My 10yr. Old granddaughter does this. She used to just draw on loose paper now she displays them in a notebook. Plus she can get away with drawing in school on the sly. Pretty sneaky of her.

Loved this video. I have tons of art supplies, but also this terrible thing about ruining my journals and art paper, which keeps me doing NOTHING MUCH. Great idea to use very cheap composition notebooks. That is something I can't possible see as wasting since I see it as waste paper to begin with (until now). Love, also, the idea of filling the page with paint because how could I possibly ruin it by adding more paint. Maybe this is the turning point I have been wishing for in many decades. I actually turned 74 today. Not even remotely planning on dying in the next couple of decades.

I purchase a cheap, blank book at a thrift store. I thought it was 100% blank. When I got home I discovered several drawings. Stuff that is not really my style - fantasy, fairies and castles and such. I've decided to keep them and make a story around them. So thrift stores are another thought.

I got a ten pack of graph lined composition books for my children’s math assignments during COVID. They don’t need them anymore. I have been using them for Morning Pages but don’t like all the lines. It makes it hard to see what I’ve written. Had planned to get rid of them but now I’m inspired! I’ll go back over my Morning Pages and I’ll start making layouts in the blank ones! Thank you!

Wow! Total game changer! I’m disabled so I live on a pretty small budget to begin with, but this has really opened up the playing field for me. I can’t wait to get started now. Thanks for sharing ur knowledge!

This principle is applicable to so many practices, not just art. I constantly have to remind myself of this, because it’s so easy to fall for the FOMO and to procrastinate on starting a new hobby, craft, or project. I love how you explained it here. Thank you so much!

i have been using Compositions for years. i am supper big on using them for junk journals. i just started learning about all the other more expensive paper this year. honestly its a bit intimidating to work with. i still preferer to use composition. i also go to goodwill or other thrift stores and i buy old planners and i use those to make my collages. I had and still do get creative because i dont have money to spend on art supply's. and i didnt want that to be the reason why i dont get to do art. Art plays a big roll in my life. its therapeutic to me and helps me with my homeless situation. thank you for showing that its okay to use compositions books and that getting creative is okay!!! thank you

Early 1980s, one of those oldies here, my love of art was enough to revel in any art supply. But I did do several things to slowly experience more expensive supplies. Back then Michaels and the rest were small town, hole in the wall, art stores that usually had one or two sales a year. Mine did a 50% off for 4 hours once a year. I'd take inventory, draw up a shopping list, and beeline to the seconds and dents/scratches table. One year I was able to afford expensive watercolor brushes for $7 each instead of $30! My other art store was the hardware store who had a sale bucket that might offer a cheap treasure like house paint sample cans, masking tape, etc. These days the trends fads, glitter, and glitz are huge sales jobs. That stuff is always over-priced, sometimes insanely over-priced. One stupidly over-blown craft personality was selling cheap paint for the same price per ounce as professional Golden Acrylics. Being a smart consumer is vital. One year in the early 2000s it was harlequin diamond pattern rubber stamps. The flaming hot trend popped out months after the crazy buy-buy-buy started. Why? The pattern was impossible to use, it was just too loud and busy, even tone-on-tone. People were embarrassed that they spent $10-$30 on a dust collector. While that was going on I went out and bought 4 single NeoColor II crayons. After working with them I went and bought a few more to fill out the spectrum. The price for full sets was beyond my means but I never stopped looking. One year Amazon had their black Friday sale and I found a 64 color set in a metal tin for a miracle price. I *Love* my NeoColors. A year later my local art store had a modest set of semi-professional watercolors that someone returned -- the store manager knew me and my budget. I've since swapped that set and celebrated my 60th birthday with a set of handmade, natural-pigment watercolors. I did the same thing I had done so long ago. The creator sold single half pans in the most used colors. $$$.$$ later I have grungy watercolors in the pallet I prefer instead of the factory-made ones. The only supply that I'm absolutely fanatic about is a single type of Fiskar scissors. I buy two or three a year and have them professionally sharpened once. Part of my art making is being smart about my supplies. I hate composition books. I save for months to buy my favorite watercolor art journals -- I fill one a year.

