30+ Creative and Thoughtful Gifts to Give Artists

Present the artist in your life with one of these gifts to help fuel their passion

Co-authored by Ali Garbacz

Last Updated: February 16, 2023 References

An artist is probably one of the most creative people you’ll have the honor of meeting, but how can you find the perfect gift to inspire their creative spirit? We’ve come up with a whole list of gift ideas that can work for any type of artist, whether they’re a painter, illustrator, crafter, or digital artist. We've even included presents for young, budding artists, too! From basic supplies to some quirky and fun items, we’ll give you all kinds of ideas that’ll help you find the perfect gift.

Things You Should Know

Keep their art supplies in stock by buying them the necessities, like paints and canvases.
Spoil them with some cool gadgets that they might not have thought to buy for themself, like noise-canceling headphones or a sketchbook stand.
Get them some shelves to spruce up their workspace or display their art.
Gift them an experience, such as going to an art show or a museum.

1

Acrylic Paints

For painters, you can’t go wrong with gifting them the essentials. For someone whose medium of art is painting, acrylic paints are about as important as breathing air. Look around for some unique colors that they might not have yet. Or buy some more of the primary colors and blacks and whites to make sure their supply never runs out. This is also a great gift for artists who work with ceramics and want to paint their pieces.^{[1]
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- Something like metallic acrylic paints is super unique and likely something they don’t already have.

2

Canvases

Your friend can't create a masterpiece without something to paint on. Stretched canvases are a very common choice for artists, but you can also gift them with a canvas board if you’re on a tighter budget. Canvases come in all shapes and sizes, so get them something they’re used to using, or surprise them with something different. Who knows? It might get their creative juices flowing.^{[2]
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- Gift them a circular canvas that they can have fun playing around with.
- Or get them a black canvas. You certainly don’t see these every day.

3

Paintbrush Holder

Help your favorite painter keep their workstation clean. While it might not seem like that big of a deal to a non-artist, holding your paintbrush for hours on end can be exhausting. So why not gift the painter in your life an aesthetic-looking paintbrush holder? It'll help them when they’re creating their masterpieces and be a cute decoration for their workspace.
- Try something like these cute paintbrush rests that come in the shape of animals!

4

Watercolor Pencils

Watercolor pencils are a unique, useful gift for any art enthusiast. Watercolor pencils are a great alternative to traditional watercolor paints because they’re portable and relatively inexpensive. Since they’re a pencil, they’ll also let you draw out much finer details that might not be possible with regular watercolors. Gift your artist a watercolor pencil set that includes all types of colors so they can create to their heart’s content.^{[3]
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- Pair this with some watercolor paper so they have all the supplies needed to get started right away.

5

Personalized Sketchbook

Make a sketchbook that's just for them, and any artist will feel tickled. A sketchbook is essential to most artists' craft. Whether yours is a painter, sculptor, graphic designer, animator, or tattoo artist, they’ll likely always have their sketchbook on-hand, ready to whip out when inspiration strikes. While you can buy a regular sketchbook easily at any bookstore or art supply store, take your gift to the next level by personalizing it.
- Having their name or initials printed on the front is a fantastic way to let everyone know that this particular sketchbook belongs to your artist only.
- Or you can search for pre-made sketchbook that has their name or initial on it already.

6

Storage Trolley

Give your artistic friend the gift of an organized space. Instead of getting them more supplies, gift them something like a storage cart that will help them organize the supplies they already have. A cart is perfect since it can be moved around with ease and also accessed easily whether the person is standing or sitting.^{[4]
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- You can also try some storage boxes that can be stowed away easily.

