You might be new to the watercolor painting game, or perhaps you’re at a loss for gift ideas for that artist in your life. Buying art supplies can seem like an overwhelming task when you don’t know what you’re looking for or what somebody who’s more experienced might need.
That’s exactly why I’ve put together this gift guide for artists! I’ll help to take a little bit of that stress away from your decision making and outline a few key products that are sure to be appreciated.
Links are included to Amazon pages so you can easily add your choices to your cart and get super fast shipping. I’ve also included links to Blick Art Materials in case Amazon isn’t your thing and you want to save 15% and get free shipping!
Watercolour (Beginner)
A perfect simple gift set for watercolour beginners would include a pad of watercolour paper, watercolor paint (either tubes or pans), a couple of key brushes, and a palette. Below are a few recommendations that any aspiring watercolour artist would be happy to receive.
- Canson XL Watercolor Pad | Blick
- Reeves Watercolor Paint Set | Blick
- Prima Watercolor Confections Paint Sets
- Princeton Neptune Synthetic Squirrel Brushes (Sizes: 2, 6, 12) | Blick
- Plastic Paint Palette | Blick
- LED Light Board
- Pigma Micron Pens | Blick
- Watercolor With Me: In The Forest Book (shameless plug!)
Watercolour (Experienced)
For the more experienced or not-so-beginner artists, any of the gifts below would be amazing additions to their supply collection. Some new paints and higher quality brushes and paper are sure to be appreciated.
- Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Pan Set | Blick
- Prima Watercolor Confections Paint Sets
- Daniel Smith Watercolor Paint Sets | Blick
- Arches Watercolor Paper | Blick
- Stonehenge Aqua Cold Press Paper | Blick
- Fabriano Artistico Extra White Paper | Blick
- Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors (Singles) | Blick
- Winsor & Newton Cotman Paint Tubes | Blick
- Winsor & Newton Professional Paint Tubes | Blick
- Moleskine Watercolor Notebooks | Blick
- Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Journal | Blick
- Silver Black Velvet Round Brushes | Blick
- Da Vinci Watercolor Series Brushes | Blick
- Art Masking Fluid | Blick
- Hand Book Field Watercolor Journal | Blick
- QoR Watercolors 24 Piece Paint Set | Blick
- Watercolor With Me: In The Forest Book (shameless plug!)
If you’re on a budget, my recommended gift set would include some nice paper (either Arches or Fabriano), a small set of higher quality watercolour paint tubes (primary colours work really well if you don’t know which to choose!), and an amazing professional watercolour brush.
Illustration & Sketching
For those who love to sketch, these gifts would be perfect on their own or as a DIY art set. Some nice coloured pencils are always such a treat! And a hardcover sketchbook is perfect for traveling with.
- Copic Markers | Blick
- Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers | Blick
- Pigma Micron Pens | Blick
- Derwent Charcoal Pencil Set | Blick
- Faber-Castell Pitt Charcoal Tin | Blick
- Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencil Sets | Blick
- Prismacolor Colored Pencils Sets | Blick
- Moleskin Classic Notebook | Blick
- Strathmore Hardbound Sketchbook Journal | Blick
- Tombow Mono Drawing Pencil Set | Blick
I hope that you find this Artist Gift Guide helpful! As a creative person, what would you be thrilled about receiving as a gift?
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I can totally vouch for the Prima Watercolor sets and Copic markers. I can’t have too many of these, and use them all the time.
In fact this year I bought a bunch of Copics on behalf of my travelling husband to put under the tree. It’s easy to make an artist a happy person on Christmas day 🙂