If you’re looking for gifts for artists who draw, look no further! I’ve rounded up some of the best gifts that any artist would love to receive based on what I would personally love to receive (hint hint family!). From pencils and paper to sketchbooks and drawing books, there’s something here for everyone. And if you’re really looking to spoil your favorite artist, consider getting them a box set or a drawing easel. Whatever you choose, they’re sure to appreciate your thoughtfulness. Let’s go and explore all the great things the drawing artist in your life would love to receive.
Pencils
One of the most important things for any artist who draws is a good set of pencils. Whether they prefer charcoal, graphite or colored, having a few different types on hand is always a good idea. You can purchase almost any type of set from Amazon, some that I will show you have everything an artist needs to get started, and they’re also a great gift for anyone who already has a pencil collection but could use some new supplies.
Graphite pencils
Graphite pencils are great for sketching and drawing with nice, sharp lines. They come in a range of hardness levels, from 6B (very soft) to 8H (very hard). A set like the one below is perfect for artists who want to experiment with different types of pencils and find the ones that suit their style best.
If you’re looking for a more unique gift, why not get them a set of pencils that are actually made from graphite? These pencils are handmade in the USA and come in a beautiful wooden box. They would make an excellent addition to any artist’s collection.
- Benefit from the best: everyone from beginners to a professional will appreciate the quality, smoothness and shading capabilities of these sketching pencils
- Class Act: this graphite pencils Set belongs in the classroom or makes the perfect architect Pencil set, as well as a personal sketching Pencil set
- 24 finely graded degrees: from super-soft and dark 12B on up to hard, light 10H for the widest possible range of shading and opacity. All packaged in a durable tin case for organized portability
- The perfect sketch pencils for the job, whether it’s for designers, engineers, artists or architects. Staedtler Pencil pack has the variety and quality you need
- Premium break resistance means longer-lasting leads! Only staedtler’s Lomography art pencils for drawing and shading feature a lead bonded to the shaft so they don’t break off while sharpening
Charcoal pencils
Charcoal pencils are perfect for creating dramatic, smoky effects in your drawings. They come in a range of hardness levels, from soft to hard. A set like the one below is perfect for artists who want to experiment with different types of pencils and find the ones that suit their style best.
- Get the traditional effect of charcoal with more control and less mess
- Charcoal particles are mixed with the finest clays and wood encased
- Cedar barrels contain flexible charcoal of the highest quality for scratch-free marks
- Tinted pencils extend creative possibilities
- Set of 24 colors smudge and blend beautifully for deep, rich tones
Colored pencils & Watercolor pencils
Colored pencils are another great option for artists who like to experiment with different mediums. They come in a wide range of colors, so you can find the perfect set for your artist friend.
- Creamy – soft – water-resistant
- Set of 80 Colored Pencils
- Ideal for shading – mixied media
- Exceptional covering power and superb lightfastness
- 3.7mm leads
- Add Depth to Your Masterpieces With a Bright Colored Pencil Set: With just a dab of a wet brush, these professional colored pencils for artists allow you to blend, layer, and create unique effects that lend drama to your artwork.
- Highly Pigmented and Vibrant Shading Pencils: Your sketch pencils have soft, break-resistant cores made from lightfast pigment that won’t fade over time. 120 shades give you limitless creative freedom.
- Comes in Protective Case: Your rainbow-colored watercolor pencil set arrives in a sturdy tin that’s ideal for storing and transporting the pencils. These high-quality colored pencils for adults will make a thoughtful gift to any artist.
- Designed and Created by Artists: Here at Arteza, we are passionate about creating products that inspire. For us, art is an expression of the human experience. That’s why we work to make our art supplies accessible to all people.
- Art Supplies for Everyone: Arteza was built on providing quality painting, drawing & art supplies for all ages and levels. Find tons of arts and crafts accessories, paint sets, drawing supplies, and more for all your general needs as an artist.
Erasers
No artist’s toolkit is complete without a good eraser. They’re essential for making corrections and getting rid of unwanted lines. A set of quality erasers will last an artist a long time, so it’s definitely a worthwhile investment.
There are many different types of erasers available, from kneaded to vinyl to gum erasers. A good quality set like the one below should have all the basics covered.
I love Prismacolor kneaded erasers but a close second are the Faber Castell and I only recommend these over the Prismacolor because they come in a small plastic case which looks much nicer as part of a gift pack than the others that come in a simple plastic wrap.
