Art Supply Gift Ideas for Beginner to Experienced Artists
Dec. 7, 2023
The Christmas holiday is just around the corner, and everyone is trying to cross of the last few items on their lists...or maybe you're like me and you've barely put a dent in your Christmas shopping. If you have an artist in your life, they may have put some art supplies down as a gift idea. I know I did.
But what should you get? While you know it's the thought that counts, you still want to have peace of mind that your gift is something they will actually use. Today, I'm breaking down a list of art supply recommendations based on supplies I have used and am familiar with.
I've listed various price point options for each category so that you can hopefully find the perfect gift within your budget for the artist in your life.
DRAWING SUPPLIES
Drawing supplies are a great place to start if you aren't sure what exactly the artist likes to use. These are perfect for beginner all the way up to experienced artists, and there are many budget friendly options.
Graphite Pencils
Great Value + Budget Friendly. Good starter set for an artist as it comes with a sharpener and an eraser. Staedtler 6 Graphite Pencil Set with Eraser and Sharpener*
Mid-Range Budget. Good quality. Well known brand in the art community. Nice range of pencils. Faber-Castell 9000 Graphite Sketch Pencil Sets Art 8B - 2H set of 12*
Budget Friendly. Perfect gift that allows the artist to have a good on-the-go drawing pencil. Faber Castell Grip Plus Mechanical Pencil Set*
High End. A bougie sort of gift. If your artist already has a lot of supplies already, and you want to get them something fancy, and also have the budget for it, this pencil will be really special. It's fancy. It's classy. It's also perfect for artist who like to show off their work on Instagram. Faber Castell 138382 Emotion Mechanical Pencil, Wood & Chrome, Pear Tree, Brown, 0.06 inches (1.4 mm) *
Color Pencils
Budget Friendly. The Botanical Set of 12 or the Under the Sea Set of 12 would be perfect as they still offer a primary set of colors needed for mixing. Prismacolor Set of 12 Color Pencils*
Mid Range. A larger set of Prismacolor pencils for a wider range of color options. Prismacolor Set of 48 Color Pencils
Mid-High Range. Higher Quality than the Prismacolor Pencils. Best for Professional Artist. Not as creamy as the Prismacolor. Great for very detail oriented art. Faber-Castell Polychromos 36 Pencil Studio Set*
High End Budget. High Quality. Luxurious art supply that is worth the price based on the quality. Best for Professional Artist. A higher quality pencil than Prismacolors, but has the creamy feel that artists who like Prismacolors would really enjoy using. Caran D'ache Luminance Colored Pencil Set of 40*
Pens
Budget Friendly. Brush pens that are smooth and enjoyable to work with. Tombow 62039 Fudenosuke Brush Pens*
Mid Range. Pen set that includes a variety of tip types. Great for Manga, Ink Drawings, or Illustrations. Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen *
Mid Range. Pen set that includes a variety of fineliner tip sizes. Need to be mindful that you are getting the actual brand and not the knock offs. Great for Manga, Ink Drawings, or Illustrations. SAKURA Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens*
Higher Range. Pen set that includes a variety of fineliner tip sizes. Great for Manga, Ink Drawings, or Illustrations. Copic Markers Multiliner Pens *
Markers
Mid-Range. While these are mid-range, they are the most budget friendly for a good quality, brush tip alcohol marker set. Many artists think these are comparable to Copics. Ohuhu Alcohol Brush Tip Markers*
Higher End. These markers are well known in the art community. Very expensive. Copic Ciao Start 36 Color Set*
Paper
Budget Friendly. Decent, heavier weight toned paper. Some artist may not like toned paper. Since it is wire bound, left hand artists may find this uncomfortable to draw in. Strathmore 412-9 Tan Drawing 400 Series Toned Sketch Pad* If you don't like this option, try to look for a sketchbook that the paper weight is a minimum of 80lb.
Mid-Range Budget. Good sketchbook with heavier weight paper that many artists enjoy using. I personally love it for ink and marker illustrations. Illo Sketchbook
Higher End Budget. Good quality sketchbooks. Heavy weight paper. Softcover so some artist may find it more comfortable to work in. Great for dry media, ink, and some light paint washes. Stillman & Birn Gamma Series Softcover Sketchbook*
Higher End Budget. Really nice drawing paper. Only 15 sheets, so it may seem pricey for the number of pages you get, but its good paper. Legion Stonehenge Pad*
PAINTING SUPPLIES
Painting supplies can be tricky. There are so many different paint mediums, how do you know what to get and if you are getting the quality you want. Since I am most familiar with gouache and watercolors, those are the only painting supplies I will be touching on.
