Best Gifts for Painters and Artists Part 1

This art gift guide makes choosing art easy! Artists always need materials and love to receive those special gifts with a touch of luxury that they won't splash out on for themselves; a really beautiful sketchbook, a functional easel or a nice, clean set of top quality soft pastels. The only problem is that art supplies can be confusing. Which artists materials should you choose?

This art gift guide make it easy. I'm a professional artist and art teacher running art classes in S W France and I've spent a little time searching on the internet to select art materials that would suite both amateur and professional artists.

For a beginner there will be a confounding range of art materials. EVERYTHING. For an artist that already has a collection, go for quality rather than quantity, or make an addition to their existing range. If your artist works in pastels, perhaps a set of pastel pencils would be the ideal gift?

I have made an initial selection below, which is far from exhaustive, but would at least provide you with a bit of information and a few ideas.

This list just got too long so for more ideas have a look at Best Creative Gifts Part 2

Every artist who uses pastels know how nice good quality ones are and would appreciate a selection of beautiful soft pastels in their favourite colours. I love high quality pastels and soft pastels use more pigment and less binder so that your colours are better. They are also easily blended so that complex colours and textures can be built up. Their only down-side is that they remain dusty and need fixative to prevent smudging after the work has been finished. If you need to economise, buy fewer, but better quality pastels.

You might also consider buying Pastel pencils. These are essentailly pastels encased in wood and so they are handy and clean to use and are easy for sketching and working outdoors. Finer details can also be achieved with pencils and so they are an ideal mate for the sticks.

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Other things a pastellist might love to receive is a pad of pastel paper in white or in assorted colours or, less romantic but no less useful, a spray tin of fixitive so that the pastel doesn't rub off.

Water colours are excellent because they are clean, compact and portable so that they can be used on the kitchen table or outside with little fuss.

Paints can be bought in tubes or little blocks, as a set in a handy tin or box or individually. Like pastel, always go for the best because the best quality paints will give clearer and more vibrant colours and purer colours when mixed together. Nobody wants to mix blue and red to produce sludge brown instead of royal purple!

Colours are individually priced as some are more expensive to produce than others. Like pastels, always go for quality not quantity. An artist can begin with just three good colours, red, yellow and blue and then build up a personal palette of colour, so a small box of carefully selected good quality paints is preferable to a huge array of poor ones.

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You can also buy water colour pencils. These are excellent for working outdoors and for introducing a drawing element to the work. Brushes and water colour paper pads would complete a gift set.

Future gifts

For those who already have water colors, why not have a look at acrylic and oil paints?

For a really special gift, why not treat your loved one to a painting holiday abroad? At Les Trois Chenes we run painting holidays in France. These are residential courses for one or more weeks. Our prices are very competitive, our groups small so that we can give individual attention.

Enjoy the French countryside, good food and wine and learn to paint at the same time. We arrange daily visits and outings so that you can see some of the local countryside, the castles, galleries, towns and villages. Our tutors are highly qualified professional artists and are also experienced teachers. We can cater for both complete beginners and improvers.

We are situated between Angouleme and Limoges. You can get cheap (or even FREE) flights to Limoges with Ryanair and we can arrange for you to be picked up from the airport, or you can hire a car from the airport at very reasonable rates.

Why not join us? Send a message to info@lestroischenes.com, or give us a ring on +44 (0)5 55 48 29 84

I hope that this has provided just a few ideas now of what is available for your painting friends and family. Whether your gift is a few pencils or a holiday that will give you skills that you can enjoy over a lifetime it is sure to be appreciated and give much pleasure. Just take a look at this well-used little box of water colour paints and you'll see how even a small gift can go a long way. (This belongs to one of my English painting course students and has 'gone' all the way to France and back.)

Still need more ideas? Have a look at Best Gift Ideas for Painters and Artists Part 2

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