7

Tracing Paper

Help an artist get back to the basics of their craft with tracing paper. Tracing paper might seem like an oddly specific gift idea, but it’s actually extremely useful and essential to artists who do things like animation, digital design, cartoon drawing, and those who do sewing or work with fabric designs. It’s also a great gift for artists who are just starting out and want to practice their drawing skills by modeling others’ work first.^{[5]
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8

Drawing Light Box

This gadget that aids in tracing and sketching (plus, it's super fun). A drawing light box is a tablet-shaped device that has a screen backlit by an LED light. It’s incredibly useful for tracing or just sketching, and is something an animator, illustrator, graphic designer, or even tattoo artist would be over the moon to have. Help them level-up their drawing experience with this fun and useful device.^{[6]
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9

Inkless Drawing Board

Wow an artist with cool tech that’ll let them draw over and over again. Technology for art has sure come a long way. With an inkless drawing board, artists can paint and sketch to their heart’s content without having to worry about running out of paper, canvasses, or paints. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

10

Crafting Magazine

Craft and art magazines are a great way to gain new inspiration. If you have a crafter in your life, buy them the latest edition of a crafting magazine. These come chock-full or design patterns, creative craft ideas, and advice from fellow crafters that can definitely help them start a new project. There are all types of magazines out there for just about any craft or hobby. You can also buy them a monthly or yearly subscription instead of just a single edition.

11

Wooden Stamps

Stamps can elevate any scrapbooker, potter, or illustrator's work. Wooden stamps come in so many fun sets and themes, so you won’t be short of options. Potters can use them to stamp designs onto the clay, and scrapbookers and those who like to handcraft greeting cards will find so many uses for them.
- You can also try your hand at [Make a Stamp|making your own stamp] and gifting them something that has your own personal touch.

12

Stitch Markers

Knitters can never have enough of these. Stitch markers are used by knitters to mark important places in their knitting. They come in all kinds of fun colors and shapes, so you’ll have a lot of options to choose from when looking for the perfect ones to give as a gift. You can also make your own stitch markers using wire if you want to gift them something uniquely hand-crafted by you.^{[7]
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13

Yarn Swift and Ball Winder

Spoil a knitter with tools to help keep their yarn neat and tidy. A yarn swift is a nifty contraption that rotates in a circle and keeps your yarn from getting tangled as you wind it into a ball. A ball winder is another tool that will twist and loop your yarn into a ball without hardly any effort on your part.
- They’re those kinds of things you don’t technically need, but absolutely want more than anything. So go ahead and spoil the crafter in your life with these cool contraptions.^{[8]
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14

Hard Drive

It's essential to make sure a digital artists’ work is always saved. While cyberspace might seem like a boundless void, you can in fact run out of digital space to store your designs and creations. Make sure that never happens by giving your graphic designer or photographer friend a hard drive with plenty of storage space to protect all of their creations.

15

Computer Glasses

Protect a digital artist’s eyes from harmful blue light emissions. It can’t be helped that a graphic designer or someone who works primarily with digital art will be looking at their computer or tablet for a majority of their work time. Help them protect their eyes by getting them a pair of computer glasses.
- These will filter out blue light being emitted from screens, and can help keep their eyes from straining. This is a great gift that lets your friend know just how much you care about them.^{[9]
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16

Hand Lotion

The perfect gift to help keep an artist’s hands soft and smooth. If you have any friends or family members who do things like painting or ceramics, they’re probably constantly washing their hands to get off paint stains and excess clay. Gift them some nice hand lotion or cream to keep their skin moisturized and smooth after a long day of work.

17

Back and Neck Massager

Help relieve any aches that come after a long day of work. Hunching over a tablet or sketchbook all day can leave an artist’s neck or back pretty sore. Get them a back or neck massager to help make sure they’re taking care of their body.
- A foam roller is also a great item to use to work out stiff muscles.

18

Noise-Canceling Headphones

Help an artist block out sound and to get absorbed in their work. Maybe your artist friend is someone who needs to be “in the zone” when they do their work. Getting them a nice quality pair of noise-canceling headphones will help them block out external noise and hopefully help them focus on making their next masterpiece.

19

Artist Apron

Spare an artist's clothes from any mess that may occur. Artists should be able to be as messy and creative as they want without sacrificing their favorite sweatshirt or pair of jeans. An apron not only acts as a shield for their clothes, but will also have some nifty pockets that’ll come in handy for holding brushes and other tools.

