What are the best beginner supplies for bullet journaling? I’ve compiled a list of my favorite supplies for bullet journaling (and WHY!). Beginner or not, this list is sure to get you going.
If you just started bullet journaling or lettering (or would like to start and don’t know what you need), you’ve come to the right place.
I don’t care what time of year it is, whether the first of the year has passed or if you’re well into spring, summer, or the leaves are starting to turn preparing for winter. Anytime is a good time to start your bullet journal or lettering journey. You don’t have to wait for the perfect day to start.
Table of contents
- Looking for Handlettering Supplies?
- What Basic/Beginner Supplies do I Need for Bullet Journaling?
- Know Your ‘Why’
- Some Reasons to Start a Bullet Journal
- The Most Basic Beginner Supply for Bullet Journaling: The Notebook
- Bullet Journaling + Fountain Pens
- Getting Started – All the Essentials
- What Are Your Favorites?
- In case you missed it
Looking for Handlettering Supplies?
Are you interested in Handlettering?
Head to this post on getting started with handlettering. I break down all the supplies and what they do. And detail which supplies are best for beginner letterers on up to intermediate users and beyond.
What Basic/Beginner Supplies do I Need for Bullet Journaling?
Honestly, you need just a notebook and a pen. Because bullet journaling is about simply recording your days & to-dos. Find out more about the basics of bullet journaling in this post. You can also learn about the original intent of the bullet journal system here. You can see that I deviate significantly from the original creator’s basic use of the notebook.
If your intent is to be more artsy in your bullet journal, start a sketch diary, doodle book, or something geared toward the more artistic variation of Bullet Journaling – I can help you with that.
Know Your ‘Why’
Why do you want to bullet journal?
First, it’s essential to know why you want to start using this hobby/productivity tool. Knowing what you want to try or practice will determine what type of supplies you choose.
Pro Tip: you probably have several supplies around your house – gather what you do have and start with those.
Remember – you don’t have to get each one of these to start bullet journaling. Try something for a while, and then add to your supplies when you want to try something new.
Some Reasons to Start a Bullet Journal
I created a list below of reasons to start & use a bullet journal. Most people will select multiple items from the list so you don’t have to narrow it down (this is in no way comprehensive – it’s merely to get you thinking about what you want to do).
- Do you want to organize your day-to-day schedule?
- Do you want to start adding some creativity to your life?
- Create a collection of inspiring quotes
- Do you want to track miscellaneous things in your life, such as budget, dreams, sleep, period/mood tracking, books read?
- Include Church Doodles or self-care & motivational practices?
- Start or Continue your Lettering Practice?
- Doodle Practice
- Journal & Record Keeping
I use my bullet journal for every single one of those things on that list. I feel that including a bit of art/creativity regularly in my life has brought me out of the dark ages of my life.
The Most Basic Beginner Supply for Bullet Journaling: The Notebook
Scribbles That Matter A5 Dot-Grid Notebook
There are a lot of other notebooks out there that would work just fine for writing and recording thoughts. I use Scribbles That Matter because it holds up to all the markers & art I throw at it. I’ve personally tested about 15 of them (so far) and I’m very pleased with the paper in this notebook.
- A5 is a portable size, and the dot grid allows me to turn my book horizontal or vertical and work form a grid.
- Dots are non-obtrusive and provide a guide without getting in the way.
- The 160 gsm paper in the Scribbles That Matter notebook holds up to nearly everything.
- Accessible – available on Amazon, so I can get the order quickly with a Prime Membership.
Could you Use a Sketchbook?
If you want to start a sketchbook, blank pages might be more your speed. Canson has a mixed media book in 8.5×5.5 and the pages hold up to a variety of uses, including watercolor. I love the dot grid in my notebooks because I can draw straight lines and create planning spreads in addition to art in my notebook.
Target also has an inexpensive wire-bound notebook that I like which puts up with most techniques and has a good number of pages.
Pro Tip: The paper in a sketchbook or mixed media book isn’t as smooth as a majority of the dot grid notebooks – be aware of this when using your markers, particularly, your dual brush pens.
You don’t have to use a bound notebook if you prefer a 3-ring binder or disc-bound notebook – there’s a whole world of possibilities out there for you to explore.
I’ll review notebooks from time to time, so check out my list of reviews here!
Pens – Another Essential Basic Tool for Bullet Journalers
Beyond a pen & notebook, everything else is just extra. But I never said I was a minimalist bullet journalist. I love creative planning and discovering bullet journaling was the catalyst for reigniting my passion for creativity.
