Best Art Journal Materials and Tools [2023]

No matter the age, art journaling is one of the simplest yet most therapeutic things you can do. There’s something about peeling off stickers and layering them with your art journal supplies, even the sound of tearing papers apart. Finding a simple quote or lyric that stuck with you, and knowing you have somewhere to write it down on. I could go on and on.

If you haven’t picked your journal, you might want to read here: Best Journals to Buy and Best Guided Journals for Mental Health.

But before the best art journal materials to buy, check out the best art journal tools to prepare to get you started.

Note: this post contains affiliate links. This means I might receive a small commission when you purchase products through the links on my post. Rest assured that I always recommend products that I like and/or are best-sellers.

Best Art Journal Tools

Cricut Basic Tool Set

This kit has all the basic art journal tools you’ll need: a spatula, weeder, scraper, scissors, and tweezers.

STAEDTLER Pigment Liner

Staedtler has always been my top choice for drawing, but it also works well for art journaling. With six smear-free, waterproof pens, this set is a must-have.

Shuttle Art 51 Colors Dual Tip

Of course, your art journal supplies are incomplete without colorful pens, and this set already features fine and broad tips in one. It also has a free storage case.

Additionally, you can use these colors for your productivity planners.

Fujifilm Instax Mini Link Smartphone Printer

If you’d rather print your own photos, Fujifilm’s smartphone printer is the one. It’s more convenient, although I personally like the retro experience brought by an instant camera.

You might also want to check this Fujifilm Instax Mini Instant Film Value Pack and stock up on film.

Plus, if you have enough pictures, you can also use them for your bedroom decor.

UCEC Letter Stamps

Letter stamps are one of my top art journal material picks. They’re just very handy and make everything look pretty. This one already comes in lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and essential punctuation marks.

DIY tip: if you’re into pottery or clay art, you can also use these letter stamps to personalize your craft.

NC Quill Pen and Ink Set

Art journal supplies and tools — ***Buy on Amazon***

Can you really call yourself a journaler if you don’t have a quill?

CHUHUAYUAN Wax Seal Stamp Kit

There’s something very satisfying when using a wax seal stamp, at least for an old soul. This wax seal stamp kit includes a wax seal stamp, 720 pieces of wax seal beads in 24 colors, as well as a wax seal warmer, a sealing wax spoon, tweezers, 10 tea candles, and two metallic pens.

EK Success Tools Edge Punch

This gorgeous puncher is great for creating die-cut borders or even for your journal pages, with an alignment guide for precision. You can also choose from four designs.

Firbon A4 Paper Cutter

This one is a must-have for that clean, straight paper cutting. It might also be a work from home essential you never knew you needed.

XFasten Adhesive Roller

Say goodbye to sticky glues and glue sticks, this adhesive roller is in. With its strong adhesion, you can use it for your art journals, scrapbooks, home and office, and even gift wrapping. Completely jam-free and mess-free.

Journal Stencils

Comes in 30 journaling stencils, this set has basic shapes, labels, symbols, letters, lists, and even a calendar. Each stencil is 4″ x 7″.

Custom Self-Inking Stamp

I mean if you want your own customized self-inking stamp, why not right?

Personalized Book Embosser

Here’s another tool that might not be used in your every day, but is good to have to make your journal pages extra gorgeous. Simply choose your design and add the text you want. Plus, it can be used to make your own gift tags, too.

Art journal materials

Best Art Journal Supplies

Scrapbook Paper for Vintage Journaling

Scrapbooking papers are some of the best art journal materials to have. You can use them either as a background or cut the images to layer with other stickers.

Small Talk Stickers by Tim Holtz Idea-ology

This pack includes 296 inspirational words and phrases to add some positivity to your pages. I don’t know about you, but a typewriter font really does it for me.

5 Packs Retro Camera Film Sticker

Another favorite of mine is these retro film stickers, some can be used as frames for tiny pictures or if you want to use a border for your scribbles, while some are plain back for that extra retro touch. They’re also waterproof so you can use them wherever.

Vintage Post Stamp Stickers

These vintage post stamp stickers sets come in 276 stickers per pack, including landmarks, planets, vintage art, and nature. Each sticker is about 1″ x 1.5″, perfect for layering.

Diuhofart Scrapbook Cutouts Paper Lace

These paper lace cut-outs are a great addition to your layers, with flowers, windows, and film strip designs. They’re double-sided in black and white.

Knaid Vintage Scrapbook Supplies Pack

Perhaps one of my favorite sets of journal materials, this vintage pack includes about 60 pieces of translucent stickers and 120 pages of matte papers with 60 designs (two copies each). The set comes with artistic designs from Van Gogh’s artworks to handwritten scripts and newspaper prints. Here is another option from Knaid: