Art journaling: Messy May 2026

By Daniëlle Roeleveld | Published 1 juni 2026
Messy May 2026 front cover

Sometimes I need prompts or examples for making art or art journaling and in my book Messy May hosted by Get Messy Art is ideal for that. The challenge offers short instruction or inspirational videos from various artists. I love it, because I learn new techniques, it’s free and it’s low stress because they always mention: “More than zero is enough”. I have participated before (in 2024, see the journal on the left) but have not posted anything on the blog.
Above you see the cover, it is made out of a rolling off sheet I used with mono printing. I reinforced it by collaging on the inside, adding pockets and stichting around the edges. The inside pages are bound with a simple pamphlet stitch.
Below are a couple of my favorite pages.

Prompt No 3 Thoughts with Miranda van den Heuvel
Prompt No 3 Thoughts with Miranda van den Heuvel. I’m in love with the green leaves on the right and wanted to use that green in the art journal page on the right.
Prompt No 4 Opposites with Jackie Hernandez
Prompt No 4 Opposites with Jackie Hernandez. I enjoyed making simple stencils from printer paper and using them as collage material on the other page. I also like the layering in this spread.
Prompt No 5 Emergence with Sarah Rondon
Prompt No 5 Emergence with Sarah Rondon. It was fun to see what emerged if you sprayed over masks and then lifting them up.
Prompt No 9 Fragile with Debasree Dey
Prompt No 9 Fragile with Debasree Dey. My mother (pictured on the left) passed away last February and that still feels fragile. There are moments where I miss her very much.
Prompt No 11 Clarity with Meghann Early
Prompt No 11 Clarity with Meghann Early. I loved making these stickers with packing tape and images from a magazine. There is something special about the transparency.
Prompt No 15 Excavation with Caylee Grey
Prompt No 15 Excavation with Caylee Grey. This was playful with adding and subtracting layers.
Prompt No 17 Transparency with Michelle Schratz
Prompt No 17 Transparency with Michelle Schratz. On the right I added a tip-in made out of packing tape. Between two layers of tape I stuck collage bits and threads. It matches well with the page beneath it (No. 20).
Prompt No 19 Doorways with Emma Freeman
Prompt No 19 Doorways with Emma Freeman. It was by far my favorite: drawing on tracing paper in a very loose way with the original image beneath and coloring in with watercolors.
Prompt No 20 Intention with Sarah Gardner
On the right: prompt No 20 Intention with Sarah Gardner. On the left you see the other side of the transparent page made of packing tape.
Prompt No 25 Nesting with Casey Turner
Prompt No 25 Nesting with Casey Turner
Prompt No 27 Reverie with Anouk Karssen
Prompt No 27 Reverdie with Anouk Karssen. I love this page with its subtle colors and the textures of lace, modeling paste and the different kinds of paper, not to mention the splatter.
Prompt No 28 Remnant with Diana Mahar
Prompt No 28 Remnant with Diana Mahar. Remnants of the past: pictured are my mother (top left), grandmother (top right) and myself as a little child. Both women like sewing and other handicrafts.
Messy May 2026 inside back cover

You need to sign up for the challenge at the website of Get Messy Art, but when it has finished the videos can be watched on their YouTube channel.

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