Art Supplies as a gift

November 21, 2015 10:27 PM

Looking to buy some basic art supplies for my artistic but not serious artist sister. Need guidance on brands and whether art sets are just a waste.

My sister has requested art supplies for Christmas. She is artistic but she's not a serious artist either just wants to relax and have fun, so I want quality, but she's not expecting high-end supplies or anything. Still, I want to get something nice.

The things she's requested a sketchpad, markers, colored pencils. general artsy supplies.

Also, I've seen those art sets (such as this one, though I just did a search for this quickly), but I don't want to buy a set if the items are no better than some crayola I can pick up at the store.

Also, what brands should I be looking at for markers and coloured pencils (or any other things she might like to play around with )? She likes to draw, paint, and colour so I'm open to anything for someone artistic.

posted by Aranquis to Shopping (11 answers total)

What is your price range?
posted by ellerhodes at 10:36 PM on November 21, 2015

Best answer: As a dedicated amateur I'd start with a Prismacolor pencil set (they go bigger and smaller in number from that). The color quality really does make a difference. The nice thing about these is that you can start with almost any set and if she likes them you can build on it by buying additional ones.

For markers it really depends on your price range. Staedtlers are great for fine pointed work (like the coloring books that are popular right now). Sargents are a nice compromise. Tombo or Spectrum Noir are the brush and broad point, respectively but they aren't cheap.

Beifang or Canson are perfectly respectable sketchbooks for cheap. Find one that will work with markers or pencil (ie not watercolor paper, wrong texture).

The all in one sets tend to be of highly variable quality and annoying if you've done any art work at all. If she's really at the start of it all, it's not a bad answer so she can experiment.
posted by ladyriffraff at 10:45 PM on November 21, 2015 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I came in to recommend Prismacolors as well - best pencils and very commonly used.

I always loved bristol board paper. It comes in a variety of textures to suit whatever media you're using, but if I recall correctly (it's been a little while) I was particularly fond of the vellum pads.

The thin pigma micron pens were also a staple for me, as they were fantastic for clean inking.
posted by erratic meatsack at 1:50 AM on November 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I would get a gift basket and fill it with these:

- a nice Coloring book and a pack of starter markers or pencils. Prismacolor is a good brand. She may enjoy watercolour pencils. They are softer to use and can be used as both pencil and paint. Check the store's discount books and you may find deals. My local big chain has a few Coloring books in there for the $6-8 range.

- A Zentangle starter kit. It will come with a few of the coveted Micron pens, and as a bo us include a few paper titles and a booklet introducing the Zentangle technique.

- A Canson sketchbook. I love the paper on this brand, and the pages can as a bonus be neatly torn out if she wants to keep or display anything. I have a Staples Arc book and punch mine for archiving.
posted by JoannaC at 5:48 AM on November 22, 2015

Best answer: Nthing Prismacolor pencils, but also recommending their markers. I love their double-ended markers with fine and broad/chisel tips. They are very saturated and wet, which makes them really nice to work with, but that also makes them bleed through most paper. Bristol board is nice and thick for using with them, but you wouldn't want to use them in, say, an adult coloring book or on thinner sketch paper without something underneath.

An Nth for the Micron pens in a range of sizes too.

Also don't forget regular graphite (non-colored) pencils for drawing. A small pack of Prismacolor or other brand with variety of hardnesses is nice, plus a sharpener and a Staedtler plastic eraser.
posted by dayintoday at 5:51 AM on November 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Prismacolor pencils are nice color pencils. I want to second this: The nice thing about these is that you can start with almost any set and if she likes them you can build on it by buying additional ones.

Seconding also including some black and white pencils. This Cretacolor black and white set is a nice little black and white drawing starter set, which includes a couple of erasers so you don't need to purchase that separately.

Finally, with the pencils you might want to include a sharpener, as dayintoday recommends. This Faber-Castell Trio Sharpener works well.
posted by gudrun at 7:19 AM on November 22, 2015

Best answer: I recommend a box of oil pastels in addition to the supplies mentioned. They can make me feel quite artistic even when I'm simply doodling. Maybe someone else can recommend a brand (I buy the least expensive box at Michael's and it works fine for me). There are so many fun coloring books available now too. I think a box of brush markers are really fun to color with.
posted by areaperson at 7:37 AM on November 22, 2015

It would help a bit on what kind of stuff she likes to do, and in what styles. For instance, I've recently completed a birthday gift that was full digital, but after printing I added some gold details with a regular gold pen (Uniball Signo) and marker (ZIG Metallic). However, unless she wants to have that kind of detail, it's not worth the money.

I second brush markers. They can be expensive (particularly the better ones), but it's a great compromise between the flow of watercolor brush painting, and the practicality of a marker.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:01 AM on November 22, 2015

I like Prismacolor pencils too, but their markers are hand down the best. They flow fast enough to draw super quickly if you like. They don't smell bad like some other brands. The chisel tip side is super versatile.
posted by advicepig at 8:20 AM on November 22, 2015

I also came in to recommend the "Staedtler Triplus Fineliner" markers. Most of last year's Xmas for my daughter was nice art supplies and we really like those markers; they are really pleasant to use. They've also held up nicely for a kid who doesn't always quickly re-cap etc.

The Staedtler Karat Aquarell watercolour pencils are a lot of fun.
posted by kmennie at 10:35 AM on November 22, 2015

I have a blue and a red Staedtler Triplus Fineliner. It's true I don't use them much, but had them for 15 years or something close to that.
posted by lmfsilva at 12:04 PM on November 22, 2015