Shopping season is in full swing, and Black Friday is right around the corner! So if you are planning to have a good start on your holiday shopping list, then this should be your queue to begin. Although this year will be the most unusual one, Black Friday is still the big kick-off to the holiday shopping season that's why more shops have already begun offering great deals leading to Black Friday. Online shopping now proves to be one of the best options for fun holiday shopping minus the chaos, long lines, and the added stress of having to go out and go from place to place.
Finding gifts for artists can be difficult. Now, if you're reading this, then you must be looking for the best art gifts for the wonderful artists in your life. Unless you've been living or working with them, we won't blame you if buying thoughtful gifts can get confusing, especially if you are not an artist yourself. And if you are, you would know that artists, in general, are known to meticulously curate almost everything in their lives-from their clothing, the music they listen to, the books they read to the tools they use to express their vision. They are perceived to be very particular with the things they buy, especially for their studios or the tools they use for their art practice.
Before you panic and go wandering aimlessly through the virtual aisles of Amazon and the numerous lists of "gift ideas" online, we're here to help you figure out what gift to give the artists in your life. Check out our list of gift ideas for artists that you can start buying online as early as now.
Gifts for artists who paint
When we hear the word "artist" the first thing that comes to mind are people who paint every day. And we're pretty sure more people think this to be a fact. The truth is not all artists paint. Some use other media to express their vision like drawing or mixed media collage. However, for the artist in your life who does paint, we suggest giving them tools that will help them create the most beautiful paintings.
#1 Painter's leaning bridge
Nothing sucks more than accidentally smudging fresh paint across with your arm. Believe us, do your favourite artist a favour and get them a bridge so that they may paint comfortably moving forward.
#2 Oil Paint Sets
ZenART's Essential Palette Oil Paint Set is a non-toxic highly-pigmented traditional oil paint set with a buttery consistency that artists love. It produces remarkable colors on a canvas that will definitely stand out. This makes for one of the best gifts for artists you could possibly give. Read more about uncovering unique color mixes with oil paints through this post.
Gifts for artists who draw
Not all artists paint, some create mixed media works like collages, some do a lot of sketching-both digital and traditional-and some create art journals which is a fitting habit to maintain zen. For the artist in your life who draws every day, we suggest finding gifts that will make their drawing time easy and efficient.
#3 A smudgeguard
If your artist does a lot of digital drawings on a tablet, then consider getting them a soft and comfortable smudgeguard. A smudgeguard protects digital pieces from tablet smudging. Artists wear this glove to avoid streaks that can make styluses hard to use.
#4 Artist Sketchbook
You can never go wrong with giving an artist a good quality sketchbook. ZenART's Sketchbook Journal B5 7 x 10" features 160 pages of 120 gsm, smooth, non-bleed ivory paper that's perfect for art journaling or sketching on the go. Keeping a sketchbook is also a great way to record processes and studies for bigger works. Find out how sketchbooks can be an essential part of any artist's life in this post.
#5 Portable lightbox tracer
Help the artist in your life make tracing and replication fast and easy. A portable light table for tracing is handy and mobile, which means they can choose to work with it from anywhere in their studios or homes.
Gifts for artists who write
As we mentioned earlier, the artists in our lives usually try out all sorts of creative pursuits to aid their artistic processes. Some artists like to compose stories or poetry to go along with their pieces. For the artists who write, we suggest getting them gifts that would aid them in writing their thoughts from anywhere, anytime.
#6 A dotted journal
ZenART's Faux Leather-Bound Dotted Journal B5 is a 7 x 10-inch composition notebook that is perfect for the artists on the go. They can get organised, write down their next artwork narratives, take note of a song inspiration or compose poetry to support paintings. The possibilities are endless with this bullet journal.
#7 Domain name (theirname.com)
If the artist in your life still doesn't have their websites to publish their work, then consider getting one for them. Many sites sell domains, and a popular choice is GoDaddy. Just make sure to get the spelling of their name right. We're confident they'll thank you for it.
Gifts for artists who teach
The pandemic has changed how so many industries operate, including education. More and more teachers start to teach by the small numbers, and many have moved their classrooms online. The #newnormal pushed everyone to innovate and be digital-ready. Art teachers aren't exempted from this, on top of preparing good lesson plans and creating effective ways to demonstrate different techniques through distance learning, art teachers should also be mobile, ready to go or be video call prepared at all times. Here are some gift ideas that artists who teach would appreciate.
#8 Good lighting for that next online art class
The portable ring light has been a must-have for video content creators even before the pandemic started. However, demand for this tool increased exponentially when the pandemic hit. Today, ring lights can be found even in homes of people who are working remotely. Help the art teacher in your life get the best possible lighting for their future art demos and art classes.
#9 A paintbrush set that they can carry anytime and anywhere
Brushes may be the most vital tool in any artist's supplies and the most overlooked. There is no such thing as a one-brush for-everything. Paintbrushes are designed and created for specific media. For the art teacher in your life that is always on the go, why not get them ZenART's Renoir Collection professional Oil and Acrylics Brushes 14-pc high-quality paintbrush set in a beautiful satin roll-up carrying case?
#10 An art history mug
The Unemployed Philosophers Guild: A Brief History of Art Mug is an adorable art gift that sums up years and years in art school and art history classes. The paintings and images on this ceramic mug represent the evolution of art over the millennia. It features the cave paintings of Lascaux, Edgar Degas, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Edvard Munch as well as modern artists Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Jeff Koons. Lauded as the $15 art history crash course, this mug not only delivers that, you can also drink out of it! Make the art teacher in your life smile every day with this delightful and pretty comprehensive mug.
Bonus: Best gift for artists, your favourite artist
A gift card for the art supplies they want
A ZenART eGift Card! The card is a thoughtful gift that will surely be appreciated by any artist. (Valid only within the US) Professionally, artists go through supplies quickly, specifically the consumable items like paint. And an e-gift card will ensure that they will get something that they will actually use-you don't even have to be familiar with their artistic practice to know which ones to buy.
ZenART Supplies carry a wide diversity of supplies meant for oil, acrylic and watercolor artists and for those who like to draw or create art journals. Check them here for some excellent art materials at reasonable prices.
Have more gift ideas you want to share with the community? Or queries about our non-toxic paints, quality brushes, sketchbooks and dotted journals? Reach out to us; we'd love to hear your thoughts. Happy shopping!
- MEET THE AUTHOR-
Ardak Kassenova is a London based contemporary artist, co-founder and creative director of ZenART Supplies. Her visual style-contemporary impressionism-share similar aesthetic qualities with those by the French Impressionists. After 20 years of a successful corporate career, becoming a mother to two wonderful girls, and with the continuous development of her practice by taking private lessons from the best artists she could find; Ardak decided it's time to align her life with her true passion, Art. Driven by this passion and her corporate leadership background, she co-founded ZenART.
"My heart and soul were always with Art, and since my childhood as long as I remember myself, I was dreaming to be an artist. I was painting after work, when I had time, and teaching myself through the books, videos, visiting art galleries and museums. I've been very curious about different techniques and styles, and therefore accumulated knowledge and experience on a variety of mediums."
Read more about Ardak Kassenova in this feature. Say hello to @ardak_zenart on Instagram!
References
Adams, K., (2020) USNews, How retailers are reinventing Black Friday during Covid-19
A Brief History of Art Mug, https://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-of-Art-Mug/dp/B004464YSK
