Summer Art Journaling Ideas to Spark Creativity

There’s something about summer that invites a different kind of creativity. It could be the longer days, the way colours seem brighter, or the slower pace that gives you room to play. If you’ve ever found yourself drawn to sketching in the garden, collaging a travel page, or simply layering washi tape without a plan — that’s summer art journaling.

You don’t need to be “good at art” to enjoy it. Summer art journaling is all about noticing what’s around you, expressing how the season feels, and letting go of perfection in favour of curiosity. Whether you journal daily or only when the mood hits, this post will give you creative ways to make your pages feel like summer.

What Is Summer Art Journaling?

Summer art journaling is a creative way to capture the feel of the season using colour, shape, texture, and play — instead of just words. It’s a mix of visual journaling, scrapbooking, and everyday creativity; there’s no right or wrong way to do it.

What makes summer art journaling unique is how it draws from the season. Think of using colours inspired by sunsets or beach towels, pressing flowers from a walk, or layering ticket stubs, wrappers, and textures from your day. It’s less about making something beautiful and more about building a page that feels like summer — a little chaotic, fun, and full of real moments.

Whether you’re painting, collaging, doodling, or glueing bits and pieces from your day, summer art journaling gives you a flexible way to reflect on what this season means to you.

Easy Art Journaling Supplies to Get Started

You don’t need a fancy art kit or expensive materials to enjoy summer art journaling. Some of the best pages come from whatever’s already lying around. Here are a few easy supplies to get you started:

• A sketchbook, notebook, or even loose paper – remember that thicker paper will handle heavier paints or collage items better.
• Coloured pencils, markers, or watercolours
• Magazines, travel brochures, or old maps for collage
• Glue stick or tape
• Stickers, washi tape, or scrap paper
• A small bag or envelope for collecting found items (leaves, receipts, wrappers, etc.)
• Optional: flower press, photo printer, or stamps if you want to get fancy

It’s not about having the “right” tools — it’s about using what you have to explore how summer feels to you.

Summer Art Journaling Ideas to Try

Here are some playful, low-pressure ideas to spark your creativity. Pick one, mix a few, or use them as a jumping-off point for your own ideas:

1. Create a summer colour palette. Pick 3–5 colours that feel like your summer. Use paint swatches, magazine scraps, or coloured pens.
2. Collage a memory from this week. Use scraps, receipts, doodles, or handwritten fragments to tell the story.
3. Illustrate your ideal summer day. It doesn’t have to be realistic — just something that makes you smile.
4. Make a weather page. Record a week of weather using drawings, colour blocks, or textures.
5. Art-journal your summer playlist. Choose a song and draw how it feels, not what it says.
6. Use natural elements. Press flowers, make leaf prints, or rub crayons over bark or paving stones.
7. Make a mood tracker with summer icons. Suns, waves, sunglasses, fruit — use one daily to reflect your feelings.
8. Decorate a page with found papers. Bus tickets, food wrappers, packaging from something summery — anything goes.
9. Draw your favourite summer drink. Add labels, ingredients, or just colours that remind you of it.
10. Document a day using only visuals. No words — just marks, shapes, and scraps that reflect the vibe.

What If You Don’t Feel Creative?

We all hit those days when inspiration runs low. The trick isn’t to force it — it’s to lower the bar. Here are a few ways to keep going even when creativity feels out of reach:

• Swatch some colours — no purpose, just fun.
• Stick down a few scraps or washi tape and see what happens next.
• Copy a shape or pattern from something nearby.
• Trace around your hand, your coffee cup, or a leaf.
• Pick one colour and fill a whole page with it, however you like.

Summer art journaling isn’t about making something beautiful. It’s about giving yourself space to notice, explore, and enjoy the process — even if the page turns out weird.

Wrapping Up Summer Art Journaling

The beauty of summer art journaling is that it meets you wherever you are — whether you’re feeling full of creative energy or want a quiet five minutes to yourself. There’s no pressure to get it right, no perfect layout, and no rules.

Let your pages reflect the season as it is: sometimes bright, sometimes messy, always worth remembering. However you choose to journal this summer, adding a bit of art is a fun, expressive way to capture it all — no words required.