A perpetual calendar, the best iPad art brush around and a jigsaw puzzle created by one world's best modern artists… We've put together a list of the coolest arty Christmas gifts around. They all weigh at under £50/$75 so you can put a smile on the face of your favourite artist or illustrator without breaking the bank.
- Christmas gift guide for artists and illustrators under £20/$25
- Christmas gift guide for artists and illustrators under £100/$125 (opens in new tab)
- Christmas gift guide for artists and illustrators over £100/$100
01. Wacom Gen 4 Bamboo Duo Stylus
- Price: $31/£24.99
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
You've got so many really great ideas – you're full of them – one medium simply will not do. You need to be able to sketch stuff on paper and on your iPad at the same time. Step up Wacom's new duo stylus – one side works on touchscreens, the other, a ballpoint, works on paper. Gen 4 offers an even better design and a nicer weight, all at a very affordable price.
02. Jam And Chocolate Spread Christmas Gift Set
- Price: $25/£20.17
- Check out this gift at: Not on the High Street (opens in new tab)
This gift set is a selection of gourmet fruit jams and chocolate spreads, all designed to look like a box of art supplies.. The colours match – the pear flavour is pear-coloured, and so on – and it's delicious stuff too. Crap for painting with, mind.
03. Sensu Solo Stylus
- Price: $31.03/£24.93
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
Sensu make some of the best iPad brushes around at the moment. The Solo is compatible with most touch-screen phones and tablets, and almost all of your favourite art and design software. The brush uses "advanced hair technology" – which makes it feel more like painting with traditional materials. It has a nice weight to it, good balance, and comes in five colours.
04. MoMA Small Perpetual Calendar
- Price: $45/£36.28
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
How about an arty calendar that not only works year after year, but is in fact a work of art itself. Gideon Dagan designed this beauty for New York's Museum of Modern Art. Put the stand on your a desk and move the magnetic balls manually to mark the date and month. It's available in a range of colours too.
05. Pantone Chillout Slippers
- Price: $31/£23
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
Nothing says Christmas like a big, daft, comfortable pair of slippers. These espadrille-style slippers are slightly less big and daft, but with faux-fur lining, they're still super comfortable. And since they're made by Pantone – yes, they make clothes now – they're cool enough to wear while you potter around the studio, even if you've got company.
06. Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils
- Price: $47.08/£37.98
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
This Faber-Castell collection includes basic colours and graded shades to produce one of the best watercolour effects around. They're nice to use, blend well with water and come in a smart tin, which makes them an ideal Christmas gift. They good value for money too – a favourite among artists for decades now.
07. Grayson Perry Tate Moderne Jigsaw
- Price: $37/£30.00
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
This collaboration between Grayson Perry and Tate Modern is a winner. In this 1024-piece jigsaw puzzle, the British artist takes you on a journey through the history of modern art in his own inimitable style. A piece of art from a Turner Prize-winning artist for £30!
08. Pencil Shaving Desk Tidy
- Price: $39/£31.42
- Check out this gift at: Etsy (opens in new tab)
Each of these desk tidies are crafted from sustainable birch plywood. Available in three, hand-painted colours. You can store as many as 75 pencils or brushes in there, but they're big enough to hold larger tools as well. The spiral design means, whatever you use them for, it looks cooler than the average desk tidy.
09. Artist Palette Clock
- Price: $49.09/£39.69
- Check out this gift at: Etsy (opens in new tab)
This clock has, instead of numbers, daubs of paint which glisten so they look like they're still wet. Each clock is handmade and therefore completely unique. And – a nice touch, this – you can choose to have the hole on the left or right, since left and right-handed artists hold palettes differently.
10. Moleskine Gift Box Drawing Set
- Price: $33.46/£27.05
- Check out this gift at: Amazon (opens in new tab)
This gift set from the reliably brilliant Moleskine company contains one black sketchbook made with heavy acid-free paper, two matte black pencils (2B lead, 3mm), which attach to the notebook, and a sharpener to go with them. A great gift for amateur and professional sketchers alike.
Note: prices listed are based on exchange rates at time of article publishing and are subject to change.
Related articles:
- Christmas gift guide for graphic designers over £100 (opens in new tab)
- Christmas gift guide for 3D and VFX artists under £20/$25 (opens in new tab)
- Christmas gift guide for web designers under £20/$25 (opens in new tab)