WOW!!!! I accidentally came across this video & am sooo pleased I did. It's great to see a real down to earth artist who is practical re: what we can use as supplies. I'm a newbie & have spent way more than I ever thought I needed to on art supplies, BUT I have used books glues 2 or 3 pages together to make them thicker & used them. My face is a $12 hard cover sketch book which I glue 2 pages together & that seems to be working well so far. Having watched yr vid I really don't think I even really need to glue these pages together as they are pretty thick. I have subscribed to yr channel & will be looking thru all yr vids. So glad to have found you & again a great big thankyou from the land down under. 😆

Composition notebooks are also great for junk journals or combination junk/art journals. Experimentation is easier when price doesn’t hinder creativity! TFS your ideas. Luv them.

Love your encouragement and demystifying...the message...”just go make art, have fun, play, enjoy, allow your critic the day off” makes the whole process so much less stressful! Thanks for being such an inspiration!

Thanks so much. You are just delightful! This info was so good to hear. I’m excited to try this out. I know nothing about art but really want to try and see what an old lady in her 70’s might be able to do😁. GOD bless you my dear. Great job ❤️👍

I use those books or even junk mail books for any extra paint on my brush/ palette before changing colors in the washing water. If I am Gelli printing I use a page for brayer cleaning. You paint a free page for later use... suits my frugal spirit 😂 Kate

I use the same techniques to transform old planners/to-do list journals into art journals :) (I made a video on that too.) I hate throwing paper or cardboard away if there's a possibility of reusing it in some way. The writing underneath can sometimes still be visible in the final page and that gives it a kind of visual texture, similar to composition notebook lines. I've actually spent a lot more time during the past year working in my recycled journal than in my fancy sketchbooks because I can allow myself to make "bad" art.

LOL, this is so fun! I just mentioned your use of Composition notebooks as Art Journals in a recent video on making one into a Rainbow Glue Book! I am a fan of cheap materials too! It makes it so easy to just start and play and not think about the outcome, right?! Thanks Alisa, you rock!

Your explanations are so clear and precise. You have a very pleasant voice and presentation style. I am guilty of buying supplies instead of using them. I am going to try your suggestion and just do it. Thanks for sharing❣️

Just an idea: Your journal pages can be used to make your own stickers and pattern paper for others, or yourself to journal.

Hi Alisa, just now found you on here and subscribed! 2 questions for you. 1) It looks like you never use any gesso to prep pages, prior painting on them and 2) It also doesn't look like you ever double or triple your blank pagers together for strength with a bit of glue? Gotta say, I find your pages shown in here just amazingly beautiful, and have never seen an artist go with out using gesso prior and/or doubling up the pages. I love that. Saves lots of time and cash-o-la! You do look like a little kid just painting with abandon! I cannot wait to try this fun, carefree technique. I'm excited to see what else you have on your channel. Thanks for sharing!

I honestly never even thought about a composition book! Like DUH!! Wow! Thank you!!

I used to prep my composition books but now I use them as they are. The paper is amazingly sturdy and holds up well.

Love seeing how you prep your notebooks and also getting a glimpse of what yours look like once they are done. So many beautiful pages and lots of inspiration. Thank you for being so generous with your art and techniques!

Love using these, the lines add a definite something! I cut off the spine, make holes and put a ring binder through them. That way I can take out each page to work on. I also use them to use up leftover paint. The pages that end up being made get recycled into collage etc.

Your composition notebooks are lovely. I deeply appreciate you sharing your hints! Thank you!

Wow!!! Love the little flip through! Your work is so colorful!!!

I LOVE this!!! I’m trying to tap back into my creative side and I love that this is friendly and on a budget!💙

Love this! I love a composition notebook and do feel freer when it comes to playing. Thanks for these super tips!

Thanks Alisa, this is the right way to practice and have fun!! 💕

Thank you for everything you sharing all these years! 💝💝

Your art journals are beautiful! I felt the same nervousness about fancy art pads. I have lots of composition book that I purchased from the thrift store. Thank you for sharing...Can't wait to begin my composition art journal

Thank you, Alisa, for sharing your process and sharing your beautiful composition book painting process with us. It was great!

Thank you so much for your Inspiration!! Just love your ideas. Your mandalas and flowers are so beautiful.

I really love this idea! I work in a adult inpatient psych facility and this would be perfect for expressive art!!

Love this video, it came up in my feed and I'm a new subscriber. Thinking everything was precious was a huge problem I used to have until I started to junk journal. I hoarded everything and was so worried that I would ruin something or it would turn out bad. We as a society need to stop comparing our creativity to others and just be inspired to do our own thing. S glad I watched, I was surprised you didn't gesso anything, it's drilled into artists all the time. Off to play

I love this approach and your style. I have taken your classes and do appreciate the low cost supplies you recommend.

