I simply dipped my brush in water, swirled it around in my watercolor paints and applied them over the crayon. I was surprised to find the watercolor did not work very well. The image looked faded. But I wasn't ready to give up on the watercolor look yet. I decided to try a trick I'd learned.

Method 4: Faux Watercolor with Markers
I colored on a plastic sandwich baggie with my Tanmit brush markers, using different shades of purple, pink and blue. Then I lightly misted the baggie with a water bottle and scrunched it up a little. I applied the wet colors to my paper, right over the top of the white crayon. I had to do this a few times, but it did leave a decent image... much more clear than traditional watercolor. However, I think this would most likely bleed through a Bible page.

Conclusion
Overall, the cleanest methods seemed to be the Gelatos and the straight-up marker. Which one are YOU going to try? Let me know in the comments and send me your pictures on Facebook.

To download this free traceable file (faith, hope, love arrows), click the image below to open, then right click to save.

Want more Bible J Ideas?Check out my post on Bible Journaling Supplies. 

Bible Journaling for Beginners

Bible Journaling For Beginners
You've seen the photos of beautiful, colorful Bible verses. And you've thought about whether you should take the plunge and buy a journaling Bible of your own. But it's all so intimidating. Which Bible should you choose? And what supplies will you need? Can you just pick up a pencil and draw in your Bible? Is drawing in a Bible even allowed?

Take a breath. And let's see what it takes to begin Bible journaling.

Can I draw in my Bible?
First, let's look at the question... can I draw in my Bible? Is it allowed?
To answer this, we need to take a look at God's word. In fact, let's look at the very beginning, the first five words of the Bible in Genesis  1:1. "In the beginning, God created..."
Did you catch that? God is a creator. It's the first thing we learn about him! In fact, the process of God creating is described in the entire first chapter of Genesis. He creates the earth, sky, sea, land, creatures and of course, you and me. Did you know God even created light BEFORE he created the sun, moon or stars?

I think it's safe to say creativity comes from God. And if you have a gift and desire to create, then it makes sense that that talent should be used to express your love for God's word. And share it! Now, you will likely want a journaling Bible that is separate from your study Bible. And that's okay! It gives you freedom to express artistically in your journaling Bible, while still being able to read God's word and reflect on it in your study Bible.

Choosing a Journaling Bible
Now that you know it's okay to color in your Bible, how do you go about finding a journaling Bible? This can be tricky and intimidating, but let's ask a couple basic questions.

1. Which translation works best for you? I've always liked NIV. I started reading reviews and found that this NIV journaling Bible made sense for me.

2. What do you want to do with your journaling Bible? Do you want pre-made designs that you can color? Or would you rather create your own art? If so, you'll want a Bible with plenty of blank space. If you want to write words in your Bible, you might choose one that has lines on the side of each page. You'll also want a Bible that lies flat when it's open.


Here are a few options for journaling Bibles:




The Process of Starting Your First Entry
Now that you have a Bible, it's time to put pen to paper! There is no right or wrong way to begin, but I know it can be hard. That blank page is so perfect. And what if you mess it up? Here are a few easy steps to get you started.

1. Finding a verse. What verse should you choose? There are a few options. One is to use a verse from your recent studies, something that jumped out at you. Another is to go on Pinterest. Take a look at what others are doing. It's okay to be inspired by each other. You can also search for a topic. Look up verses about joy, love, mountains, birds, whatever you think would make a good picture in your mind. Or just choose a verse that has special meaning to you.

2. Reflect on your verse. Think about what God is saying. What words jump out? Try sketching on a separate piece of paper as you reflect and see what ideas come to mind. I like to listen to music while I create, too. Make your time with God special!

3. Pictures & Words. Grab a pencil and sketch out your design. Again, you can start on a separate piece of paper. Or you can just write the words in your margin using pretty handwriting. Try combining straight letters and cursive to mix things up. Or you can draw a picture to go with the words. Be brave! Let your picture spill over the typed words of your Bible. And consider drawing a border around the verse you're working on to make it stand out.

4. Color. When you have a design you enjoy, consider outlining it. Micron pens work well and don't usually bleed through. Color in your design using colored pencils, crayons, paint, etc. You can read more about coloring and art supplies in my post: Bible Journaling Supplies for Beginners.

If this process is still too intimidating, try something simpler.

Traceables
Print out a design you like and trace it into your Bible. I have free designs here, or you can find this hot air balloon design in my Etsy shop, along with these traceable Bible verse bookmarks.