My personal favorite pens are Papermate Ink Joy
- I love them because they come in a variety of colors
- The ink dries quickly
- Available online or in many different stores
Other pens I like:
- Energel (.5 & .7 mm)
- Papermate Flair Pens
Do you crave more simplicity? Ballpoint pens work just fine.
Bullet Journaling + Fountain Pens
Some people like to pair bullet journaling with fountain pens. I have several fountain pens – but lean more to the doodling & marker usage rather than fountain pen use in my books.
However, if you wanted to try fountain pens for the first time, start with these:
Both of these will need replacement cartridges.
Want to try a fillable fountain pen? Try this Noodler’s Konrad Fillable demo pen then choose your ink. (Demo means it has a clear barrel and you can see the ink in the pen.)
Want to Learn More About Fountain Pens?
Like most products related to Creative Planning or Bullet journaling, fountain pens are a rabbit hole of options. If you want to learn more about fountain pens, I say go to the experts.
Goulet Pen Company is a great place to start. From what I’ve seen, they provide a lot of insight, guidance, and have a lot of information available for newbies and beyond.
Pencil
Pencils are a perfect beginner (+beyond) supply for bullet journaling.
I like to sketch my calendar & artwork in pencil first and typically use this mechanical pencil by Papermate or this Energize Pencil by Pentel. I prefer the .5mm, but I know most people prefer the .7mm lead.
But if you are diving in and doing a minimal bullet journal without creating calendars or doodles, you can carry just a pen and your notebook.
Erasers
If you’re using a pencil to sketch or do work prior to finishing with a pen, you’ll need an eraser. I go through erasers like crazy (that’s partially why I like Papermate pencils – because they have a bigger eraser than other pencils).
- Pentel Plastic Eraser – my favorite & go-to eraser.
- Papermate White Pearl Eraser
- Clic Erase – Retractable Eraser
Rulers
I’ve been drawing for years and need a ruler even though the pages have a grid to follow – I use a ruler every day for ease & to soothe my perfectionist tendencies (although I usually still mess it up).
I love the 6” cork-backed ruler by Westcott. If you’re using a dot-grid notebook, you’ll need a ruler that measures centimeters and millimeters (as most dot-grid notebooks are spaced with 5mm dots). Westcott also has this amazing protractor ruler. Any ruler should work and there are some flexible options on the market as well.
You can store your ruler in the back pocket of your notebook, so you have it with you all the time. Just don’t forget where you put it and tear apart your office/house two to three times before finding it. #truestory #oops #thatreallyhappened
If you want to include circles in your book – hands down my favorite circle maker is the Helix circle maker. I bought three (so I could have backups) when I thought I lost mine.
I also have their 12″ helix ruler for making bigger circles.
Check out these posts for making circles in your bullet journal:
Correction Tape:
Because mistakes happen. No matter what, once you add ink to the page, you’ll smear or screw up in some way. Use your correction tape enough to fix the mistake or smear and move on.
One time I got a whole box of the Tombow correction tape at Costco. But I also order online (yes, I use it A LOT). Many brands would work, but I like the tape track Tombow has because I don’t have to spend a lot of time fixing it if the tape jumps off the track. I also find that it stays taut and doesn’t need wound up.
Why Not Whiteout?
If you want to ruin your life and the lives of everyone around you, go ahead and use whiteout from a bottle.
If you can’t tell, I am not a fan of white-out. It takes too long to dry and never seems to work just right. It may come back from my copy center days – where people would use whiteout and not let it dry thoroughly (you think it’s dry, but it’s NOT!) and then lay their painted pages on the copier glass or run it through the feeder
After they leave, I spent the rest of the day (or the rest of my life – whichever) scrubbing at the glass & feeder rolls to get that dang white-out off. Yep, pretty sure that’s where my passion against whiteout comes from and curse you if you ever do that to a copy shop.
Ok, I’ll put away my soapbox now. Just don’t get involved with whiteout from a bottle. It’s not worth it.
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens
- Dual pack of Hard & Soft Tip in black ink – Great for beginners to start learning the thick and thin strokes of handlettering.
- Comes in a multi-color pack (hard-tip only)
My favorites are the hard-tip markers. I feel like I have more control over them. Even though I recommend these markers for beginners, they are STILL my favorite brush pen. Great for creating headers in your bullet journal or for church doodles.
Other Brush Markers I Love:
- Sharpie Brush Pens (these aren’t your typical bleed-through paper Sharpies) and the brush tip is good for beginners. If you want to start with color brush tips (rather than just black – these are a good option).