- Art Eraser Kneaded : Sold in Pack of 4 Kneaded Eraser pack – Grey Color
- Faber castell kneadable eraser – The perfect drawing eraser choice for artists, sketch pencils, drawing supplies
- For correcting and lightening charcoal, pencil and pastel work. For cleaning slides and final drawing touch up
- An eraser that is extremely kneadable and absorbent. A must have tools for drawing and artist works.
- Size : Large. These putty eraser comes with storage plastic case for easy storage after use
Pencil case or pencil roll
A pencil case or pencil roll is a great way to keep an artist’s pencils organized and protected. They come in a variety of sizes and styles, so you can find one that fits your needs.
This is a great gift for artists who are always on the go, as it will help them keep their pencils safe while they’re traveling.
- Find Them Fast – Designed to make organizing your markers a breeze, each slot holds your supplies upright and securely in interior panels.
- Travel in Comfort – With an adjustable strap with shoulder padding, it’s lightweight and comfortable enough to carry.
- Take Your Favorite Tools – Each elastic holder fits a diameter of 12-18mm, allowing you to store markers and pens of various sizes.
- Designed and Created by Artists: Here at Arteza, we are passionate about creating products that inspire. For us, art is an expression of the human experience. That’s why we work to make our art supplies accessible to all people.
- Art Supplies for Everyone: Arteza was built on providing quality painting, drawing & art supplies for all ages and levels. Find tons of arts and crafts accessories, paint sets, drawing supplies, and more for all your general needs as an artist.
Pencil Sharpeners
A good quality pencil sharpener is a must-have for any artist. There are many different types available, so you can find one that fits your needs. This is a great gift for artists who want to make sure their pencils are always sharp and ready to use. I purchased a Bostitch pencil sharpener and I have used nothing else since. This is hands down the best sharpener I have ever had and is worth every single penny. I usually also recommend the electric version of this but they always seem to be out of stock. At least with the manual one, it will always work.
- Tip Saver prevents over sharpening
- 8-hole dial accomodates a variety of pencil sizes
- Dual cutter technology for 6X longer life; replaceable cutters
- Comes with clams and screw to mount vertically or horizontally
- LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
Pens and ink
Pens and ink are another great gifts for artists. There are many different types of pens available, so you can find one that is perfect for the artist in your life. I personally love using Fine-Point Sharpie Pens for my drawing and doodling needs. They have a fine point that is perfect for detail work, and they come in a wide variety of colors.
I also own a bamboo ink pen and use it to make ink drawings that are a little different.
Gel pens are also a nice idea but more for younger artists rather than older or traditional artists.
- The go-to tool for art work & play: Micron is the fineliner standard that delivers with precision
- Precise points & lines: Create precise marks that stand the test of time with professional inking pens used by comic artists, illustrators, watercolor artists, archivists, and laboratory professionals
- Smooth writing: Experience smooth, skip-free writing in crisp, rich black ink that achieves consistent line widths that won’t smear, feather, or bleed-through most papers
- Archival quality: Pigma pigment based ink is waterproof, chemical and fade resistant, bleed free, quick drying and pH neutral. Pigma ink colors are derived from single pigment colors for color consistency
- Certified non-toxic: Approved by ACMI toxicologists and bears trusted AP Seal
- Our drawing inks have been used by illustrators since their introduction by Winsor & Newton in the 1890’s, where the main requirement is brilliance of colour
- These inks can be applied with brush, dip pen or airbrush and are widely used by designers, calligraphers and artists as well as illustrators
- Formulated from a series of soluble dyes in a shellac solution, our drawing inks offer unrivalled strength and colour brilliance
- They can be diluted with water to create delicate washes, mixed for a variety of colours, or used straight from the bottle for rich, vivid tone. The selection of varied nib shapes provided helps to enrich drawings with a multitude of strokes and expressions
- Contains 4 x Winsor & Newton drawing inks 14 ml/0. 47 us fl oz
Reference Mannequins
If you’re looking for a more unique gift, why not consider a reference mannequin? These are perfect for artists who like to sketch people or animals, as they provide a realistic reference point. This one from Amazon is highly rated and looks more realistic than the usual wooden ones. These are great to even just having on a desk, they look pretty cool and is quite useful.
Drawing paper & Sketchbooks
Of course, no artist can create without paper! A high-quality sketchbook is a great option for any artist. It’s also a perfect gift for anyone who loves to journal or write down their thoughts.