And you can read about how to transfer an image into your Bible in my post, Bible Journaling: Transferring An Image Into Your Bible.

You're ready! Just remember there is no right or wrong way to Bible-J, as long as you focus on God's word. And just to inspire you (and let you know you're not the world's worst artist, ha ha!), have a look at my very first Bible doodle here.

Two Printables for Isaiah

Free Bible Journaling Traceables for Isaiah
Okay, Bible J-ers! You asked for printables, and here are what I hope will be the first of many to come. These two printables were inspired by the book of Isaiah. I doodled them and scanned them for you to print & trace into your Bible.

One is an oak sprouting from an acorn, inspired by Isaiah 11:1 -
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The other is an umbrella in the rain with a little sprout rising up out of a puddle that spells "salvation." It's inspired by Isaiah 45:8 -

You heavens above, rain down my righteousness;
    let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
    let salvation spring up,
let righteousness flourish with it;
    I, the Lord, have created it.

How To Use Traceables
To use these, print them out and follow the directions here for tracing them into your Bible. Easy peasy!



In the interest of full disclosure, I did not actually color these in my Bible.... yet. Instead, I overlaid the images into photos of my Bible using Photoshop and then experimented with different looks. The umbrella photo is how it might look using watercolor paints, and the oak sprout is how it might look with colored pencil. But you can color them however you want. Be creative and use your own unique ideas for coloring your traceables.

And when you're done, please share your ideas with me on Facebook.
Now, who's going to try these traceable designs in their journaling Bibles?

Want more Bible J Ideas?
Check out these Bible Journaling Supplies for Beginners.

To download this traceable, click the image below to open. Then right click and save the file.

Bible Journaling Using Gelatos

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit...
Acts 2:4

So, I finally did it. I finally broke down and ordered some Faber-Castell Gelatos. I have no idea what they are, but the idea of combining pretty paints and dessert sounded good to me. Plus, I've seen them pop up time and again on Pinterest.

Here's the skinny on Gelatos:

They come in tubes that remind me A LOT of Lip Smackers. If you've ever wanted to paint a picture using your lip balm, then these are for you. Seriously, though, Gelatos have an effect a lot like watercolor, but without the messy bleed-through.

I kind of love them.

When I sat down at the kitchen table this morning and opened my journaling Bible, I didn't have much of a plan. So, I found a good verse to read about and then went straight to art. I drew a lovely little doodle of a crown and some words with it.

I'll admit I didn't meditate as much as I should have. I was in such a hurry to try my gelatos, I kind of lost track of the real point of Bible journaling, which is to make the word of God personal in a beautiful, colorful way. (At least, that's how I use it.)

So, it's not surprising my first attempt was a fail. As I picked up my gelatos, I realized they are not really useful on tiny details, which this doodle had. They are very pretty for larger images or background color, though.

Attempt #2

I slowed down a bit and did a little research on Pinterest to find some ideas. Then I tried out my gelatos on paper to see how they interacted with each other, with water, with blending, with pencil on top and beneath.

How Gelatos interact with pencil and water and blending.

Then I turned to Acts.

I decided to use my Gelatos to try to capture the fire of the Holy Spirit.

I cut a heart out of paper and quite boldly put the gelato onto the page and just kind of winged it. I scribbled around the edges, using the heart as negative space. *Lesson learned here: take the lids of your gelatos and have them ready if you decide to do this. I had to hold my paper heart in place with one hand while trying to take off lids with the other. A bit tricky.

After I'd scribbled over the heart with my gelatos, I then wet a brush (they come with one in the package) and tried a little blending (with paper behind my page to stop bleed-through). I also tried blending with the squishy and not-so-squishy blending sponges (also included with the gelatos).

Gelatos = No bleeding through the Bible page!

HOW LONG DO GELATOS TAKE TO DRY?

I don't know how long these take to "cure". I don't say "dry" because they're not really wet. They are kind of like squishy crayons. They were "dry" to the touch shortly after use. The only "wet" parts were places where I'd put the gelatos on too thick. Still, I'm leaving my Bible open tonight. Tomorrow I'll close it and then update this post of the Gelatos leave marks on the opposite page. Sound good? :)

Update** Gelatos seem to dry fairly quickly. They're not really "wet" to start with, so if you leave your Bible open for an hour or two, I don't think you'll have too much trouble with smudging or transferring to the opposite page when you close it. However, I let mine stay open for a few hours just to be safe. :)

FINAL EVALUATION OF GELATOS:

• They are like painting with tubes of lip balm, only much brighter
• They blend nicely with or without water (some people say to use a baby wipe to blend)
• They look like watercolor paint when blended
• They do not bleed through thin Bible pages! Hooray!
• Bible words DO show up beneath Gelatos
• They DO work OVER Micron pen, but smudge over pencil
• Pencil DOES write on top of Gelatos!
• Not great for tiny details, more for use as background color or large images
• Do they need time to "dry"? The jury is still out on this.
• Fun and pretty to use!