- Pentel Sign Touch Brush Pens – easy to use and a great range of intense colors, it also has surprising flexibility in the tip of the pen & writes very well.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens
Get 96 Colors at once or start with smaller packs. Here are a few of their smaller packs:
I would say the Bright & Primary packs would be my top picks for starting with these markers. You can use them to add color to your planner/notes or step up your lettering game.
Pro Tip: Use Tombow Dual Brush Markers only on smooth paper – any paper that is rough or has a ‘tooth’ will eventually damage the tip of your brush and fray the end.
Water Pens
Water pens are useful for blending waterbased markers like Tombow Dual Brush pens or Karin Markers and provides quick, mess-free watercolor painting – it acts as the water & the brush.
Pro Tip: be careful how much you blend/add water to markers in your book, it’s the only thing that I’ve found bleeds through in every book.
Watercolor Paint
I started watercolor painting in my bullet journal. I’d never tried watercolor before I started bullet journaling and fell in love with it. Use watercolor when you want to add additional art & painting to your planner. Make sure to test your pages to see if they will withstand watercolor.
There are so many kinds of watercolor paints. I use mostly watercolor cakes when painting in my journal (not liquid from a squeeze bottle).
I started with the cheap sets from Michaels and have tried many others since then. It’s kind of a personal preference, but if you want to try watercoloring – start with inexpensive pans and go on from there.
Currently, I use a variety of watercolor paints – but my favorite shimmer paints are Paul Ruben Watercolor.
To use watercolor paint, you’ll either need to use a water pen or brush and water. I also watercolor with Crayola makers + a brush pen or brush and water.
Want to know how I watercolor with markers in my planner? Here’s the post explaining how I do it.
Crayola Markers
There are so many plusses for Crayola Markers. Yes, those markers you thought you left behind in elementary school. They’re back (actually never left) and they’re awesome. I personally like the super tips (they’re the smaller markers – but the bigger barrel size works great too.)
100 Pack | 50 Pack | 20 Pack | Metallic
Features of Crayola Markers:
- Inexpensive
- Available in many local stores
- Cones in many different package sizes
- Dries quickly
- Waterbased – can blend colors
- Can use for lettering (yep! you read that right!)
Colored Pencils
Another blast from your elementary school past. Colored pencils are great for blending & they don’t bleed through your pages.
- Range of choices (I was gifted the Prisma Color colored pencil pack, but you can use Crayola or other brands)
- Inexpensive options
- Available online or locally
- Doesn’t bleed through
Micron Pens
When outlining my calendars or doodles I usually reach for a Micron pen. They come in a variety of point sizes and the ink dries quickly. My favorite sizes are the 02/.30mm or 03/.35mm.
Washi Tape
Some people go overboard with washi tape. I decided to find a few favorites and just use them – so I chose a color scheme. I use to mark the edges of essential pages I need to refer to over and over again, such as the start of a month, a monthly calendar or an important collection.
- My Favorite Pattern Washi Tape
- Favorite Overall Washi Tape (I buy this by the pack because I like the black and white stripes so much)
- Skinny Washi Tape – I use the micro washi tape for very thin borders or columns
Zebra Mildliner Markers
I see this all the time in various Facebook groups & other forums. It’s not MID liner it’s MILD liner. You’re welcome (you’ll thank me later).
MILD – meaning the colors are mild. It took me a while before I decided to buy these chisel-edge markers. They are great for highlighting and creating spots of color in your book. The colors are not so intense so you can write over them or use them as highlighters.
Pro Tip: I find that the Papermate Inkjoy pens + the Mildliners work well with each other. They come in a variety of colors and are available online & in many stores.
Zebra just came out with some dual brush markers geared more towards handlettering, but I haven’t tested those out yet. If you’ve tried, them I’d love to know how they compare with other brush markers.
Getting Started – All the Essentials
I hope this has helped you decide what you need to get started and see what kinds of supplies are the most popular. Remember that you don’t need all of them to start.
A simple notebook & pen will get you started bullet journaling. Add in the items you want to try and build up from there. Don’t get everything at once – you won’t need it, and you need time to decide what you want to try or focus on.
What Are Your Favorites?
Do you have any favorite creative supplies? I don’t care if they are on my list or not, I’d love to know what your go-to supplies are & what you love about them. Leave me a comment below!
In case you missed it
Here’s my post on Staring Handlettering – I break down all the supplies you’ve probably seen around on Instagram and what they do + what is best for beginner letterers on up to intermediate users and beyond.
Want to start doodling flowers? Here’s my post on floral doodle & reference books. Or try out these other posts related to Bullet Journaling.