ART SUPPLIES. In my opinion, there’s nothing to spur you to start a new habit like the receiving of some well-appointed gifts. I’ve put together a shortlist of a few of my favorites below that are perfect for someone looking to start or continue their creative habit. I love to gift these in a cute pouch or bag to keep all the small bits together.
PAPER. A great journal or small loose paper to encourage daily making. I’m a fan of keeping a daily art journal. Something small and accessible to encourage use. The moleskine journal square is my current fave, I love it’s symmetry, size + sharability for social media. If you prefer to go the loose paper route, these watercolor postcards are the perfect size for beginners, with the added bonus of being mailable.
PENCILS. Throw in some mark-making tools to make the starting of the process SIMPLE. A fave that I always, always have on hand are these blackwing pencils. Spendy, yes, but as pencil snobs worldwide profess, these are hands down the best (and best gifted) pencil an artist can hope for.
PENS. I am currently obsessed with all things Tombow. I’m eyeing this Tombow 20 pack florals to add to my collection next. I’m a sucker for color, and love the dual tips of these pens. I use the Tombow Black almost daily and it has quickly become my favorite pen to sketch with. The saturation and tip width is just right in my book.
WATERCOLOR PAINTS. Watercolor is a great introduction to someone just starting out in painting and making art. Quick drying, simple to use, and easy to mix if so desired. These Japanese Kuretake Watercolor Sets are so richly saturated colors and perfect for the graphic way I like to play with color. If you’re feeling a bit more splurg-y, you guys know I’m seriously obsessed with San Francisco shop Case for Making . Their premade watercolor sets- $130 are the perfect gift for someone (or yourself) who’s already into watercolor and ready to take their love to the next level.
GOAUCHE PAINTS. For someone wanting a bit more texture + depth than watercolors, I love Holbein Acryla Gouache. You can get started with this set, or if you want to pick and choose, these are a few of my favorite hues_ a neutral + dusty ash rose, the richest deep green, jet black, an almost neon luminous red, the perfect mint.
SURFACES. Aside from paper, I love to gift surfaces that are ready to be displayed. My daughter, especially, loves to create on canvas and wood panels to add to our gallery wall. The best + most affordable stretched canvas I’ve found, we go through these in bulk around my house. These wood panels are also super fun for collage, acrylic or oil painting.
For more art supplies I swear by, check out full my Art Supplies I Love list.
TECH MEETS ART. A recent addition to my daily practice, I swear by my iPad pro, pencil and Procreate app. An intuitive + easy to learn program, I love creating patterns and original art on my tablet. You can build your own color palettes, import photos to sketch on top of, the possibilities for creation are truly endless.
CLASSES. Giving the gift of a local class or workshop experience is a great way to share your creative hobby with a friend or loved one. Find a local art store, dance or art studio, and see what’s on their spring schedule that piques your interest. If you happen to be in Dallas, you can join me in a six-series creativity crash course kicking off in January, I’d love to be your guide on this journey.
Online memberships are also a great way to learn + try new habits. A Skillshare or Masterclass membership is a gift that will give year-round. Both are full of classes that invite creativity and encourage learning, a great way to test a new hobby on your own schedule + terms.
BOOKS. Equal to my hoarding, er, collection of art supplies are my stacks upon stacks of books. I love to read, and gather inspiration for my creative work from studying the works + process of other artists. A few of my all-time favorite reads are_ The Artist’s Way, Big Magic and The Crossroads of Should and Must. You can find more of my favorites here.
MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP. Give the gift of time well spent with a membership to a local museum or botanical garden. The perfect gift for someone who’s sworn off ‘stuff’ this holiday season, and a great way to spend time together as you explore all the perks of membership + upcoming exhibits in the year ahead.
Editor’s Note_ This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase any of the items linked, The Color Kind may receive an affiliate commission (at no added cost to you) that we use to fund the operation of our business. We only recommend and support products that we’ve tried + loved.
