7 Creative Ways to Use Colored Pencils in Bible Journaling

Colored pencils are the best tool you can have for Bible journaling! They’re super easy to use, and so versatile. In this post, I’ll show you some creative ways you can use colored pencils in your Bible journaling.

best colored pencils for Bible journaling

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My friend, there is nothing quite like Bible journaling! In the four years since I started journaling in God’s Word, there have been so many ways that it’s enriched my walk with God—in particular, it has caused me fall in love with His Word. I’m just such a visual person, and so journaling really helps bring the Scriptures to life for me.

Have you experienced the benefits of Bible journaling for yourself yet? If not, I pray you will! If you have a desire to explore God’s Word through journaling, then nothing should stop you. Not even a lack of supplies, time, or funds.

I believe that, if you want to use journaling as a means to spend time with God and study His Word, he will provide a way for you to do that. Every person will have different journaling methods, different supplies they like to use, and different ways of going about the whole process. The goal, is to find what works for you, and then do that.

🌟 BUT, that being said, I think we can all agree that colored pencils are the most easy-to-use and accessible Bible journaling supply out there! 🌟 Firstly, they’ll never ever bleed through the paper (as some Bible pens or markers can). And even if you’re on a budget, you can still afford an inexpensive set of colored pencils! Coloring doesn’t have to take a lot of time either. It’s the simplest way to get started Bible journaling!

Case in point, I actually love to paint, stamp, and do all kinds of things in my journaling Bible. However, even with all the fancy supplies I have, there are some days when I still reach for my trusty colored pencils, because hello! Colored pencils are so simple to use! Say, if I had a busy Sunday and didn’t even get home until 8pm, there’s no way I would start painting and stamping in my Bible that late in the evening. Instead, I grab my colored pencils and do something that’s simple and doesn’t take much time, but is still impactful to help me meditate on God’s Word.

The Best Colored Pencils for Bible Journaling

I really love Prismacolor Premier colored pencils in particular, because they’re very soft and gentle on the delicate Bible paper, and the color laydown is so smooth. In my opinion, they are the best colored pencils for Bible journaling! Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use other brands of colored pencils for journaling, just that these are the cream of the crop.

Prismacolor Premier colored pencils

But no matter what kind of colored pencils you use, I promise there is so much you can do with them! Don’t think of colored pencils as only for coloring between the lines (like in coloring books)…think of them as your multi-purpose go-to Bible journaling tool.

7 Ways to Use Colored Pencils in Bible Journaling

Below, are seven ways that I like to use colored pencils in my Bible journaling. And these are just the ways I know of! What creative ways will you come up with for using colored pencils in your Bible journaling?

1) Use them to write with, instead of pens!

While you’re already coloring on the page anyway, why not just use your colored pencils to write notes in the margin too? Especially if you take your journaling Bible on the go, like to church, Bible study group, or even on vacation, you probably don’t want to carry a ton of supplies. Why drag along all your Bible pens and highlighters, when you can just use colored pencils for everything?

Bible journaling - work as for the Lord

2) Highlight a verse!

Colored pencils also make excellent dry, Bible safe highlighters! It’s so easy to emphasize your chosen verse or passage of Scripture, by highlighting it with your colored pencil. Simply color over the text lightly, for a bleed-free highlight.

Or, for a longer passage of Scripture, draw a darker colored border around it, and then fill in the inside with a lighter color. Traditional highlighters only come in a few basic colors, but with a large set of colored pencils (I have this Prismacolor set of 72 colored pencils), you can use a different color for each verse if you choose.

Bible journaling highlight

3) Color in your own line art!

If you’re feeling inspired by a particular Scripture, you can always create your own coloring-book-style image with a Pigma Micron pen, and fill it in with colored pencils. Add some of your own Bible verse lettering to the margin, or draw some flowers or other images to color in.

Bible journaling with colored pencils - Proverbs 3:5-6

4) Make a colorful background!

One thing I do often, is use my colored pencils to color around the main artwork. It’s a great way to add color to the page, without detracting from the main focus (that is, the verse itself, and any words or images you’ve added in the margin). Lay down your main focus items first, and then color in the background around it. (I say this, because certain things like ink stamps and washi tape may not adhere well on top of the waxy texture of colored pencil.)

Bible journaling with colored pencils - 1 Corinthians 13

5) Color in a stamped image!

Stamps are a great way to add fantastic art to your Bible page, regardless of your own artistic ability. My favorites come from Sweet-n-Sassy Stamps, but there are many more Bible journaling stamps out there too. Once a stamped image is dry, you can use your colored pencils to color in or around it. Sometimes, I stamp with colored or metallic ink, but other times, I stamp in plain black ink and then fill in the image with my colored pencils.

6) Color in a stencil!

Stencils can be so handy, for adding unique backgrounds, shapes, and effects to your Bible pages. You can always trace the stencil first with a pencil or pen, and then color in the resulting image with your colored pencils. Or, just skip that step, and use your colored pencils to trace and color the stencil.

Bible journaling with colored pencils and stencils

7) Make your own illustrations!

This is one area that I’m not very good at, but if you’re one of those people who are naturally good at drawing, go for it! The great thing about colored pencils is, they won’t bleed through the page, and you can still see the Bible text underneath. So, go all out with a full page illustration of, say, a fruit tree! (You can see my attempt at that fruit tree below…it’s not the prettiest or most elaborate fruit tree, but it still serves to bring Psalm 1:2-3 to life).

Blessed is the one “whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
Psalm 1:2-3

Bible journaling with colored pencils - Psalm 1:2-3

So, as you can see, colored pencils really are the best all-around tool for Bible journaling! I mean, you know, I do love using other things too, like paint, stamps, and ink, but colored pencils are just so handy and versatile…they really take the cake. 😉

✝️ No matter what tools you use though, the reason for Bible journaling is the same: To spend time in God’s word, worshiping, praying, learning, and committing it to memory—so you can apply the Scriptures to your life. So grab what supplies you have, and start journaling!

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