What makes a good gift for an artist? You want to spark their creativity and encourage their practice, plus surprise them with something special they might not buy for themselves. To give you some ideas on what artists really want, we’ve asked Cheap Joe’s resident artists what they’d like to receive and why. We divided it into lists according to budgets under $30, $50, and $100 plus a luxury gift section.
You can shop more gift ideas for artists in our Artist’s Gifts category.
Art Supplies Under $30
Miller’s Pseudo Sable Quill - “A quill watercolor brush can do anything I ask of it, and to have just 1 really nice one would be a luxury.” - Abby
Yasutomo Bokuju Sumi Set - “I don’t necessarily want to do traditional sumi-e, but I love the preciousness of the materials in this set and the versatility of the ink for all kinds of brush sketching.” - Catherine
Sennelier Half-Stick 6 Pastel Sets - “I love the 6 color set collections and kind of want to collect them all.” - Bryant
Artbin Sketch Board - “This thing is a workhorse and has everything I need to carry a drawing kit in my backpack.” - Brian
Arches Watercolor Travel Journal - “You can’t go wrong with a 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook from Arches. I want 5 to create a journaling theme with each one.” - Taylor
Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Marker 5 Color Set - “These are my favorite illustrating brush markers because they can be used wet or dry and layer well to make in-between colors. I always need more.” - Amanda
J. Herbin Fountain Pen Inks - “The glass bottles are luxurious and the detail of the built-in pen holder is *chef’s kiss*. I love the French color names and want to collect them all.” - Erin
Silver Point Drawing Tools - “I’ve always wanted to try this centuries-old drawing technique but probably need the encouragement to go ahead and do it.” - Nicole
Etchr Mini Porcelain Palette Kits - “These are perfect for travel. A customer commented that these are "Annoyingly worth the money," and I couldn't agree more. Yes it's small, yes it's compact, yes it's totally and completely adorable, but it's well made, it's well thought out and it's beautiful.” - Julie
Speedball Canvas Pencil Cases - “I have 1 and carry it with me everywhere, and now I want one for each of my collections of pencils and pens.” - Ashleigh
Essential Supplies and Gifts for Artists Under $50
Posca Marker Set of 16 - “I use these to draw on anything and everything and can never have enough. I want all the point sizes.” - Amanda
Cheap Joe’s Maker’s Crossback Apron - “I’m very impressed with the functionality and style of these. I think it would last me forever. So many pockets!” - Julie
Raphael Mini Travel Brush Set in Bamboo Wrap - “I love how tiny this is but so functional. I would carry it in my bag every day so I could start a daily painting practice. It would make it special to unroll it and begin working.” - Ashleigh
Golden SoFlat Matte Acrylic Paint Sets - “Love the idea of these, but I haven’t tried them yet. The matte finish appeals to me more than regular acrylics. The appearance of gouache without the struggle.” - Bryant
Etchr Field CaseEtchr Field Case - “I would never invest in this for myself but it would be so nice to have one to carry out all the time. I really like the minimalist style and it would satisfy my organizational obsession.” - Erin
MaimeriBlu Artist Watercolor Jenna Rainey Set - “I’ve heard MaimeriBlu is great paint but never tried it. I’m a fan of Jenna Rainey’s books and videos so would be interested to try this out.” - Catherine
American Journey Empty Metal Palette Tin - Small - “I really like the compact smaller version and would replace the full pans with half pans so I could have so many colors in a small set and still have lots of room to mix.” - Leslie
Williamsburg Handmade Oil Color Sets - There are some interesting color collections in these sets and it's such a great handmade oil paint.”
