These creative and free online journaling classes are guaranteed to inspire!
Journaling is one of the most creative and useful personal development tools you can find and provides an outlet to deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way. Using a journal you can process your emotions and feelings through writing or art-making – or a combination of both. You can practice new art techniques, and you can even keep a documented record of your life.
Journaling offers a creative outlet for everyone. You can use a writing journal to record your thoughts and feelings, you can express yourself artfully in a mixed media art journal using paints and stencils, and you can even put your sewing skills to the test when making stitched journals.
In this curated collection of creative and free online journaling classes, or free to watch with trial membership, I’ve scoured the internet to find quality classes that will inspire you. If you’re new to journaling you’re sure to find easy journaling classes or techniques to get you started, and if you’re already experienced making and using creative journals, you’re sure to find some new techniques to add to your toolbox.
Contents
Journaling Classes on Skillshare + Special Offer
I recently began to upload some of my online classes to Skillshare who offer a free two week trial. This means you don’t just get a free sample of the class, you can also watch the whole class even if you only sign up for a free trial. And even better, when you sign up for a free trial on Skillshare, you get access to all the classes that they offer including hundreds of other journaling classes, as well as other classes on a wide range of topics.
You can get a free one month trial when you sign up using this special link, or use the links to my most popular classes below. You can also find a full catalogue of my Skillshare classes here.
Watch with Free Trial on Skillshare
Vintage Style Journal
by Linda Matthews
Learn how to make an easy but creative vintage-style journal which has a simple cover design that can be creatively embellished, an inside cover pocket, a hidden spine, and blank vintage tea-stained pages that are just begging to be used.
Find the Vintage Style Journal here
Watch with Free Trial on Skillshare
The Everyday Junk Journal
by Linda Matthews
Learn techniques for making and embellishing an everyday junk journal that is the perfect journal for collecting and storing daily memories, mementos, photos, inspiring quotes, or anything that crosses your path during the course of the day that you might want to remember in years to come.
Find the Everyday Junk Journal class here
Watch with Free Trial on Skillshare
Writing for Self-Discovery
by Yasmine Cheyenne
Put pen to paper and transform your life in just 10 minutes a day in this welcoming class. Through six meditative writing prompts, you’ll gain tools and frameworks to open your mind, leave judgment behind, and make the most of your writing.
Find the Writing for Self-Discovery Journaling class here
Watch with Free Trial on Skillshare
Visual Journaling: Drawing Your Feelings
by Jordan Sondler
This is a fun and meditative class that anyone can benefit from – whether you’re an artist by trade or someone who loves to doodle in the margins of your notebooks. Enjoy a no-pressure way to express and process your experiences.
Find the Drawing Your Feelings Journaling class here
Journaling Classes on CreativeBug + Special Offer
Classes offered by CreativeBug are also free to watch when you sign up for a very generous 2-month free trial. This means you can take your time and watch any of the classes that they have available during that period of time. CreativeBug has thousands of classes and add new classes every day. Plus membership is very reasonably priced so it’s worth considering signing up.
If you do decide to sign up for membership, be sure to choose from one of these special deals so you get even better value. You can either get 2 months free plus 50% off for life which works out to only $4.95/month when you sign up using this special link. Or pay only $1.00 for your first month using this special link.
Watch with Free Trial on CreativeBug
Meditative Art Journaling
by Get Messy
Learn how to make a meditative art journal that serves as a container for your hopes, fears, frustrations and more.
Find the Meditative Art Journaling class here
Watch with Free Trial on CreativeBug
How to Make a Blank Art Journal
by Dawn DeVries Sokol
Learn how to make two kinds of blank mixed-media journals: one from upcycled cereal boxes and a sewn spine; the other with a hard cover book, scrap papers, duct tape, and a button closure. These simple journals are easy to create and are perfect for on-the-go journaling to capture all your creative endeavors.
Find the How to Make a Blank Art Journal class here
Totally Free Online Journaling Classes
Free Class
Poetic Bird
by Ivy Newport
For this art journal page gather your favorite ephemera, collage paper, mixed media materials. Remember also to consider meaning and symbols. Choose colors, marks and images to convey your emotions based on your relationship with the poetic words.
Find the Poetic Bird free class here
Free Class
Art Journaling Lesson
by Ivy Newport
Watch as this mixed media art journal spread comes to life using paint, collage, ink and more. This extensive lesson is full of instruction and helpful tips for creating your own beautiful art journal pieces!
