Free Butterfly Ephemera Sheets + What Is Art Journaling?
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What Is Art Journaling? A Creative Guide to Getting Started with Mixed Media Expression
Art journaling is more than just keeping a diary. It’s a hands-on way to express yourself using images, words, textures, and color. Whether you’re layering watercolor washes over a quote, collaging with vintage ephemera, or using found materials to tell your story, an art journal becomes a deeply personal visual narrative. It’s a form of self-care, creative play, and storytelling all wrapped into one.
And if you're new here, welcome! To help you dive into the joy of mixed media expression, I'm offering a free set of printable butterfly ephemera sheets right on this page. These colorful butterflies are perfect for art journaling, junk journaling, scrapbooking, or any project that calls for whimsical, nature-inspired visuals.
About the Free Butterfly Ephemera Sheets
Before I jump into the how-to part of art journaling, let’s take a moment to explore the beautiful printables available to you for free on this page.
This collection includes:
Full-color vintage butterfly illustrations sourced from antique relief scrap images
High-resolution designs formatted for easy printing at home
Multiple styles and sizes to suit a range of creative projects
PNG and PDF formats, ready to cut out, layer, and collage
Relief scraps from printers in the late 19th and early 20th century refer to small printed images or designs that were used for a variety of purposes, such as decorating printed materials like books, newspapers, and advertisements. Today, they are perfect for adding a touch of color, movement, and symbolism to your journal spreads. Whether you’re documenting a season of change, expressing a personal transformation, or simply creating a joyful collage, these butterflies make wonderful focal points and embellishments.
Creative ways to use them:
Feature a butterfly as the center of a themed art journal page
Layer them with old book pages and washi tape
Use them in junk journal pockets, tags, and flip-outs
You’re welcome to download them as many times as you’d like. Scroll down to see the different sheets available for download.
Now, ready to learn how to bring your art journal to life?
What Is Art Journaling?
Art journaling is a mixture of traditional journaling and visual art. It’s where your thoughts meet color, texture, and creativity. Think of it as a sketchbook, diary, collage book, and personal sanctuary all in one. There are no rules, no expectations, and no right or wrong way to do it.
Unlike writing-only journals, art journals allow you to express emotions, ideas, and stories through layers of paint, paper, ink, and found objects. You might write a single sentence, then paint over it. You might collage a butterfly image (like the ones available for free here) over a background of stenciled texture paste. Or you might simply doodle and see where your pen takes you.
Why People Love Art Journaling
It's ideal for creative experimentation
It can be stress-relieving
It fosters self-discovery and artistic growth
It makes use of beautiful ephemera and vintage printables!
You don’t need to consider yourself “an artist” to start. You only need curiosity and maybe some glue.
What Makes Art Journaling Different from Junk Journaling and Scrapbooking?
If you're already familiar with junk journaling or scrapbooking, you might wonder how art journaling fits into the mix. While there’s plenty of overlap (and you can blend all three), each has its own style and focus.
While scrapbooking tends to focus on documenting memories through photographs, art journaling is often more about the creative process itself, an artistic and possibly emotional response rather than a narrative documentation.
That said, many journalers combine all three styles, especially in mixed media work. For example, you might use a vintage butterfly in combination with other vintage ephemera (junk journal style), incorporate it into a sketch (art journaling style), or arrange it around a photo of a spring walk (scrapbooking style). Don’t be afraid to mix and match.
Supplies You Need to Get Started with Art Journaling
One of the most beautiful things about art journaling is how accessible it is. You can start with basic supplies you may already have or go all out with specialty tools. Here's a breakdown of what you might want:
Basic Supplies:
A Journal, Sketchbook, or an Old Book: If you use an upcycled book, you don't have to start with a blank canvas. The existing text can make for unique backgrounds and opportunities for things like found word poems.
Pens, Pencils, Paint Pens: Waterproof pens like Micron or Posca are great.
Adhesives: I prefer good old PVA glue applied with a paint brush, but I know other artists who swear by glue sticks or matte medium.
Scissors or Craft Knife: Precision tools help when fussy-cutting ephemera.
Acrylic Paints or Watercolors: Add color and mood to your pages.
Brushes or Your Fingers: There’s no wrong way to apply paint!
Collage Materials: Like the free butterfly ephemera on this page or any of the sheets in my library of free printables!