20

Laptop Stand

Gift a simple contraption that’ll keep an artist from straining. If they’re someone who primarily does their design and art on a computer, then a laptop stand is a must-have if they want to avoid having some serious aches and pains in their neck and back after finishing their work.
- Similarly, you can also get them a stand for their sketchbook.

21

Polaroid Camera

Inspire an artist to experiment with a new camera type. Polaroid cameras definitely have a certain charm and aesthetic that you just can’t achieve with a digital camera. Get them a new type of camera to play around with for their work or just use to document good times with friends and family.

22

Coffee Mug

Mugs are a must-have for anyone, artists included. You’re probably thinking, “A coffee mug? That’s so basic!” But for creatives, this is much more than a simple mug. They can (of course) use it for their daily cup of coffee or tea, but it can also be used as a water cup to clean their brushes, a place to store their various tools, or a paint jar. The options are limitless.
- Stay on brand and get them an art-themed mug.

23

Lap Desk

Help an artist work wherever, whenever with a lap desk. These simple yet handy contraptions are perfect for when they’re feeling a bit confined sitting at their desk or workstation all the time. With something like a lap desk, they can get work done on the couch, their bed, or really anywhere where they can sit and stretch out.
- Lap desks come in all sizes, styles, and colors, and come with all different kinds of features to suit your artist’s needs.

24

Desk Lamp

Brighten up your artist’s workspace with a new light fixture. In order for an artist to make something amazing, they’ll need to see what they’re doing. Get them an aesthetic desk lamp or a sleek standing lamp to put in their studio so that they can work even later into the night.
- Aside from being helpful in keeping them from straining their eyes, a new light fixture might just be the one thing that ties your entire artist’s space together.

25

A Framed Piece of Their Artwork

Express just how much you admire their work by framing their creation. There’s no greater joy than seeing your creation make others happy. Let the artist in your life know just how much you love their work by having a painting or drawing of theirs framed and gifted to them.
- You can do it yourself by buying a nice looking canvas frame.
- If you know someone who is a photographer, have one of their best photos printed on a large canvas and hung for everyone to see.
- You can also print out their photographs and put them in nice picture frames for them to display around the house.

26

Display Shelves

Get them something that’ll let them display their art around the house. Turn a space into a mini art exhibition featuring their creations by putting up some floating shelves, a bookcase, or other shelving units to display their pieces. This is a great idea if you have a friend or family member who is into ceramics, and you can have fun placing their pieces to find the display that’s just right.

27

Jigsaw Puzzle

Any artist would love to see their favorite work printed on a puzzle. Keep them inspired by art even during their down time. Jigsaw puzzles can be super relaxing and great way to pass time. And what could be better than putting together a puzzle of one of their favorite artist’s works? Something like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” or one of Monet’s water lily paintings will keep their inner artistic spark alive even when they’re not doing art of their own.
- If they’re a photographer, you can also take it a step further and [Turn a Photo Into a Puzzle|turn one of their photos into a puzzle].

28

Coloring Book

Show them that even when they're creating, they can still relax. Coloring books are the perfect gift for any age. Coloring is a great way to just relax and take your mind off of work and other responsibilities by doing something a bit more creative. Adult coloring books feature some really beautiful and intricate designs that your artist friend will probably get absorbed in within seconds.
- Pair it with a nice set of colored pencils.

29

Tickets to an Art Exhibition

Take them to see some other art pieces at a museum or exhibition. Not all gifts have to be physical items. A gift can also be an experience. Pick a day to take your artist friend to see some other great pieces at an art show or a museum. Just be prepared to possibly be hearing lots of random facts about the art you’re looking at.

30

Online or In-Person Art Classes

This is a gift that will keep on giving by teaching them new skills. If they’ve expressed interest in developing their art skills or are just getting started, some lessons that’ll teach them specific skills and theories related to their particular medium will likely be appreciated. You can find an online course, a local class being held in-person near you, or even a private tutor.
- You can also supplement their learning by gifting them a book about art theory that they can read when they have some downtime.