Artistic Gifts
November 14th, 2007 | by Art Supplies |If you want to give the budding artist a gift then your local art store will be more than happy to help you. Knowing what to get though can be daunting and you should seek out something that will make your artist happy. Don’t go mad when shopping and keep within a budget but remember that you typically get what you pay for when it comes to art supplies.
Children will like colorful and non-technical work. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be creative but let your kids develop slowly. Crayons and pencils are good for children of any age, felt-tip pens should be for more mature children as small children may leave the tops off and they will dry up. Sketch-books, watercolor pencils or block paints are good for entertaining children, and remember you can’t go wrong with some pencils, an eraser and a sharpener!
Young adults and teens will want more of a challenge and will be more inclined to use their imagination, a 400 page paper sketchbook and fine tipped pencils will give them the freedom of expression. Let them choose their own medium and they may surprise you, painting is not beyond young teens and they may be more inclined to use this medium. Know your child and the choice should be easy.
Adults are the hardest to choose for as they have the widest range of mediums to choose from and can differ in their level of expertise. Discover what your friend’s already do and buy things to compliment their supplies or challenge them to use a different medium, give your watercolorist an oil paint kit. A subscription to an art publication or a DVD to help them improve their techniques are also great gifts.
Some adult beginners may like an Ink sketch kit and these kits are in many reputable art suppliers, comprising of drawing nibs, Indian ink and a lightweight waterproof sketch paper set. Other adults may enjoy a Conte sketch set which helps the more flexible artist to create freehand styles and expressive work. They are made up of a large pad of pastel-colored paper with a putty eraser, 2 large blending stumps or tortillions and a box of Conte color crayons and a tin of fixative spray.
Whatever you get your artist make sure it will inspire them to create the best work they can. It also might be helpful to think of a budget, before you even start looking at the wide array of art materials to choose from.