Paint Brushes
Budget Friendly. For a more budget friendly option, consider getting a single brush from a quality line such as Princeton Velvetouch or Princeton Neptune. Round brushes are pretty versatile, but a flat or filbert brush would be great options as well. Princeton Velvetouch, Round 6*
Mid-Range. A travel brush is a great option if you know your artist likes to take supplies with them on the go or have been talking about wanting to go somewhere like a coffee shop to paint. Princeton Neptune Travel Artist Brush, Size 4*
Mid-Range. If you are wanting to get more than one brush for an artist, this set is great option within the mid-range budget. Princeton Velvetouch, Set of 4*
Mid-High Range. As an artist that works in watercolor and gouache, a quill brush is really nice to have. I love mine from the Princeton Neptune series. Princeton Artist Brush Neptune, Size 6*
Mid-High Range. This set of paint brushes hold water very well and feel luxurious to use. Princeton Artist Brush Neptune Series, Set of 4*
Watercolor Paints
Budget Friendly. A good budget friendly way to give paint is to get a single tube. When buying a single tube, it may be helpful if you know what colors your artist gravitates towards. I recommend either Daniel Smith or Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolors (not the Cotman set unless for a beginner artist). This is one of my favorite greens, DANIEL SMITH, Perylene Green*, and this is a blue I use a lot, Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor, Indigo*
Mid-Range. An essential watercolor set is another great option. This one from Daniel Smith features both cool and warm tones of the primary colors that an artist can use to create countless colors. DANIEL SMITH Extra Fine Essentials Introductory Watercolor, 6 Tubes*
Higher Range. This set offers a good variety of colors, and the artist will be able to get a lot of use out of the half pans. Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Paint Set of 12 Half Pans*
Higher Range. This set has a lot of really great colors. It has some of my favorite greens, and some great blues as well. I also love the addition of the cool gray instead of black. Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Half Pan Set of 24*
Gouache Paints
Budget Friendly. For a budget friendly option, try getting a single tube of paint, or a couple. Both the Holbein Gouache and the Winsor & Newton Professional Gouache are high quality brands that I have worked with before and are enjoyable to use. Holbein Artists Gouache Primary Cyan, Primary Magenta, Primary Yellow * would be some great tube paint options that would allow the artist to mix to get a countless variety of colors.
Mid-Range. If you are wanting to get more of a set instead of just a single tube, this primary set is a fantastic option. These paints are very creamy and don't dry too quickly. Winsor & Newton Designers' Gouache Set of 6*
Higher Range. If you have a larger budget to spend, I recommend this set of 10. Winsor & Newton Designers' Gouache Introductory Set of 10*
Higher Range. Holbein is a well known brand, and they feel very luxurious to use. They are quite pricey here in the US, so they are an absolute treat to receive. This set only comes with 5ml tubes, which does means there is less paint than the previous set mentioned above. Holbein Artists' Gouache Set of 18.
Paint Palettes
Budget Friendly. Ceramic mixing palettes are the best. Plastic ones can be really frustrating to work with due to how the paint beads up in a plastic palette. For a budget friendly ceramic option, I recommend the MEEDEN 7-Well Studio Porcelain Paint Palette*
Mid-Range. Maybe your artist already has a palette just like the one above, and you are wanting something a little more special. You can't go wrong with an artisan made palette. This Glossy White Travel Palette from Sugarhouse Ceramic Co. is perfect for a mid-range budget.
Higher Range. If you want to get really bougie, the Florence Palette by Pottery by Elini is a stunning option.
Paper
Budget Friendly. For a budget friendly option, you can try a mixed media or watercolor sketchbook. So far, this Paul Rubens 100% Cotton Hot Press Paper* has been my go-to painting sketchbook.
Mid-Range. For a sketchbook option that has an even heavier weight paper, try this Stillman & Birn Beta Series Mixed Media Sketchbook* This is one that I am hoping to try out soon.
Mid-Range. For paper that your artist can produce finished pieces of work on outside of their sketchbook, the Fluid 100 Artist Watercolor Paper* is a good option.
Higher Range. The Arches Watercolor Block 300lb Paper* is *chef's kiss* to use. This paper is so nice to use and holds up well to multiple layers of paint.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I hope this list helps you shop more confidently for the artist in your life and sparks some ideas of supplies you can gift your artist. I know it can be difficult navigating the world of art supplies if you yourself are not familiar with them.
My mom typically teases me because I almost always ask for art supplies for Christmas when people ask for gift ideas. She jokes that its like she's never stopped buying me coloring supplies. I know that she is just kidding, and she also understands how much I love receiving art supplies. But, if you ever catch yourself thinking, "This doesn't seem that special. It feels a little silly - like I am buying just some glorified coloring supplies." Trust me when I tell you that gifting art supplies to an artist is truly something special.
It means so much to us that you went out of your way and took into account a passion of ours, especially when you may not be knowledgeable about the supplies. The fact that you sought out supplies that you thought we might enjoy, or even the fact that you bought the specific art supply we asked for, to us, it is such a kind and thoughtful gesture. We will treasure it and think of you when we use it.
So, if you've been on the fence about gifting art supplies, this is your sign that you should consider it. And, if you have children who have taken an interest in art, I'll be having a separate blog post go up over the next week that features some art gift ideas geared more towards children.
For some honorable mentions, these are supplies I haven't had the chance to use yet, but I want to try out at some point. These are supplies that I think would make special gifts for artist who use these kinds of mediums or are interested in trying them out. I can't personally speak to their quality, but these are from very reputable brands that produce excellent quality supplies. I have no doubt that they would be great!
All linked items with asterisks next to them are affiliate links. I receive a small commission when you purchase from these links. I am not sponsored by any of these brands to promote them. These are truly just brands that I love using. Thanks!
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