Etchr Black Graphic Pen Collection - “It’s every line type that I could want and I like that the ink is waterproof and won’t fade.” - Nicole
Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencil Set of 24 - “Faber-Castell’s Polychromos Colored Pencils are my favorite for their lay-down properties and color range, so I know I would love their watercolor pencils” - Catherine
Cheap Joe's Sketchbook Set - “I like the idea of volumes of sketches. I can see myself growing my own library of these over time.” - Donnie
Gifts for Artists Under $100
American Journey Field Series Sling Bag - “Ever since I saw Amanda’s that she painted herself, I wanted to make my own!” - Ashleigh
Koda Art Dual Tip Brush Marker Set of 48 Classic Colors - “I didn’t know how much I liked drawing with brush markers until we got the Koda markers. All of my recent artwork has been made with these.” - Amanda
American Journey Voyager 18 Color Mixed Pan Set - “Such a solid set that I would never buy for myself but could see myself using a lot. I like that it’s easily refillable and I can shift the colors around to suit myself.” - Leslie
Daylight DuoLamp LED Clamp Lamp - “I always need more light on my workspace and this one helps cancel out my hand shadows, plus it bends easily but stays in place.” - Bryant
Etchr Watercolor Starter Kit - “I’ve never done watercolor before but now that I work at Cheap Joe’s, I want to. I like that this kit has all the materials I’d need plus classes.” - James
Schmincke Super Granulating Watercolor Tundra 15 ml. Set
Schmincke Super Granulating 15 ml Sets - “Angels sing when I open these boxes. I already have a few of these colors and want them all now for my abstract watercolors.” - Leslie
American Journey Brush Combo Set - “I would like a brush set that comes with everything already, including the brush holder that stands up.” - Amy
Cheap Joe's Mighty H-Frame Easel “I would love to graduate from my table easel to a real artists’ easel.” - Aiden
American Journey Sidecar Porcelain Palette - “I already have a porcelain palette, but I like the idea of this extra one that I can use for extra colors and mixing up large washes.” - Tippy
Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Field Box Set - “This is just a classic that I’d love to get someday! I love how it includes water containers.” - Aiden
Escoda Travel Color Brush Sets - “I like the mix and match of different Escoda brush lines in these travel sets. Escoda is one of the best brush makers out there for performance and longevity.” - Leslie
$100 and Above Gift Ideas for Fine Artists
Schmincke Horadam Half Pan Set in Leather Case - “The leather carrying case is a nice touch. I like that there’s room left to add my own pans of other colors. This is the kind of metal palette that lasts a lifetime.” - Lori
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencil Set of 150 - “It goes without saying that I want 1 of every Prismacolor pencil there is.” - Catherine
Speedball Screen Printing Advanced All-In-One Kit - “I want to start printing my own designs and photographs on tote bags and this has everything I need which makes it easy to start.” - Bryant
Tombow Dual Brush 108 Marker Set - “I want all the colors to print my tiny block prints and illustrations.” - Erin
Kilimanjaro All Media Studio Easel - “I tend to go through phases of media. I never know what I’ll want to make in the future and I don’t have much space so this seems like the best easel. I like that it can go completely horizontal and that it can be moved easily on wheels.” - Catherine
Unison Handmade Pastel Set
Unison Handmade Pastel Sets - “These are next-level pastels that I would love to try. The color palettes make me want to draw!” - Abby
Cheap Joe’s Legend Kolinsky Sable Brush Sets - “A whole set of real sable brushes would be an amazing luxury.” - Amy
Cheap Joe's Studio Crank Easel - “It would be really nice to have an easel for large paintings that wouldn’t jiggle when I paint and that I can raise and lower easily. The drawers and wheels are super handy.” - Brian
Toyo ST-350 Steel Toolboxes
Toyo ST-350 Steel Toolboxes - “These make me want to reorganize all my art supplies into these retro boxes.” - Ashleigh
LG CineBeam LED Digital Projectors - “Not gonna lie, this will be used for movies mostly, and for art the rest of the time. The fact that it can connect to my phone is ideal.” - Aly
American Journey Artists' Acrylic Set - “If I want to learn how to paint in acrylics, this seems like the best set to start. It has everything.” - Mark
Holbein Yuko Higuchi Artist Watercolor Sets - “Holbein is my favorite brand of watercolor, and while photographing these sets, I had so much fun looking at the fantasy animal and plant illustrations on each tube. This isn’t your average watercolor set.” - Leslie
Welcome to Cheap Joe's Sketchbook, a place where artists can gain creative tips and ideas for their next art project. This art blog will inspire you to try new mediums across the art spectrum while gathering knowledge on different painting techniques.
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Welcome to Cheap Joe's Sketchbook, a place where artists can gain creative tips and ideas for their next art project. This art blog will inspire you to try new mediums across the art spectrum while gathering knowledge on different painting techniques.