Find the Art Journaling Lesson free class here
Free Class
A Beautiful List
by Ivy Newport
Spring is the perfect time to think about what we want to hold on to and what we want to let go of. In this free art journaling lesson, you’ll explore this theme with dreamy colors, collage, paint and words.
Find the Beautiful List free class here
Free Class
Inner Fire
by Ivy Newport
In this free journaling lesson, play with mixed media collage to create an image that conveys a firey emotion. Using collage you can hone your design and composition skills as you move around the different elements and compose something that speaks to you.
Find the Inner Fire free class here
Free Class
Fabric + Plaster Art Journal
by Jeanne Oliver
In this class, gather your tools and supplies to create a plaster and fabric art journal.
Find the Fabric + Plaster Art Journal free class here
Free Class
Dye + Stitch Journal
by Jeanne Oliver
Create a treasured journal using papers, fabrics, vintage elements, wire, plaster and more.
Find the Dye + Stitch Journal free class here
Free Class
Handmade Journal
by Jeanne Oliver
This handmade journal is fat, chunky and full of layers using whatever you have on hand – watercolor paper, vintage ephemera, book pages, tea bags, library cards, deli paper and more.
Find the Handmade Journal free class here
Free Class
Documented Life Collage Journal
by Jeanne Oliver
This art journal spread was featured in the popular Documented Life Project.
Find the Documented Life Collage Journal free class here
Free Class
Mixed Media Art Supplies 101
by Laly Mille
From painting tools and acrylics to gesso, inks, mark-making and collage, learn all about mixed media art supplies plus tips along the way.
Find the Mixed Media Art Supplies 101 free class here
Free Class
The Original Documented Life Project
by Roben Marie
One part planner plus one part art journal and one part weekly challenge equals an amazing year of organization, inspiration and community. This project will have you create a journal that documents your life for an entire year. It will be one to keep in your memory box.
Find the The Original Documented Life Project free class here
Free Class
Urban Journal Remix
by Roben Marie
In this series of easy-to-follow videos, learn how to turn an old book cover into a unique blank-page journal to create your own Urban Journal.
Find the Urban Journal Remix free class here
Free Class
Transitions Journal
by Roben Marie
In this free mini workshop, learn how to make a journal out of a vintage book and create some painted pages as well.
Find the Transitions Journal free class here
Free Class
Art Journal School
by Marieke Blokland
In this free class learn how to start your own art journal and start making fun arty backgrounds and illustrations without any drawing talent or skills using a basic art supplies list.
Find the Art Journal School free class here
Free Class
Art Journaling 101
by Kristal Norton
In this art journaling class, dive into the basics such as choosing a journal, what supplies to use, journaling fundamentals, stating your intention, creating sacred space, and more. As well as talk about the obstacles you may encounter such as finding time to journal, overcoming the fear of the blank page, the “research trap”, and others.
Find the Art Journaling 101 free class here
Free Class
Secret Journal
by Pringle Hill
Learn how to make your own secret art journal using images, words, and mixed media.
Find the Secret Journal free class here
Free Class
Permission to Play
by Carolyn Dube
Reclaim your sense of play as you make an art journal out of ordinary cardboard and your favorite mixed media supplies.
Find the Permission to Play free class here
Free Class
How to Start Art Journaling
by Get Messy
Learn how to get started with art journaling and take the leap from creative dreaming to creative doing.
Find the How to Start Art Journaling free class here
Free Class
Free Inspirational Art Journal Starter Class
by The Inspiration Place
Included with this class is a supplies video and a downloadable ebook filled with pages of ideas, inspirations and techniques to give you plenty of ideas for how to fill your own art journal on the go.
Find the Art Journal Starter Class free class here
Free Class
Mindfully You
by Tiffany Julia
Create an art journal that is filled to the brim with honesty and mindfulness and explore your world through your senses. Through a mixture of mindfulness, art journaling and photography prompts, you will be pushed to create art journal pages that are full of self-awareness of who you are and how you fit within the world.
Find the Mindfully You free class here
Free Class
My Magic World
by Jenny Grant
In this free mini-class get some inspiration for creating in your art journal in a very relaxed and free way.
Find the My Magic World free class here
Free Class
Mindful Art Journaling
by Rachel Rose
In this free mini-class get some inspiration for creating in your art journal in a very relaxed and free way.
Find the Mindful Art Journaling free class here
Free Class
Matchbook Minis
by Gwen LaFleur
Learn techniques for making matchbook-style mini art journals and get ideas for collaging pages and creating inserts and embellishments for your journals.
Find the Matchbook Minis free class here
Save this pin to your favorite Pinterest board!
