Awesome Gifts for People who love Drawing and Painting

It’s true, aspiring artists can be picky. But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard to buy them something they’ll really really love, nor do you have to spend a fortune on their gift.

Over time we artists develop a taste and find our favourite brand of pencils and our ideal kind of brush. Especially once we’ve tried out “the good stuff” there is just no going back to the cheap supermarket varieties.

If you’re not an artist yourself, or a different kind of artist, it can be difficult to find something to buy for your artist friend. After all, they probably have all the materials they need already, so the best you could do is buy them a refill, right?

Not at all. We don’t buy every single item we want from our art store of choice, and there’s usually a long list of materials and other things we could enjoy given the chance.

Much like a child in a toy store we often don’t know that we want something until we’re confronted with it. So, here is a list of presents that your drawing- and painting-loving artist friends would surely truly love to be given.

Courses

One gift that I know for a fact is always welcome, is a drawing- or painting-related art course.

These can be physical, such as a nice weekend workshop from an art college nearby, or they can be online. Prices range anywhere between £20 to a couple of hundred, if you want to spend a bit more and get them something really comprehensive of high quality.

Organisers

It might sound boring, but it's also incredibly useful and often quite needed. If we've been drawing and painting for a while we tend to accumulate a large number of materials, be it new ones, used ones or duplicates.

Instead of shoving them all in one drawer, or your standard IKEA box, it's so much better if we're presented with a nice organiser to store them visually pleasing as well as properly organised.

Blank cards

There is just nothing an artist loves more than starting a new project. And a nice set of high-quality, blank cards will give us just that.

Instead of having to buy dull retail cards we could then create our own, with acrylics, water colour, glitter pens, whatever we fancy. Those cards are great for birthdays, Christmas and more personalised events that don't have standard cards in the shops.

Vouchers

No, they’re not the most exiting of presents, but they’re incredibly useful for artists nonetheless. Come what may, one day we’ll run out of acrylics or need a new sketchbook. And those things can be expensive, especially when you draw a lot and need those refills regularly.

So, rather than buying your friend something artsy you’re not sure they need or want, you can totally take the safe route and get them a voucher from their favourite art store, or an Amazon gift card even.

A drawing table

If you're planning to spend a little more a proper drawing table is a great gift!

They offer plenty of storage space and holders for pencils and those paint water cups that we keep knocking over or accidentally drinking out of (it happens, don't ask). And the table top can be adjusted from flat to almost vertical, giving our poor battered necks a break.

If that's a bit dear for you, or your friend doesn't have the space, you can get one of the smaller, tabletop versions instead. I have one myself, they’re neat!

Traditional materials

This isn't something for everyday use, but most artists do enjoy experimenting with the old classics at least once in their life. If your friend loves drawing, get them a paper making kit (it’s really fun and really easy) and the matching book.

Or you could buy them a stylus and a book about silverpoint drawing, if they like to follow in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci.

Or consider a calligraphy set, so they can try out a more Asian approach, including this guide. They come with traditional brushes or with nibs.

A bag to transport materials

If your friend likes to draw and paint outside their own home, be it in the countryside, in cafés or at meetups with other artists it can be a hassle to pack and unpack all the materials from one's handbag or commuter backpack.

That's where you come in. Get them a nice portable bag big enough to store the material of their choice (some of us like working in A4, other's prefer A3 or bigger). Bonus points if it's waterproof and has lots of pockets!

A french easel

These fancy-looking boxes are the classiest item in existence, surely. They combine a portable surface for painting with space to store all the materials. And they look just ever so old-school!

While they can do more than your standard fabric bag, they are not quite as comfortable to transport, so I would only recommend this for friends that have access to a car or don't tend to travel far.

A 3D pen

What seemed utterly utopian a few years back has become quite common and widely available. And it’s something that we’d all like to try out, isn’t it?
While proper 3D printing is still a bit over budget for most of us, a 3D pen to play around with is much easier to obtain.

Art-related accessories

Your gift does by no means have to be actually related to your friend’s everyday drawing practice. In fact, art, drawing and painting as a topic can be used in all sorts of everyday objects.

There are whimsical paint-brush earrings, art-history themed mugs, scarves with famous paintings on them, water-colour iPhone cases, whathaveyou.

And they range from cute and fun to posh and classy, so there’s something for everyone, in all price ranges.