I just found your channel and I have plenty of composition notebooks that I am going to use for art journals. I love all your pages and I love those flowers that you draw. Thanks for the inspiration.

Thank you! I love this idea for practice and teaching ideas!

I really thought you were going to apply Gesso. But, you went right to the acrylic paint, and why not? As you say, the idea is to provide a prepped spread to have pages ready to be creative with. Acrylic paint, gesso, some other acrylic base, it doesn’t matter as long as there is the base and the bulk up of the paper to work with. I also very much like the idea of the watercolors as a base. And nothing would prevent collaged pieces of paper or thin fabric to get on there too! Great inspiration, thanks for this! There’s endless inspiration here! 🌺

Thank you so much! One class I took had us first gluing every other page together then going back in and gesso it every page, that took forever and I felt like it was wasting supplies. Another video I saw they ripped every other page out then went in and gessoed all the pages. Whenever I’d seen you showing yours they looked nice and thick like you still had all of your pages and it didn’t appear that you’d used gesso! Again thanks so much for this video!!!!

This is awesome. I learned to glue the pages together first, but that takes forever and s I rarely do it. Can't wait to jump in and just play with paint. Thanks!

Well said and very welcome point of view. I've been using composition books for years for notes, sketches, etc. I coat the cover with acrylic painting, stamping also - that way I can tell my numerous journals apart. Thanks for your wonderful outlook. (I have unused expensive sketch pads also - - too nice to mess up.)

Great video! I just started taking a couple of your classes - I am COMPLETELY obsessed with my tiny journal in the mini composition book - and could look at your journals all day! You are such an inspiring teacher.

Excellent .. . I was doing one page at a time.. Excited to start filling all my many many drawing and composition books. thank you for sharing Alisa

I have used fancy nice leather journals and sketchbooks too. But I ALWAYS go back to the composition notebooks!!! I love them. They’re low pressure but so inviting and easy to create in. They also feel nostalgic of school and child/teen hood.

I am here while learning art exercises in a course. And you gave me so much joy and hope coz i cant afford all fancy Journaling supplies trendy these days neither am an artist like you but i still enjoy creating art, expressing my heart on paper.

Thank you for enlightening me to the composition notebook enhancement process. 👍🏼You taught this in one of your courses and I have loved it ever since.

Alisa you always, always inspire me. I can't believe how talented you have both in art and teaching.

Very, very helpful video. I adore comp notebooks and this bulking up of the paper with paint is an excellent idea. By the way, your artwork is quite beautiful. Thank you so much!

I enjoyed this video and have recently started using a composition book to play in and loving it. Thank you!

Thanks Alisa!!! You have so inspired me to play.

Thank you !will definitely try this

Love this video, and that you show the basics and makes is feel it is available for everyone! 🤩😍

Cheap acrylic is sticky so I dust it with baby powder and it has satin finish not matte but it's easy and quick

Great video! I love your Art and how you go about it.

I love mine, and they've held up so well too! {And love the crinkly sound}.

This is such a brilliant idea!!!

Thank you, I’m just learning. I’m using many supplies from my son’s school art class. I love how you prepare your pages. I found your work fantastic as you flicked through the pages. ❤

Great video! Your work blew my mind! This is what I want to do!😊

i actually used to work in compasition note books all the time years ago. alot of people asked why , it wasnt about price for me but the visual effect. i had some really good works come out of that. sometimes the best way to inspire creativity is to do whatever without thinking about if you will like the end result. love ❤ the work by the way

Great ideas, I just brought one for journaling this week and have been doing some collage and painting, it really does enable you to feel free to experiment :)

Love those pages!❤️👍

THANK YOU Alisa!!! Wonderful inspiration and creative sparks!!! :-)

You’re the best! This was so inspiring! Thank you!

Great. Very Creative. Thank You for taking the time to make this video.

Love this! I used to art journal with comp books but would get so stuck. Your process of filling in with color first really spoke to me! I can't wait to try it again.

Thank you so much for the inspiration.

New here. I also only use composition notebooks. I paint pages to. I do it right before bed. If I get to much paint. I place bubble wrap on top and smash it into the paint. During the day I work on another jornal. Thanks for more ideas about painting

Alisa thank you so much for your thought process. I am new to your channel and Ijust love your way of thinking. Best!

