If you love stationary, one of the greatest things about using a bullet journal is all the cool things you get to use. You don’t need a lot of stuff to make a successful bullet journal, in fact you really only need a journal and a pen, however if you want to get a bit more creative, there are literally thousands of products you can buy.
But even the most hard core journal addict doesn’t want to spend their cash on markers that leak or journals that crinkle. And that’s where I want to share with you some of my favorite supplies.
But let me be clear, if you’re just starting journaling, go slow. You don’t need to go out and get everything on the list. Especially if you’re not sure of your style yet. Some people love to draw and freehand their journal so stock up on markers and pens, others love all things washi tape and stickers and some like a bit of both. The point is, there’s no point spending hundreds of dollars on markers to figure out you can’t draw and are going to sticker your way to journal bliss.
So buy a few things first to get started. Start with the basics, and then as your bullet journal grows if you feel you want to try a bit more, then grow your collection.
Our Favorite Bullet Journal Supplies
Journals
The first thing you’ll need is a journal. You can technically bullet journal with any journal, however the dot grid journals are the most popular as they are the easiest to design spreads. They have small dots evenly spread out over each page to enable you to divide up the page, draw lines and boxes or just give you a guide for anything you want to do.
If you want to be able to use thicker or darker markers and pens, then go with a journal of at least 120gsm paper. The thicker paper will help prevent ghosting (being able to see what you have written or drawn on the other side of the paper).
Vivid Scribbles Dotted Journal
This Vivid Scribbles Journal comes with 140gsm paper and is resistant to marker bleeding. IT comes in variety of colors and is a really nice journal to write in.
If you want to see this journal in action, look for any of my 2023 spreads.
Black Page Dotted Journal
If you want to go for something different, choose a black paged bullet journal. You can make some amazing looking pages, and if you love creating elaborate designs some colors really just look better on a black background.
Pens
Pens are an important tool for any journaler. The perfect pen does come down to personal preference, however take into account your paper thickness, as a more inky pen will require a thicker paper.
There are different pens for different uses. For your everyday writing pen you might want to choose a gel pen or fineliner. If you want to doodle and draw in your journal go for the fineliners and felt tips. And if you love to do hand lettering or fancy headings, you might want to get hold of a more inky calligraphy pen.
Remember, you don’t need to start with everything. If you’re just getting a feel for if you like journaling, then go for a pen you can use for everthing, such as a pack of fineliners or gel pens.
Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens
Pens are an essential part of you bullet journal. You want something that is going to write crisply on the paper and not smudge.
This 6 pack of Micron pens come with a variety of sizes for any writing, drawing or outlining.
Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens
If you want to add some color to your journal pages, then these felt tip pens from Paper Mate are your solution. They write well, but are a bit thicker so bear that in mind if you want a very thin pen.
If you get the 24 pack, you get a variety of colors.
Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens
Gel pens are great for everyday writing. You can use them as your main pen, but as they come in so many different colors you can also use them to decorate.
These Paper Mate ones come in a pack of 36 for a lot of color choice.
Calligraphy Pens
If you want to get into hand lettering for headings in your bullet journal then a dedicated calligraphy pen will become useful.
Calligraphy pens are usually a bit thicker and inkier than a fine tip and I use the Tombow Fudenocuke Brush Pens.
Markers
If you want to decorate and doodle, then start experimenting with markers. There are a multiple of different types on the market to create any look you want.
Remember that the paper thickness of your journal will have a big impact on the markers you should choose. If you’ve got a journal with paper over 120gsm you can choose almost any marker to use without ghosting, but anything less than that may mean a bit of shadow through your pages.
Here are some of our favorite markers.
Primrosia Dual Tip Brush Marker Pens
These pens have a fineliner on one end and a felt tip brush pen on the other. This means you can outline and color using the same marker.
This particular pack comes with 60 colors to give you many options to choose from.
Zebra Midliner Double Ended Highlighters
These highlighters come with a broad tip at one end and a fine tip on the other giving you versatility. The colours are pretty and they make great backgrounds.
Artistro Metallic Paint Pens
Metallic pens can really stand out on a page. They dry quickly and make your designs look a bit glossy.
This Artistro set gives you 12 extra fine tip colors.
Artistro Glitter Paint Pens
Add a touch of sparkle with these glitter pens. Great for outlining and and giving an extra bit of flair.
They come with 12 colors and have an extra fine tip.
Ohuhu Watercolor Brush Pens
If you want to play around with watercolor, these pens are a good place to start. Designed to easily create a watercolor effect without as much water as true paints, they let you create some painting effects in your journal.
Bullet Journal Accessories
If you want to take your bullet journaling to the next level then you can start looking at accessories. Stencils, washi tape, stickers, glue, there are loads of things you can add to your bullet journal.
The extra things you start to add to your journal are totally up to you and how you want to design your pages. If you love to be creative, there are so many different ways you can decorate your spreads and it really just comes down to your taste and imagination.
Washi Tape & Stickers
Washi Tape and stickers are fantastic for adding some color and life to your pages, especially if you are not great at drawing – or just don’t want to.
Some of the prettiest washi tapes we’ve found at the Washi Tape Store.
Stamps
Stamps are great to use in bullet journals whether you want to add them for decoration or even to help with your spreads. Get some silicone or rubber stamps and some ink pads and you’ll be set.
Tweezers
Precision tweezers are great for working with stickers and paper. They allow you to pick up and place easily without leaving fingerprints – perfect for translucent stickers and washi tape.
I love these ones from PaperWrld as they’re easy to use with good tips.
Double Sided Tape Roller
This 8 pack of roller glue is great for adding paper or decorations to your pages. It rolls out double sided tape which creates less mess then traditional glue sticks.
Scissors
Get yourself some really good, sharp craft scissors. These can be used for dutch doors or anything you need to cut for your bullet journal. If you want to do some high detail cutting make sure you get some with a fine tip.
Stencils
You can get stencils for pretty much anything these days and they are great for speeding up your designs or just if you don’t want to freehand.
When buying stencils be careful of the sizing, sometimes they can be quite big and useless in an A5 journal.
Ruler
Make sure you have a ruler to help draw any straight lines. You can just use a normal one, or you can get one designed for journals with a few stencils in it as well.
Metal rulers are generally better than plastic as the plastic can pit causing your edge to no longer be straight.
Clips
Ok, this one is totally not needed and just an indulgence but they are really useful to keep your pages open when you are journaling and creating.
You can get away with any type of paper clip, but if you love pretty things, then go for something like these rose gold ones.
You don’t need a lot to start a bullet journal, essentially just a journal and pen. However there are a lot of ways to personalise your bullet journal and expand your creativity. If you are looking at expanding your spreads and adding more color and design, then these supplies will help you get started.
Let me know below if you have any favorite things you like to use in your bullet journals.
If you are curious about using any of the supplies above, you might be interested in these articles:
If you want to see more from us then follow along:
Don’t forget to pin