A fancy journal

For everyday drawing practice our standard art-store sketchpad is quite sufficient. But I don't know a single artist that doesn't get a longing look in their eyes when they walk past that one stall at every Christmas Market that sells those fancy handmade, leather-bound journals.

It might be the visuals of the artists of old sitting on the steps of grand monuments in their linen shirts, drawing passers-by with charcoal-smudged fingers.

Drawing ideas in book-form

Sometimes artists just want to doodle a little but they can't think of anything at all. You might just tell them about my article 100 Drawing Ideas for when You can't Think of Anything. Or you can buy them one of various books out there with ideas, suggestions and small challenges to get them started.

Sketchbooks with templates

Rather than being completely blank these have themed templates, usually in very thin lines, on the pages. You can find them for comic books, where they can make for excellent practice in free drawing and improvisation.

If your friend likes figure drawing, they'll probably find the draping and creasing of fabric difficult to work out, in which case a fashion design template book can help them learn.

A light box

While we all like to pretend we can draw anything straight from sight and never have to trace at all, sometimes it’s just easier and quicker to ”cheat” and get at least the proportions down by tracing them off the original.

This is especially useful for artists that use references like poses of models in magazines or that like to draw from photographs rather than from real life.
Many of us use a window if we have nothing better, but obviously a nice, professional LED light box is the more convenient option.

A viewfinder

Viewfinders are basically cut-out squares that help an artist create a new composition. You can look through them onto your subject (such as a landscape) to find the most pleasing view.

Some of them come with value guides and other helpful notes, while others are your very standard, small (stocking-filler) cutout without any extras.

Art kits

Naturally every hobby or professional artist will have their own preference for materials. And still, a good drawing and painting kit, no matter the brand, is always a welcome present. Especially if it holds more than just our usual, commonly used utensils.

A kit that includes media we don’t usually use, such as pastels and oils if we mostly use water colour is a fabulous way to get us out of the trot. Trying out new things is an important part of developing our art, but it’s also something we often neglect.

Nothing better to make us feel like children again than to confront us with a box of tiny acrylics, mini pastels and every good thing.

Specific tutorial books

Aye, chances are your artist friend will already own quite a few of these.
If you have the option, have a peek at their bookshelf. If you can't, your best bet is to simply avoid the very popular, broader drawing or painting books and get them something a little more niche.

Rather than Artist's Drawing Techniques for example (which is an excellent book by the way), go for something more specific, like Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour or 101 Textures in Oil and Acrylic, for some fun little projects to do.

Art-related books

It doesn't always have to be a technical book either. If your friend is really into art, why not think about a nice famous artist biography instead, such as this very popular and inspiring da Vinci version.

Or you can buy them a hardback with art prints of either their favourite artist or genre, like this fabulous book on Impressionism. Because of their size and beautiful glossy pages they make excellent presents and are as stunning as they are informative.

Another option is to find a good book with 'making art' as an overall topic, like The Power of Creativity.

And last but not least, if your friend prefers to read other genres there are usually a couple of books in every one of them that include art as a side-topic.

If they like crime, why not get them a novel where the main character (or murder victim, or suspect) is a painter. We all like it when more than one of our interests are combined in a single, thoughtful gift.

Here’s my article 10 amazing Books every Artist should Read this Year for more ideas.

Jewellery made from their art

As a very personalised gift you can actually have someone's artwork turned into a necklace, bracelet or earrings.

Usually advertised for children's drawings, this can obviously also be done from a sketch your friend is most proud of. It can either be engraved, formed from metal or copied and "framed" under a glass cover. Best place to get these is Etsy, naturally.

Crafting kits

Of course we all have our own art of choice, be it painting, drawing or sculpture. But most of us enjoy crafting in general, so a nice ready-made kit for some weekend fun is never out of place.

Be it making soap, candles, infused gin or embroidery, anything that lets us do some intricate, pretty work is usually a winner.

Limited edition prints

If your friend is an artist chances are they'll have their own favourite artists, too. Owning an original of one’s favourite artist is usually not an option as it’s either too expensive or their works only go to museums.

Limited edition art prints are the next best thing, due to their very high quality. Museums often do them for the old masters and the more modern artists sell them on their own websites, often signed.
Prices range anywhere between £30 and £150.

For more artsy products to spend some time with have a look at my article 19 cheap Products for fun Drawing and Painting-related Activities.

Did you enjoy this article or feel like you have anything else to add? Feel free to leave me a comment below!
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