Thank you for all the information you gave, it is hard right know to get everything in my head to the paper. I hope this will help me release all my bottled up creativity to flow again. Hugs from Utah

tqvm... you always inspire me to be creative... 🥰

❤️🎨love this!!!! Thank you for sharing this!

Yeahhhhh! This is what i was looking for to redo the poetry of Frost's. I've got a really really old book of his total poems.. i wanted to recreate all the poems with paintings.. and yea this is what i can do with it! Thanks!

I agree totally. I use a particular cheap brand of paint in my journals that is matte. I see so many artists and journalers using very expensive brands in their journals because so and so told them to. Beginners often feel that they can’t do anything if they can’t afford that top brand. The trend for specifying the brands of. Materials in. Videos is particularly annoying. Beginners and learners should be able to use what they have and not feel they must have what the video specifies. Learning to be flexible and to use what you have is more budget friendly and in the long run is much more likely to develop your own style than copying everything down to the specific colour of a specific brand that another artist uses. I applaud you heartily in this regard.

I just found you and I've subscribed and purchased the Finding Freedom class. I think it will really help me dig deeply into my own innate creativity and help me find my own style. I was one to get on the bandwagon with all the latest and greatest, but want to get back to basics. I have a composition notebook that I've wanted to use, so now I have the perfect thing to use it for! Thank you!

Thank you so much.. Happy New Year🎉

I just watched three of your videos in a row. Despite them being all about freeing yourself up, I’m now overwhelmed! LOL…. Time to step away and start prepping some pages… with markers, watercolours and acrylics… Thanks Alisa, truly inspirational!

Wow!! Really like!!

Thank you for the inspiration!🙂🌺

I just started art journaling on my dollar store note book and glue paper in to fortify it. It’s so great to just play around and not have to make a masterpiece on canvas. I’ll have to give this a try.

This removes the fears! Love it!

I loved this video!! I go back and forth between enjoying painting and not enjoying it. But this gave me a whole new idea. I also feel like this would be a great idea to do for my toddler boys to document things they say and that I always want to write down but rarely do. Thank you! First video I’ve watched of yours. 😊

Thank you for the lovely info, I love using comp books, but have only used acrylic, you have inspired me to slap some water color in the next one.

Wow...I love this....tks so much for sharing....

Wowzer! I just happened on you in the wee hours of the morning and became a new subbie! I think I was supposed to see you tonight! I love comp books for journaling and glue booking. Now you've sold me on doing art journals in them! Sure beats the fancy ones! I'll save those for when I get good enough! Thank you so much! Can't wait to start one and to watch more of your videos!❤️❤️❤️

Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been wondering how to use my old food journals for art journaling… Now I have the answer… Love your site, just subscribed… your art is amazing! Keep creating☺️

Absolutely inspirational. I know all about the fear of messing up fancy paper. Love the enthusiam.

Thank-you. I'm going to watch this with my 14-year-old. It's his first year of HS art and he thinks he's terrible and he's actually quite good( you know I'm sure he is comparing himself to the graphics on his video games😒). I got him a big tote of art supplies for Christmas and this idea will show him that everyone starts somewhere...and starting with color is already started! What a terrific idea!

This was really helpful, thank you!

Just what I needed! TFS!

Great video. I love everything you do.

Love this!! New sub here and really love your approach. These are all topics I grapple with...making things precious and not wanting to "mess up" new supplies, etc...thank you!!

Love this! Very inspiring, thanks so much!💙💚💛🧡❤️

Fabulous video, thank you for sharing.

This was so helpful. Thank you so much. I am the opposite of an artist, (don’t know the word for that). But I am getting into junk journaling and want to make art journals for my granddaughters ages 6 and 8. I really enjoy your non stress teaching style.

That's amazing!

Love your video !!!

I just found you…. I love that you talk about art on a budget that’s fantastic!! I totally agree. I discovered mixed media about 6-7 years ago…. So fun, so many ways to do things. I think I love that so much because I can be messy and you don’t need to be precious about it. Make a “mistake or create something you don’t like…… GESSO” …. Lol 😂 Thank you for this video 💜💜 Ps your art journals are beautiful to look at!

Love this! Tyfs

I love this! I used to get in trouble for doing this in highschool, but I loved using cheap paper to just make art and get creative, thank you for sharing! I'm gonna steal some of my kids books they don't use and test it out :)

Superb video! Thanks, Kathleen

I love your backdrop!!!!