- MOLESKINE ART COLLECTION: From sketchbooks and sketchpads to watercolor notebooks with heavy paper, to music notebooks with plain and pentagram pages, to storyboard layout notebooks, Moleskine’s art collection of notebooks offer the quality you need.
- DURABLE COVER & ELASTIC CLOSURE: Hold writing projects & notes in your Moleskine notebook with an elastic closure band & inner storage folders. Leather-like classic Moleskine cover & thick, ivory paper pages are perfect for writing with fountain pens.
- GIFT QUALITY NOTEBOOKS: Moleskine planners, journals and notebooks come in softcover and colors like black, red, blue, green and brown. The binding and cover have a durable finish, designed for daily journaling, writing and sketching.
- DELUXE QUALITY PAGES: Moleskine’s thick, ivory paper pages in a softcover Moleskine notebook, softcover Moleskine notebook, cahier or volant journal, or Moleskine planner are perfectly textured for writing with a ballpoint pen, fountain pen, or pencil.
- MOLESKINE QUALITY: We’re dedicated to culture, travel, memory, imagination, & personal identity—both physical & digital. We bring this commitment to our notebooks, bags, apps & smart pens & notebooks.
Drawing Tablets and Digital Pens
If they prefer to draw digitally, then a tablet or drawing pad is a great option. Tablets from Wacom are popular with artists and they come with everything they need to get started.
- New Class of Creative Pen Display: Optimized feature set for creative starters provides HD clarity and ergonomic design that allows you to take your creative ideas and illustrations to the next level
- Super Responsive: Wacom Pro Pen 2 features 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt response and virtually lag-free tracking. Two customizable switches allow for easy access to shortcuts
- Industry-leading Color Displays: Our Cintiq displays have LCD display with HD resolution and showcase uniform brightness, high resolution and true to life color quality
- Control at Your Fingertips: The relaxed parralax gives you full control and combined with the super responsive Wacom Pro Pen 2, makes creating feel as natural as drawing on paper
- Wacom is the Global Leader in Drawing Tablet and Displays: For over 40 years in pen display and tablet market, you can trust that Wacom to help you bring your vision, ideas and creativity to life
Drawing Easels
For the more traditional artist, an easel is a must-have. Drawing artists usually prefer lightweight and easy-to-transport easels instead of the big heavy ones designed for painting.
- French easel style designed sketchbox with a large storage box that converts into a painting easel. A natural wood colored desktop easel box that’s oil finished. Made with hand sanded high quality aged Beechwood that’s grown in Germany.
- Sturdy lightweight tabletop sketchbox easel that can be adjusted to any incline angle position depending on the need, and will accommodate a canvas up to 28″. Includes a 17 well plastic painters palette. Folds to a compact box with carry handle.
- Storage sketchbox is divided into a 7 compartment interior with 4 removable dividing slats for adjusting comparment sizes. Store and organize sketch pads, paints, brushes, markers, pens, paper and other essential art supplies. It’s deal for keeping yourself organized while painting, drawing and sketching.
- Folded Dimensions: 17.75″ wide by 13″ deep by 5.5″ high, easel adjusts to 33″ high. It’s a durable user friendly art, studio and sketchbox easel that’s great for use by kids, beginners, students, as well as for advanced artists and professionals.
- Risk Free Purchase with our 100% Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee. U.S. Art Supply is an industry leader in Art Supplies, so purchase our products with the confidence, if you’re not happy with them at anytime, we’ll provide a full replacement or refund.
Drawing books or art books
If you’re looking for a gift that will help them improve their skills, consider a how-to book on drawing or painting. There are many great titles available, depending on their level of experience and what type of drawings they’re interested in.
- The perfect inspirational sketch book meets guided journal
- 642 random drawing prompts to spark casual doodling
- A collection of both simple and complex objects
- A nice activity to enjoy and de-stress
- For any skill level
Lightbox or tracing box
If your artist friend is into doing a lot of detailed work, then a lightbox or tracing box would be an amazing gift! This way they can easily see all the small details they need to work on without straining their eyes.
- MAGNETIC CLIP & PEN HOLDER: A magnetic clip is designed to fix paper & diamond painting canvas easily, or complete other projects more efficiently. You don’t need to place extra clips any more. Also the pen holder is super easy to store your pen without mess. (The pen is not included in the box)
- 3-LEVEL ADJUSTABLE BRIGHTNESS: It is amazing enough to shine through a few layers of paper and highlight the differentiation in your drawings without straining your eyes. Evenly backlit by LEDs without shadow nor glare. One quick tap turns it on and off and set 3-level brightness to suit your project in different environments, like your home, school, or art studio.
