Find the perfect gift for an artist or creative person
We’ve all been there…
You don’t know anything about art supplies and yet here you are, shopping for a Christmas present or a Birthday gift for the artistic person in your life.
So you search the internet for gift ideas. But dang! There are a lot of junky gift suggestion articles out there full of things you’re pretty sure only a kid would love.
Where are the real presents for real artists?
Sick of wasting time looking for great art-supply gifts? Tired of wasting money on presents which gather dust?
We’re here to help!
It’s hard to buy art supply gifts for creative friends or family if you don’t know anything about art. Professional Illustrator Amy Shulke provides practical ideas— the 15 best products she’s used this year. Give your special person smart tools guaranteed not to gather dust or waste your money.
Hi, my name is Amy; I’m a professional freelance illustrator and art instructor.
I’ve been doing artsy stuff for forty-umph years. My family has always given me art supplies for birthdays and Christmas.
Can I share a secret? Here’s what the artist in your life is afraid to say:
I love you… but would you mind if I exchanged this for something I can actually use?
Over the years, I’ve been given a lot of cute art supplies and fancy gift-box assortments.
Unfortunately, artists don’t use the cute stuff. Professionals and serious hobby artists use higher grade materials which don’t come in holiday sampler packs.
So let’s buy a gift your artist can actually use.
I’ve created this Creative’s Gift Guide series to provide honest advice to non-artists.
Today, we’re looking at the best tools and supplies I’ve purchased this year.
I’m not sponsored by any art supply companies. I’ve bought all of these items with my own money.
If you want more information on any of the products, I’ve provided a link, usually to the same place I purchased mine. I do participate in a few affiliate programs but relax, my link does not affect your purchase price.
Remember, in this article, I’m just giving you a starting point.
I strongly encourage you to shop around for the best price or find something similar but more suitable. And please, be sure to visit local independently owned art stores in your area! They’re full of great ideas.
Now let’s find your special artist a really good gift!
VanillaArts.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at Amazon.com.
Vanilla Arts Co. LLC also participates in affiliate programs with Dick Blick, Ranger Inc, Sarah Renae Clark, and other sites. Vanilla Arts Co. LLC and Marker Novice are compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies.
We absolutely do not link to products or services which we have not tested. Recommended products are all used in our studio frequently.
Gift Ideas for artists who sketch, draw, or color
I’m an illustrator which means I draw with pencil and then I trace over the pencil lines with drawing pens. I colorize my art with alcohol markers, colored pencils, or watercolor. If you’re searching for a gift for a painter or sculptor, I’m afraid these products won’t be of much use to your special artist.
15. Help Build a Marker Collection:
Copic Markers come in 358 colors. All 358 markers need 358 refills. The average illustrator or artist spends years building up a full collection, a few markers at a time.
But you don’t know which markers they need and what they already own.
Play it safe. Get a gift certificate.
Violeta-Ink.com is my favorite online resource for Copic Markers and refills. They have great customer service and prompt shipping.
Or purchase an Amazon Gift card which can be used at Blick.com. Blick is my 2nd favorite marker retailer, a great art store with a long established history.
14. Clean & Care for Copic Markers:
Want to make the best Copic gift ever?
Build a Copic Care Kit with all the tools they need to keep their Copic Markers in like-new condition. Nothing in the kit is expensive, the trick is that you’re assembling it all in a dedicated container so that it’s all handy when they need it.
Copic Replacement Super Brush Nibs
Copic Replacement Medium Broad Nibs
13. Support a Healthy Spine:
Okay, hang with me here because at first glance, giving your loved one a chair sounds silly.
But hear me out. I’ve suffered with shoulder issues for years due to my posture while drawing. Standing desks have grown in popularity due to their health benefits but as an illustrator, I can’t work effectively while standing.
Everyone thinks a chair is a chair. Heck, half of my students are sitting on chairs they dragged in from the dining room. Personally, I sat in a regular old comfy executive style office chair for years and it made my shoulder problems worse.
This year, I finally upgraded to a supportive chair designed for people who sit for a living. I spent more than I wanted to but it was the best darned thing I’ve ever done for myself.
Good chairs are pricey so I’m not suggesting you buy the whole chair. But how about a gift certificate to get them closer to affording the kind of chair they really need?
12. Sketch & Paint On The Go:
To be honest, I’ve had this set for a long time but I’ve used these pencils more this past year than ever before.
If your artist likes to draw or paint in art journals, especially outdoors or when travelling, they’ll be thrilled with a set of water soluble pencils.
These are firm enough for sketching and with a simple waterbrush, they can activate their lines, turning them into beautiful and generously pigmented watercolor.
These pencils come in a tin which isn’t terribly convenient on location. I’ve included a link for my favorite brand of pencil case in a matching size plus the waterbrush I use most.
11. Best Mechanical Pencil for Sketching:
I’ve been a longtime fan of the Pentel Twist Erase mechanical pencil. By longtime, I mean decades!
This year, I stumbled across an amazing pencil which feels great in the hand and rotates the lead as you use it. The rotation is key, the lead keeps a point rather than wearing a dull angle, making for incredibly consistent lines.
This rotating technology comes in several versions. I’ve tried several and linked to the one I prefer.
I’ve also included a link to graphite lead refills developed especially for this pencil.
10. Sketching in Color:
Since I was on a pencil kick, I tried the colored lead frequently sold with my new rotating mechanical pencil.
I’ve used these dual ended Red/Blue illustration pencils since college, so I definitely wanted to try the red and blue leads. Little did I know how much fun sketching in Mint or Lavender would be!
And yes, I bought more rotating mechanical pencils, in matching colors to the leads, so I didn’t have to switch out the colors constantly.
I may have an addiction… but it’s a fun one.
