Journaling for the Nonartist: An HCSB Illustrator's Notetaking Bible Review

**Book received for review. All thoughts are my own.

"I love the idea of Bible journaling, but I'm no artist. I wouldn't know where to even begin!"

When talking to others about Bible journaling, I hear this statement quite often. And being a non-artist myself, I completely get it. When you're browsing through pages upon pages or beautiful Bible journaling art on Pinterest, it can be very hard to feel overwhelmed before even getting started.

Of course, the first thing I always tell people is that it truly doesn't matter how well you draw, Bible journaling isn't meant to be a competition for the best artwork, but rather a creative form of worship between you and God. Still, it doesn't hurt to get a little bit of a hand up, does it? That is just what the Illustrator's Note-taking Bible provides:

 The Illustrator’s Notetaking Bible combines two hot trends: Bible journaling and adult coloring. Through unique illustrations included on every page spread, readers, illustrator’s, and notetakers alike learn to engage the biblical text in a new way. The exceptional design offers a unique balance for everyone from seasoned artists to the creatively challenged, allowing for guided creativity and meaningful personalization of the Bible reading experience. From filigree, Scripture quotes, and unique images, these line-drawn illustrations are waiting to be brought to life.

Features include:

Over 600 images, including text designs, images, and filigree

Unique illustrations on every page spread

Open margin space for creating new, personalized images

Light grey illustrations allowing readers to add color to each image

Lined margins for note taking

Now, this is not the only coloring book Bible on the market, so what sets this one apart from others that are similar? Of course this is a different translation than other similar Bibles, but that's not where the differences end. To me, this one seemed to offer much more of a starting point. In other similar Bibles, the pictures were complete pieces of art ready to color. In the Illustrators Bible, there was a little more variety. These weren't just word arts to color in- though there certainly were some of those. There were also pages with simple doodles with space still left to journal thoughts or add artwork. There were drawings to be colored in and made your own. There were doodles that were simple enough to be added to to truly create one of a kind pages. The lines are very subtle, which really allows you to do more than a typical coloring book would. Sure, you can keep it simple and just color them in, but you can also take it to the next level. You can create your own word art, using the predrawn pages as a mere backdrop. You can build onto those drawings. You can journal your thoughts and keep those drawings in the background to add a little something extra. This Bible more than others like it, truly gives you the opportunity to use it however suits you best!



Whether you are a beginning Bible journaler looking for a great starting point, or an avid jjournaler looking for a unique addition to your collection, the HCSB Illustrator's Notetaking Bible is one that you must check out.

HCSB Illustrator's Notetaking Bible is available to purchase now.