Affordable Christmas Gifts For The Artist In Your Life

Its that time of year again and we are all scrambling about to get our friends and loved ones the perfect gift, however, for our fellow creative ones, it is difficult to find the perfect affordable gift, with affordability the keyword in this instance. We want to get beautiful gifts that are actually going to be used and loved by the recipient, whilst trying to maintain a reasonable budget.

Here is a list of 18 gifts I have mustered together hoping to give you a helping hand in choosing the perfect gift and if you don't fancy any of the gifts in the list, it may still spark some inspiration within you to go on and find that perfect gift. Or you may have been given your Christmas bonus early and just fancy treating yourself because you deserve to be pampered.

In the interest of full disclosure, all of the items below with the exception of one or two are linked to Amazon via my Amazon associate links. This does not cost you any money whatsoever, however, if you purchase via the links, The Art Gear Guide will receive a percentage from Amazon. I feel it is important to always be honest and transparent on matters such as this and if you'd rather not purchase via the links provided you can still search Amazon for the same items.

Derwent ProColour 24 Set And Pencil Wrap

As with a lot of these gift ideas, I have personally removed most of them, the ones I have personally reviews I will provide a link back to the review should you wish to discover more about the product before purchasing.

This set from Derwent is a really beautiful and excellently priced set of their newest fantastic ProColour coloured pencils, 24 to be exact and along with the pencils is the ever popular Derwent Pencil Wrap. The canvas and leather wrap in total holds 30 pencils and once inserted the wrap rolls up into an easy to carry storage device for your pencils whilst protecting them.

This set costs £32.99 and then delivery prices will vary depending on where you live, so make sure you check out the postage before purchasing.

Pentel Water Brush Pen Set

For the watercolor enthusiast in your life, this excellent Pentel water brush set is an excellent affordable gift. I think the Pentel brush pens are among the most common water brushes used and with good reason. They sit well in the hand, do not leak, apply water to your painting with ease and the brushes are really nice quality.

This Pentel water brush set will only cost you £7.20, as with all of these gift ideas, postage may apply depending on where you live and which service you opt for.

Koh-I-Noor Polycolor 36 Set

If you have a loved one or friend who has either expressed an interest in colored pencil art or perhaps has just got started and has not yet a full set of pencils, this may be the perfect gift for you.

Koh-I-Noor is an absolutely excellent pencil, incredibly affordable prices but without sacrificing artist quality pencils and pigments. My review of the Polycolor pencils can been found at this link, however I always recommend getting the largest set of pencils you can as mixing and blending colors is not like mixing and blending paints. However, if you are unable or reluctant to buy a massive 120 or 72 set of pencils, I always recommend getting at least a 36 set, allowing the artist at least three grades of each prominent color, a light, mid tone and dark.

This 36 set of Koh-I-Noor Polycolor will only cost £19.42, plus delivery depending on your location and the service you choose.

Derwent Pencil Buddy

This is a really simple little gadget, but incredibly effective and helpful for any colored pencil artist. The Derwent Pencil Buddy sits on the artists desk and holds pencils or pens in a safe and easily accessible manner. The pencils will not fall out or clink together, nor will they clatter as pencils do when you drop them into a jar, thus potentially shattering the core.

The Derwent Pencil buddy looks really nice, not out of place on a desk. I have also reviewed this item should you wish to see the buddy in action and the material which holds the pencils in place. This awesome little gift will only cost you

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolor 18 Pans

I personally love playing about with watercolors and the effects and art work that can be achieve with a nice set of watercolors can be phenomenal.

If anyone you know is into watercolor or looking to try some watercolor, I have chose this set as they are something different, not the a typical watercolor set that you might give to a beginner to watercolor. Having said all that, the colors are so beautiful and when activated with water the magic starts. The Kuretake Gansai Tambi are a Japanese set and for 18 pans will cost you £11.35 which I think is excellent given their quality. I have a slightly larger set which I have used but I have not actually reviewed them yet.

Colored Pencil Painting Portraits by Alyona Nickelsen

So what do you get the artist that has almost every art supply under the sun, well books are an excellent way to go. This book, "Colored Pencil Painting Portraits" by Alyona Nickelsen is aimed primarily at colored pencil portrait artists, however the information in this book is all encompassing when it comes to colored pencil tips and techniques.

The good thing about this book is that although beginners to the world of colored pencil art would benefit hugely from it, even the most advanced colored pencil artist would love and use this book. Alyona herself is a highly regarded and respected colored pencil artist and what she doesn't know about the medium, is not worth knowing.

I have actually reviewed this book, I was incredibly fortunate and honoured to have been sent a digital copy before the book was released, for more on the book check out my review. On Amazon this outstanding reference guide to colored pencils for life will cost £21.34 and brighten the Christmas of whoever receives it.

Derwent Pencil Wrap

I have already showed this item off in this list, however it comes with a set of 24 ProColour, this time the Derwent Pencil Wrap is on its own as this item itself is an excellent affordable gift for any colored pencil enthusiast.

As with the pencil buddy, there is not much to this particular gift, however, it is incredibly useful and looks good as well. The Derwent Pencil Wrap is a canvas rolled out length with leather trim for protection. Along the canvas length there are loops where the artist can safely place pens, pencils, erasers etc.

Once the wrap is filled, and it can hold up to 30 pencils, it simply rolls up on itself and fastens with a leather strap, wrapped round the item and closed tight using a brass stud. It is an excellent way to keep all your supplies safe in one place and when in use outside the studio, your supplies will not get lost or damaged. The Derwent Wrap will cost £6.99, but even for this small amount of money, the friend or loved one who receives this will be over the moon.

