There is a lot of demand right now for Bibles that are easy to art journal in. To meet this demand Christian Art Publishers has developed the KJV My Creative Bible. Using the translation that many of us are most familiar with they have added beautiful covers and lots of blank space for people to work with. They have also included over 300 line drawings of some of the most frequently illustrated verses and words.
BINDING
It comes in several cover options including:
A dark pink LuxeLeather hardcover binding with floral debossing, multicolor rose print page edges, a dark pink ribbon, and an elastic strap. (This is the one I bought for myself)
A floral Flexcover edition with intricate pink print page edges and a dark pink ribbon. The cover feels like vinyl over cardboard and has a bit of a silk-like sheen to it. (My daughter loves this one) The Flexcover comes in a full box which the hardcover editions do not have.
A brown LuxeLeather hardcover binding with a filigree frame debossed on it, plain page edges, a brown ribbon marker, and an elastic strap. If my husband, son, or female cousin (who isn’t very fond of pink or flowers) were going to buy one they would definitely choose this version. I’ve seen this listed as tan on a few websites and a few pictures of it look red but it is a rich warm brown.
They have an aqua LuxeLeather hardcover Bible without debossing and with an aqua floral pattern on the paper edges coming soon.
The liner is paper with illustrated verses about the beginning and the end. The thicker liner paper would be great for a large number of art mediums.
The overall size seems about standard for journaling bibles measuring about 8.125″ x 6.375″ x 1.625″ for the hardcovers. The Flexcover is just barely taller, wider, and thinner but you probably wouldn’t notice without a ruler.
PAPER
The paper is a creamy off-white and very easy to write on. Randy says it is about 38gsm.
The paper is thin enough for there to be some bleed through, especially of the artwork, but I haven’t found it to be a problem while using it in church.
If I could change one thing about this Bible it would be to have slightly less see-through pages. Of course knowing that would most likely make it thicker, heavier, and more expensive maybe I would prefer it the way it is.
TYPOGRAPHY
The font size is 8.65, the largest yet for single column journaling bibles. It’s black letter and very easy to read. The headings are bold enough to notice but not distracting.
The text is set in a single column. It is arranged in the verse by verse format common in KJV Bibles. The text column is 3 5/8 inches wide and the margin is 2 inches wide. The header has page numbers in the outer corners and book name, chapter, and verse numbers in the center.
The side columns without drawings have 36 evenly spaced lines useful for notes or as guides for the spacing of your artwork.
ARTWORK
The artwork is what sets these Bibles apart. My Creative Bible has nearly 400 black and white originally hand-drawn illustrations. These are perfect for coloring in with whatever art medium you feel most comfortable with.
I love these Bibles with drawings in them. Any artwork could serve as inspiration but these colorable ones seem to invite you to interact with the pages. They make it a lot easier for the timid among us to get started. I can also see where they would be great even for experienced art journalers, so they can be creative even on days when they lack the time or inspiration to start from scratch.
Most of the illustrations are the designed scripture verses but besides the illustrations for title pages, and end pages they also include hand-drawn book headings,
designed word art,
and a few full-page illustrations.
With the wide variety of subjects and styles included there are pages sure to be favorites for everyone.
INDEX OF SCRIPTURE VERSES
There is an Index of Designed Scripture Verses at the back of the Bible. Organized by books, it lists chapter, verse, and page number to make it easy to find all the illustrations. The Designed Word Art is also included in the index. There are two blank pages (and two of the index pages are only half full) so you could make a list of some of the artwork you add if you would like to.
CONCLUSION
Bible journaling and adult coloring books are both very popular right now. The KJV My Creative Bible blends the two beautifully. With close to 400 drawings for you to color and lots of room for you to add your own notes and drawings, this Bible is a good choice for those wanting to get started with creative journaling and those looking for a new Bible to continue their Bible art journey in.
I have thoroughly enjoyed working in mine so far (applying the gesso the first time was a bit scary though). I will have a post up April 15th with examples of different mediums in this Bible including a few shots of what the back of my pages looks like. I hope you check back then.
Click here to buy:
My Creative Bible KJV: Silken Flexcover Bible for Creative Journaling
My Creative Bible KJV: Pink Hardcover Bible for Creative Journaling
My Creative Bible KJV: Brown Hardcover Bible for Creative Journaling
My Creative Bible KJV: Aqua Hardcover Bible for Creative Journaling
Are you thinking of buying this Bible? Do you already own one? What do you think of it? Do you have a favorite drawing? Please let us know in the comments.
I purchased the pink edition of this Bible for review and personal use and was sent the other two editions free to assist with this review and future posts incorporating this Bible. I was not required to give a positive review only an honest one.