- Giants Of The Deep
- Reef And Shallows
- Maps And Instruments
- Creatures Of The Deep
- Shipwrecks And Treasures
- Background Papers
- Lined Writing Pages
- Frequently Asked Questions
This ocean junk journal kit gives you 33 full pages built around deep sea life, old nautical maps and quiet underwater scenes. The set opens with 23 scene pages, each one a different subject so nothing repeats, then 5 seamless background pages for pattern and texture, then 5 lined writing pages for logging dives, trips or daydreams about the water.
Print the whole set on heavyweight paper, at least 32 lb, so the washes do not show through when you glue pages back to back. Set your printer to its best or photo quality and let the ink dry a minute before handling. Trim each sheet to your journal size with scissors or a paper cutter, then glue, tape or stitch the pages in as you build your book.
Using these images: free for personal projects such as printing, coloring, cards, journals and gifts. Handmade items that include them may be sold up to 30 pieces per design. More than that is commercial use and is not permitted, and neither is selling or sharing the images themselves or passing them off as your own. Please ask before any other use.
Giants Of The Deep
Breaching above a glowing orange horizon, this whale page works well as the opening spread of your journal, the first big image a visitor sees when the cover falls open.
Curled near the sea floor with small fish resting along its back, a trailing anchor chain, a cluster of pale coral and faint light rays sinking down from above, this page pairs naturally with a quiet entry about rest or slow mornings.
Tear the edge of this page roughly before gluing it in, so the black and white shapes of the pod seem to swim right off the paper and into the next sheet.
A narwhal glides beneath a cracked ice shelf, its long tusk catching a thin beam of light, while small cold-water fish and drifting ice chunks fill the space around it and a deep blue current is washed in behind the whole scene.
Reef And Shallows
Reef, fish, anemone and sea fan all crowd this one sheet, so cut it down and use just a corner of it behind a photo if you want the colour without the whole busy scene.
A green sea turtle drifts just above a bed of soft coral and waving sea grass.
Glue a short note about patience or hiding in plain sight along the rocks beside this octopus, since the page already reads like a quiet little den of its own.
Two seahorses hold onto strands of sea grass near a cluster of pink coral, with a scatter of small bubbles rising past them and a soft sunlit water painted behind the whole garden.
Fold this page along the middle before gluing it in, so the starfish sits on the visible half and the sand dollars stay tucked for a small surprise.
Maps And Instruments
The usual mistake with a chart page is gluing it in flat and full size, which hides its best detail under the next page. Trim it to a smaller panel first, so the coastline and compass rose stay visible once the journal is closed.
A brass compass sits open on a coil of rope, with a folded chart corner and a few scattered shells nearby, all painted over a worn wooden table surface that fills the rest of the page.
Who is this page for: give it to the reader who grew up near a coast, or anyone who keeps a small lighthouse on a shelf at home.
Set beside a coil of rope and a cracked porthole window, with a scatter of small barnacles along its base, this brass diving helmet page sits well against the Brass Compass And Rope page for a matched pair of old maritime tools.
What to write here: the name of a trip you still mean to take, or the name of the boat from a favourite family story.
Creatures Of The Deep
Drifting alone with trailing tentacles lit faintly from within, this jellyfish works best paired with the Waves And Shells Pattern background behind it, letting the pale glow sit against a busier printed page.
Set in near total dark with only its lure glowing, an anglerfish drifts beside a scatter of small bioluminescent specks, a few loose strands of kelp and a cold black water that fills the rest of the page.
A giant squid curls upward through the dark, one long arm reaching past a scatter of small fish fleeing above it, with a faint shaft of surface light breaking through the deep water painted behind the whole scene.
Try the five minute version: paint one loose teardrop shape dozens of times in silver and pale blue, tilt a few of them, and the whole school reads as finished without a single detailed fish.
A manta ray glides just under the surface with its wide wings spread, a small remora fish tucked beneath it, scattered light ripples above and an open sunlit blue that fills the rest of the page.