Optional Add-ons:
Stamps and an Ink Pad
Vintage Book Pages or Sheet Music
Magazine Clippings
What to Put in Your Art Journal
The short answer? Anything you want. But if you’re staring at a blank page unsure where to begin, here are some ideas to get your creativity flowing:
Prompts and Themes:
“Today I feel like…” (explore emotions through color and text)
“If I could fly away…” (use butterfly imagery as a symbol)
“What I’m grateful for”
Quotes that inspire you
Dreams or daydreams
Visual Elements:
Free Printable Butterflies: Use them as focal points, borders, or embellishments
Layered Collage: Combine vintage tickets, floral images, and paper scraps
Background Techniques: Try gesso + watercolor, stencil + ink, or acrylic swirls
Mixed Media Layers: Add dried flowers, fabric swatches, or lace
Hidden Pockets or Flaps: Include secret notes or fold-out elements
Tips for Building an Art Journaling Habit
Starting is often the hardest part. Here are some gentle tips to help you build a regular creative practice:
Create a Routine
Set aside 10–20 minutes a few times a week
Keep your supplies within reach to make it easy
Consider journaling with your morning coffee or as a wind-down activity at night
Let Go of Perfection
Your art journal is for you—no one else has to see it
Embrace “messy” pages, smudges, and incomplete thoughts
Focus on the process, not the result
Use Creative Prompts
Try a prompt jar or list to spark new ideas
Respond to song lyrics, poetry, or news clippings
Join a Community
Follow hashtags like #artjournaling, #mixedmediaart, #junkjournalcommunity
Share your work and engage with others for inspiration
Why Use Printable Ephemera in Art Journals?
Printables offer a convenient, affordable way to add style, cohesion, and visual interest to your art journal pages. And when they’re vintage- or nature-inspired (like the butterflies we’re sharing here), they bring an added layer of meaning and mood.
Benefits of Using Printables:
Save time searching for materials
Add vintage charm instantly
Mix and match for cohesive themes
Print multiple times for repeated use
Great for layering, fussy cutting, or background elements
Whether you’re crafting a garden-themed spread or creating a whimsical page about personal transformation, colorful butterfly ephemera adds depth and symbolism, and it’s all available for free, right here on this page.
Final Thoughts
Art journaling is a welcoming, creative outlet for anyone looking to explore their inner world through mixed media. You don’t need to be an artist. You don’t need expensive supplies. You only need the willingness to try.
From abstract textures and personal musings to vintage collage and printable ephemera, your art journal can become a safe space for self-expression, creativity, and joy.
So go ahead—download your free butterfly printables, grab some glue, and make your first mark. This is your journey, and there’s no wrong way to begin.
Here is an example of an art journal page I created in an upcycled book using one of the butterfly images along with a tulip image from one of these vintage flower printables. I painted the background with acrylic paint and added painted collage papers as accents behind the focal points.
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More About Vintage Relief Scraps:
In relief printing, the image or design to be printed is raised above the surface of the printing block, while the surrounding areas are cut away, leaving only the image or design to be inked and printed. Relief scraps were produced by printing these raised designs onto a separate sheet of paper and then cutting them out, creating small printed images that could be easily added to other printed materials. You’ll notice there are little strips that connect the butterflies together.
Relief scraps were often used to decorate pages of children's books, scrapbooks, and other personal items. They were also used in the production of greeting cards, advertisements, and other printed materials to add visual interest and variety to the design. Today, relief scraps are considered collectible items and are sought after by collectors of antique and vintage printed materials.
Much as stickers and embellishments are used today in scrapbooking, relief scraps, with their colorful and intricate designs, were a popular way to add a decorative element to scrapbook pages in the 19th century. They were affordable and easily accessible. They were often cut out and pasted onto the pages alongside photographs, clippings from newspapers and magazines, and other mementos. They could be used to create decorative borders around the edges of the page, highlight important information or events, or simply add a touch of visual interest.
You may also enjoy these free collage sheets.
Terms of use:
Free to use for personal or commercial projects. You may print the collage sheets as many times as you wish for your personal crafts or in your projects to sell, including: art journals, scrapbooks, junk journals, collage art, etc. You may not redistribute or sell the collage sheets “as is" in either print or digital form.
If you wish to share the files on your own website, please do not make the files available for download directly from your site. Instead, include an image with a link back to this site.
To the best of my knowledge, these are all royalty free images that are in the Public Domain in the US. However, you should always do your own research if you plan to use them commercially.