9. Best Re-Inker Storage:
Many of my classes and courses use Distress Ink Pads for the background and we use bottles of refill ink to keep the pads nice and juicy. But there are over 60 colors and the matching storage containers only hold 12 bottles… which is why I’ve always kept my refills in a shoe box.
When I moved to the new studio, I vowed to stop using shoe boxes which keep supplies from rolling loose in drawers but don’t really stop them from knocking around inside the box.
My first target to store my giant re-inker collection. I love this sturdy plastic box which holds 77 bottles! It feels great to have all my colors in one spot, they’ll never tip or leak, and they’re foam cushioned for travel (or when I inevitably drop the box).
8. Economy Pens, Luxury Feel:
I’ve been a big fan of Copic Multiliners for decades and I love my set of black Copic SP Multiliners. But I have a tendency to accidentally leave pens laying on coffee house tables and park benches. It really hurts to lose a $12 pen!
I tested the these fineline pens last year but this year, I started taking them on the road. Now I find myself reaching for them in the studio too. They’re Copic safe, a nice dense black, and they feel really good in the hand.
I’ve added my most-used small pencil case; the combination makes a great gift.
7. Best Artist’s Tape:
Okay, here’s one of those head-smack products.
For years, I’ve put drafting tape on all my class supply lists. I use it daily in my own studio too. I go through so much, I have a special weighted dispenser for it.
But then my family wanders into the studio looking for tape. My expensive drafting tape looks exactly like masking tape, so they end up using several dollars worth and then complain that it’s not sticky enough.
Uh, it’s not masking tape. It’s low-adhesive— on purpose.
This year I found green drafting tape and now everyone knows not to touch it.
Want more gift ideas? Click to see products we use and recommend:
6. Best Sanding Block:
I’ve used traditional pencil sanding blocks since college, they’re a cheap and effective way to restore the point on drawing pencils.
I bought this metal version because of the clip on the back. I’m less likely to lose it and more likely to use it if I can clip it on my drawing board. Sadly, I like the old disposable blocks better for shaping my pencil leads.
But this metal file is perfect for shaping white erasers! White erasers need to be cleaned off and shaped periodically and the sanding blocks are ill-suited because they can embed sand into the eraser which then scratches your project.
This metal file prevents the problem and it has the handy clip. Now I can stop rubbing white erasers on my pants! Love it!
5. Not Yo’ Mamma’s Vacuum:
I moved to a new studio this year and along with the resolution to have real storage for everything, I vowed to keep my desk (and the floor around my desk) a lot cleaner.
Because I work with pencils, I always have a fine layer of pencil dust, shavings, and little bits of eraser rubbings over everything. I do have a drafting brush but honestly, it just moves the debris from my desk to the floor where I then track it around.
So I went shopping for a mini vacuum. Holy cow, vacuums have changed since I owned my first DustBuster.
This one has a great brush attachment, perfect for loosening pencil dust from corners and crevices.
4. Slanted Drawing Board:
Many of my students work at a standard desk or even the dining room table. Flat surfaces encourage bad posture by slumping down over one’s project but it also limits your arm’s range of motion. Working flat can work for a while but over time, it really limits your artistic potential.
Because I was cramped for space in my old studio, I purchased this table top slant-desk. I loved it so much, I designed my brand new studio around having a dedicated space for this gadget.
I like the adjustable horizontal ruler— not as a straight edge but as hand rest and a pencil holder. I also really love that I can fold it up when I need more desk room.
3. Archival Colored Pencils:
This is another product I purchased last year but didn’t truly start using well until this year.
Derwent is known for high quality art supplies so I was very interested when they introduced a line of lightfast pencils. Unfortunately the color palette was so limited that I didn’t even bother trying them.
When they finally expanded the palette in 2020, I decided to bite. And wow, several of these pencils have worked their way into my other collections, replacing colors I love with a Lightfast version of the same color.
They’re available in sets and open stock.
Be sure to check my favorite supplier, Violeta-Ink.com. They’ve created a mini-set of my favorite colors for your artist to try.
2. Best Light-board for Drawing:
I use a light-board to trace my messy sketches onto clean paper for finalized ink drawings. My students use light-boards to trace line art onto art paper which is too thick to feed through their printer.
Light pads are a useful tool, especially the modern thin ones.
I used the heck out of my previous light-board but I was constantly having to wiggle the cord to keep the light on. When it finally died for good, I ordered another, exactly like the first.
Or so I thought…
The new model is cordless! Now I can plug it in overnight when I’m not using it. This protects the cord receptacle from getting bumped as I draw. It’s the same lightweight, super smooth board, just cord free!
And the #1 tool of the year…
The one you need to rush out and purchase for the sketching, drawing, or coloring artist in your life…
Top Pick: The Smudging Banana
Okay, I know it looks ridiculous but this isn’t a joke. This smudging tool is the best thing I’ve ever tried with colored pencil.
Blending stumps (called tortillions) and chamois rags have been around for years and they work great with graphite but unless you’re combining them with solvent, they don’t do much for colored pencil.
The banana is different. It’s spongey and light yet it softens colored pencil lines beautifully. I’ve had my banana for only a few months but I reach for it constantly to gently smooth fade-away edges and soften transitions.
It also does a lovely job cleaning colored pencil dust off the margins of your paper.
The shape isn’t really a novelty either.
These ergonomically designed sponges fit into your hand and work like an extra finger. My guess is the shape came long before someone said “we should make it yellow and pretend it’s a banana.”
I can’t imagine life without this cute little guy.
UPDATE 12/22: Ack! It looks like the bananas are out of stock everywhere, including at the main Arrtx site. We’re watching and hoping this doesn’t mean they’re discontinued. I’ll also keep my eye out for similar products.
More Gift Ideas:
We’ve updated all of our older lists with fresh links and current information!