Tom Bow Graphite Pencils

Buying supplies for an artist as a gift can be a daunting process as most artists are set in their ways, know what they love and love what they know. However, all artists love to try new supplies and of course a new budding artist needs all the supplies they can get their hands on.

If the artist in your life loves using graphite, this beautiful set of Tom Bow Graphite pencils will be a joy of any artist to open and use on Christmas morning. Tom Bow is a really well known name in the art community and produce very high quality products. In this particular set the graphite ranges from 6B all the through to 4H, including F, B, H and HB.

I was fortunate enough to have a set of these pencils sent to me by a lovely lady from The Art Gear Guide community and I fell in love with them the second I started using them. The graphite is smooth and covers the paper beautifully. In this set you also get a Tom Bow Mono Smart eraser and a good quality sharpener, so an excellent set for a beginner. This set will cost you £13.36.

Bird Art by Alan Woollett

If drawing birds is your thing or the passion of the artist in your life, then this awesome book Bird Art by Alan Woollett is a must have and is sure to plaster a smile all day long on your friend or loved ones faced.

Alan Woollett is a highly respected and loved colored pencil and graphite artist specialising particularly in birds. His work is simply breath taking and this book takes the artist through the step by step process of how Alan delivers his amazing work. This book is a remarkably generous price of £14.48

A4 Tracing Light Box

I came across this item on Amazon and thought it was an excellent price for what it is, ordinarily they are much more expensive, however this is an excellent price. This A4 size Light Box used for tracing is perfect for the artist just getting started.

So many people say that tracing or using light boxes is cheating and shouldn't be used, however, if you actually talk to the professionals, the artists who hold classes and teach students, they will tell you that a light box is an excellent tool to aid in your drawing skills. This method will help your memory muscle and so eventually push you into drawing free hand, but to begin with, tools such as the light box are absolutely fine to use. At £15.29, I think whatever your stance on using a device like this it is too good a price to miss.

Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils 12 Set

If the artist in your life is looking to get into pastel painting or has dabbled a bit with this medium, you will not go wrong with the Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencil Set of 12. So many of the professional pastel artists that use pencils use the Stabilo Pastel Pencils and for good reason.

Whilst the pastel pencils of Stabilo are more along the lines of chalk, these pencils are incredibly good at laying down color, the pigments are rich and vibrant, but the pencils themselves also feel good in the hand, well balanced and not too fragile. I personally love the Stabilo CarbOthello Pastel Pencils and for this set of 12, it will cost you £18.99, which may at first seem a bit pricey but you are dipping your feet into high quality supplies with these.

Unison Soft Pastels

Keeping with the pastel theme, if perhaps pastel pencils are not the gift you are after, how about these absolutely gorgeous Unison Soft Pastels. Every single pastel is hand made in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside here in the UK, delivering to the artist the most amazing quality pastel.

I have added here one of the starter sets from Unison however on their site they have an absolutely amazing selection of colors available and some outstanding sets from starter like this one all the way up to the full range set. This set will cost you £28.99 for 16 half sticks, to see these wonderful pastels in action check out my YouTube video review.

The Art Of Colored Pencil Drawing by Cynthia Knox

Another outstanding book for the colored pencil artist in your life and in particular someone just getting started. This wonderful book by the highly respected and loved Cynthia Knox, "The Art Of Colored Pencil Drawing," is perfect for those just getting started or wanted to learn more tips and techniques in this wonderful medium.

This wonderful book will sit well in any artists collection of literature and will cost only

Faber Castell Polychromos Gift Box 36 Set

If you want to push the boat out and have a little bit more to spend, any colored pencil artist would absolutely love to get their hands on this 36 Gift Box Set of Faber Castell Polychromos. Almost all colored pencils artists use these pencils and love them.

Although this is perhaps the most expensive item in the list, these pencils really are the gift that will keep on giving to the artist in your life. For this beautiful 36 set it will only cost you £39.95 which I know may be more than your budget will allow but I had to include this set just incase. Check out my review of Faber Castell Polychromos pencils if you are unsure of their quality.

Leather Sketch Journal

With all these amazing art supplies, you are going to want a really nice sketch pad to draw in and I have found this beautiful Leather Sketch Journal that will make any artist feel special out and about sketching. This journal will only cost £25.95, however as you can see the detail on the leather is beautiful and is ket closed with a leather strap.

Strathmore Watercolor Pad

If on the other hand, watercolor is more your loved ones thing, this excellent watercolor art journal from Strathmore may be just the gift you are looking for. Strathmore are experts when it comes to art paper and their journals are no exception. This beautiful gift will cost £23.74 and allow the artist in your life to fill the pages with color and love.

12 Colored Pencil Techniques by Cindy Wider

The last book in the list is another excellent book for the colored pencil artist who is just getting started with the medium. This excellent book by Cindy Wider "12 Colored Pencil Techniques" is an excellent reference for any colored pencil artist to have on hand. This was another book I reviewed just before it's release and know how fantastic the techniques are and how easy they are to follow. This wonderful book will cost you £22.87.

Colored Pencil Magazine Subscription

Last but by no means least, if you want to give your loved one a gift that keeps on giving all year round, check out the subscription packages for the ever popular COLORED PENCIL Magazine. I have only added a link to the site here and no prices simply because excellent deals are available at COLORED PENCIL Magazine .

At COLORED PENCIL Magazine, you have the option of either just a digital issue or having a paper issue being posted out to your home every month or both. Check out the deals at the links provided and see which option suits you best.

Merry Christmas And Happy Holidays

This was a simple list of 18 last minute Christmas Gifts for the artist loved one in your live or even if you have been given your Christmas bonus early and perhaps looking for a cheeky wee gift just for you because you are awesome and deserve to be cheered up.