- WIDE APPLICATION: Ideal for diamond painting,stenciling, 2D animation, calligraphy, embossing, scrapbooking, tattoo transferring, sketching, sewing, X-ray Viewing and more. A perfect tool for anyone who needs to do tracing work, or for your kid if you want to develop his talent of drawing. It is also a great gift for your artist friend.
- Type C CHARGING PORT: Unlike the traditional charging port, we adopt the upgraded Type C charging port, which is more firm and not easy to become loose & fall out. And the charging is much more stable. It can be conveniently plugged into your computer, laptop,power bank, USB adapter, car charger for power and a 6 feet (1.8 m) long cable is included. So you don’t need an extension. What a convenience!!
- NO RISK PURCHASE: The led light pad is super durable and scratch-resistant. The edges are smooth and won’t hurt your hands in daily use. We provide 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE, full refund or replacement is available if there is any quality issue.
Drafting table
If your artist is into painting or drawing on a larger scale, then a drafting table would be the perfect gift! It provides a stable surface to work on and can be adjusted to the perfect angle, making it much easier on their back and neck.
- Main Work Surface 35.5 W x 24 D
- Tempered Blue Safety Glass Top
- Top Angle Adjustment from Flat up to 70 Degrees
- 3 Plastic Molded Slide out Drawers for Storage(for use on left or right side)
- Heavy Gage Powder Coated Steel Construction for Durability
Camera Obscura
On the obscure end (no pun intended) of gifts for artists who draw is the camera obscura. This is an old-school way of projecting images and can be a really fun and interesting gift for artists who enjoy experimenting with different mediums. I purchased a modern version of a camera obscura on eBay many years ago after giving up on trying to win a vintage one at an auction.
I really really wanted one so any artist who loves to not only draw but paint would value a camera obscura to add to their collection of art supplies. The model below is what I own and it is a real talking point plus a cool way to replicate on paper what you see in real life.
If you have yet to know what a camera obscura does with this low tech solution, I suggest reading up on it. Great invention from hundreds of years ago!
- The Old Masters’ Secret Tool Reinvented!
- Larger More Stable Image: up to 20 x 37 inches (50.8 x 94 cm) from life
- Includes Photo Projector Accessory to Enlarge a 4×6″ Photo up to 16×24″
- Bright Adjustable Image, Solid Mechanical Arm with Diagonal Cross Support
Gift certificates and courses
If you know an artist is interested in trying out a new medium or improving their skills, then a gift certificate to an art supplies store or even a local course could be the perfect present. I have several friends who are constantly taking courses and workshops to improve their skills and they always appreciate the chance to do so.
Make a gift basket with a few items wrapped up
If after you looking at all the gifts for artists who draw, you still can’t decide what to get then you can always buy a small number of drawing items and make a beautiful gift basket with them. This is always a great idea because it shows that you care and took the time to put something together yourself. Plus, they’ll be able to use everything right away!
Here are some things you could include:
- A nice set of pencils (like these ones from Prismacolor)
- A good quality eraser (like this one from Tombow)
- A sketchbook or two (like these from Moleskine)
- A how-to book on drawing or painting
- A reference book on anatomy or proportions
- A small easel or desktop box set
If you want to go above and beyond, you could also include a gift certificate to an art supply store or online retailer. This way, your artist friend can get exactly what they need (and want)!
Gifts for artists who draw – wrap up!
I hope this post provided you with some useful ideas for gifts for artists who draw. Whether you’re looking for gifts for beginner artists or experienced professionals, the options are endless. With a little thought and creativity, you can find the perfect present that will be appreciated and used for years to come.
No matter what your budget is, you’re sure to find the perfect gift for the artist in your life with this list! From affordable sketchbooks to high-end drawing tablets, there’s something here for everyone. So get shopping and make sure to put a smile on that special artist’s face this holiday season!
Sources
Cover image – “aunt megan and her art supplies for xmas – _MG_1047.JPG” by sean dreilinger is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Latest Posts
- Is Strathmore Watercolor Paper Good? A Comprehensive Review
- How To Start Selling Art Online: 10 Ways Checklist for 2023
- Is Blue Painters Tape Acid Free? What You Need To Know Before Buying
- Battle Of The Turps – Turpenoid Vs Turpentine Now Exposed
- Is Gamsol The Same As Turpentine? The Truth About These Popular Art Solvents