 *Note: I dated my Bible entry wrong. This doodle was done on February 1, 2017. LOL!

My First Watercolor: With & Without Gesso

Isaiah 43:19a
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

A NEW THING
I've been Bible journaling for a year now. And always, always I've used the same old, safe technique:
first pencil, then Micron pen, then fill with Crayola Twistables or gel pens. It was safe. It was familiar.

Then one day I got it in my head to use paint. I felt bold and brave! I researched online and found out a few things. Like, if you don't want the paint to bleed through those fragile, frail Bible-thin pages, you need to prime your page with gesso.

So, I did! I painted both sides of the page. It was wet, messy and dried VERY wrinkly. I was so discouraged that I left that page alone for almost a YEAR. I didn't touch it, which was unfortunate because it was one of my favorite verses.

You can read about gesso and other Bible J supplies here.

So, fast forward to this morning. I was thinking that I'd started this here Bible journaling page to inspire others, but also MYSELF to try new things! So, I was going to be brave and give paint another shot... not just any paint... but that beautiful, translucent, runny wet WATERCOLOR!

I loaded up my new toolbox and set up shop at the kitchen table.

WITH GESSO
So, I was thinking I'd like to show what watercolor does to super-thin Bible pages. But what verse to try? Then I remembered one of my favorites. I turned to Philippians 4:8-9 and lo! That page felt... funny. And I remembered it was the page I'd coated with gesso all those months ago. I'd had the same plan to use watercolor on that page, but chickened out after it went all wrinkly.

But it wasn't too wrinkly anymore. In fact, it had been flattened quite nicely. So, then I got an idea to show you fine people the difference between watercolor on gesso and watercolor on a page that DIDN'T have any gesso on it.

Here goes.

I started by propping up my Bible with this totally professional set of kitchen tongs. Okay, laugh if you want, but getting your Bible to lay flat when you're all the way down in Philippians is no easy feat!


























I began writing out my Bible verse in pencil. In hindsight, it would have been a bit more "PRO" to print out tidy fonts and trace them, but I'm lazy.

Then I tested out my old cheapy watercolors from who-knows-when. They still worked, although the yellow and brown were almost gone, but who needs those, right? I liked my first attempt (on the white paper), so I folded up some paper, stuffed it behind my gesso-coated Bible page (just to be safe, I mean no point in ruining the whole book of Philippians), and I started painting.

I'd read that less water=less bleed. So, I dabbed my brush on a paper towel. I didn't really have a plan here, and rainbow seemed like a good option, so that's what I did.

After the paint was all dry, I went over the words with black Micron pen. You can see the finished product as well as the back of the page. Not too much bleed-through. I call it a success!

Watercolor on a page primed with gesso.

The back of the gesso-primed page.

NAKED PAGE (NO GESSO)
So, now it was time to try watercolor paint on another page that had NO gesso protection, a blank naked page. Flip ahead to 1 Timothy 4:16. I'd worked on this verse back in November and never actually colored it. Perfect! I could see if the Micron pens bleed when covered in watery paint!

I did another hasty rainbow-ish coat (remind me to think ahead a little next time). And you can see the bleed-through difference on the back.



Watercolor on a page WITHOUT primer.
(Also I painted on top of Micron pen, which held up great! No smears.)



On the left, the back of the gesso-primed page. On the right, the non-primed "naked" page.
You can see the gesso kept the paint from bleeding through (mostly).



All-in-all I would say, "Gesso for the win!" It really does keep the paint from bleeding too badly. However, it is very time-consuming. Lots of painting and drying. Then you have to get those wrinkles out. If there's a way to do that besides lots of time being smashed flat, I don't know how. The naked-page method, however, works okay too. But I might need to put stickers on the other side of that page.

Hey! That just means I get to try another new thing, right? :)

Want MORE Bible J Ideas? Check out my post on how to draw wreaths and laurels.