A good question for this one: what did you carry with you the last time you moved somewhere new.
Shipwrecks And Treasures
Place a loose pearl bead or a small paper coin on top of this chest page before gluing it down, since the open lid and scattered gold already leaves a clear spot for it.
Broken ribs of a wooden hull rest half buried in sand, with coral growing along the old planks and a school of small fish passing through a gap in the wreck, the whole scene sitting under a dim deep water wash.
Floating near the surface with a rolled paper visible through the glass, this page gives you an obvious spot to glue in a real folded note once you have written your own message to tuck behind it.
Background Papers
A small pile of pearls, a curved shell comb and an old coin sit together on a bed of sand, with a few strands of kelp draped over the edge and a soft lit water painted behind the whole pile.
Tied up at a weathered dock with coiled rope and a stack of lobster traps beside it, a small fishing boat rocks gently in the water, gulls perched along its rail, and a pale early morning sky painted behind the whole dock.
Use this page as a cover wrap, a lining behind a photo of the shore, or torn into strips for a border along the edge of a scene page. The small shells and curling waves repeat edge to edge in dusty coral and deep teal.
Good behind a fish or whale photo, as a pocket lining, or trimmed into a thin strip to edge a plainer page. The overlapping scales repeat in soft teal and pale cream across the whole sheet.
Works well as a journal cover, under a travel photo, or as a lining behind the Old Nautical Sea Chart page for a matched set. Faint compass marks and thin sailing lines cover the whole sheet in muted sepia.
Lined Writing Pages
Use it under a reef photo, as a pocket lining, or as the base of a cover for the whole journal. Small branching coral shapes in coral pink and pale sage repeat closely across the full sheet.
Good as a border strip, a cover lining, or tucked behind a photo of a boat or a dock. Small anchors and short lengths of knotted rope repeat in a loose grid across the whole page.
Write a dive log entry here, a list of fish spotted on a snorkel trip, or the water temperature and visibility from a day at the coast. A corner spray of coral and small fish frames the ruled lines.
Use this page for a letter to next year, a list of shells found on a walk, or a short memory of a particular beach. A thin band of scattered shells runs down one side of the ruled lines.
Good for a packing list before a coastal trip, notes on a boat you admired, or a short log in the voice of an old sea captain. A small compass rose sits in one corner above the faint ruled lines.
What to Do Next
Print the pages you want first, lay them out in the order you like, and start gluing from the first scene page forward. For more ocean subjects to paint by hand alongside this set, see 22+ Easy Ocean Watercolor Animals: Whales, Dolphins, Sea Turtles & Marine Creatures for Beginners and 12 Easy Watercolor Ocean Scenes (Beginner-Friendly), or browse 32 Vintage Junk Journal Ideas With Old Letters and Faded Lace for more journal inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What paper works best for printing these ocean pages?
Use a heavyweight matte paper, 28 to 32 lb, so the washes read true and do not show through when pages sit back to back. Plain copy paper works in a pinch but feels flimsy once glued into a journal and may buckle slightly with wet glue.
What printer settings give the best colour?
Choose your printer’s best or photo quality setting rather than draft or normal, and select matte or plain paper in the paper type menu so the ink does not oversaturate. Let each sheet sit a minute before stacking so the colours do not smear.
What size should I print the pages at?
Standard US letter or A4 works for most journals and lets you trim down as needed. If your journal runs smaller, shrink the whole set to size in your print dialog before printing rather than resizing one page at a time.
Can I color or add to these pages by hand?
Yes, a light touch with watercolor pencils or a fine liner adds texture without fighting the printed wash. Keep any added line work thin and let the printed colour carry most of the page, since heavy additions can look out of step with the soft palette.
What do I use to glue the pages into my journal?
An acid free glue stick keeps the paper flat and avoids the wrinkling that liquid glue can cause on thinner sheets. For heavier backgrounds or cover panels, a thin layer of matte decoupage medium holds well and lets you add another layer on top later.