Everyone knows that looking for gifts can be a real trouble, especially if it’s a gift for an artist.

You might be scared that artists are picky and your taste isn’t the same as theirs. Or you might be worried that you will pick the wrong gift and disappoint the artist, even if it would never be said out loud.

But I must assure you that looking for gifts isn’t actually a big deal and is, in fact, much easier than you think. So no need to panic!!

I made a list of some examples of nice, useful and creative gifts for beginner artists for you to pick from (or to get some inspiration from the list and inspire your own ideas).

So you can now relax and concentrate more on the love you will be giving with this gift to that special artist you care about.

Here goes:

Gifts for Beginner Artists Under $30:

Weapons Of Mass Creation Shirt by BlockMerch

Every artist, from beginner to experienced, has perfect artistic taste, lots of love for nice clothes and style. Also, we all know that witty quotes and slogans make clothing style distinctive.

Some people enjoy putting their philosophy, way of thinking, lifestyle, tastes or field of work out on display and love wearing merch items. And if that’s exactly the case with your special someone, there will be no better gift than this “Weapons of mass creation” piece of clothing.

The slogan is catchy, funny in a way, and also matches good old “make art, not war” statement and philosophy, so, nothing offensive or aggressive, and it’s absolutely kids-and teenager-friendly.

You can choose it to be a hoodie or a shirt, as well as any gender or size option – whatever you want and need.

Any of these clothing pieces no matter what you choose to order would have high quality, soft, lightweight, pleasant to wear, durable and beautiful. Their plain colors won’t fade out and will fit any style.

Global Art Hand Book Artist Journals

The most basic thing every artist needs is a good paper. And “good” usually means durable, high-quality, pleasant to touch paper, that is perfect for using a drawing medium of choice on.

These sketchbooks are perfect examples of good and versatile paper that would fit any taste and satisfy professional artists as well as those who are just beginning to learn. 

They look gorgeous with their beautiful and bright hardcovers, bookmarks and elastic closures, and each one of them feels really good in your hands.

But these aren’t the only perks – it’s also very good for its main purpose, which is drawing. Under the cover, you will find 128 buff colored blank pages, with no markings or layouts, and a very convenient clear plastic envelope for notes, cards, extra papers, collage materials or any other useful stuff.

The paper is acid-free, heavyweight, 130 gsm, with a light toothy surface, and will wonderfully endure writing, inking, sketching, markers and watercolor washes without buckling or tearing. It would also make a perfect travel companion since it’s compact, durable and easy to carry.

Water Coloring Brush Pen Set by ERCENTURY 

Water brushes are irreplaceable when you are working with watercolors, with watercolor pencils/crayons/markers or with inks.

These brushes can be filled with water or ink itself, they are leak-proof, extremely useful for traveling or open-air drawing, they can help you blur water-soluble mediums for interesting effects or draw straight even lines.

Controlling the flow of ink or water is extremely simple with just slightly pressing the water (or ink) tank of the brush with your fingers. This set has four different brushes for great versatility: three round ones, in sizes from small to large, and a flat one.

Easy to carry around and to use, these brushes would be a perfect gift for either a beginner or an experienced artist. High-quality nylon tips will last for a long time and stay intact without losing their shape. They also are very easy to wash, which is important when you are working with wet colors and when mistakes are clearly seen and unwanted pigment remains can mess up the whole painting.

Water brushes can really make the drawing process way easier and tidier, no matter what medium you are working with. And there is no more need for the inconvenient jars with dirty water that are usually very easy to spill.

Winsor & Newton Drawing Inks Set

Nothing improves drawing with ink and speeds up the process of learning as much as having high-quality inks that have bright, vivid colors and lay down smoothly and evenly.

Winsor & Newton’s famous ink sets are brilliant for this. They are extremely durable, fade-resistant, intermixable and easily diluted with distilled water because of their perfect formula, that includes high-quality soluble dyes.

They can be applied with any preferred instrument: brush, pen, quill, airbrush, brush pen. Their usage is also very versatile since they are perfect for any kind of drawing: calligraphy, illustration, blueprints, designs, comics, etc.

And not only they are a pleasure to draw with, but also to look at and even to hold in your hand.

Their bottles have an oversized base, which makes them more difficult to overturn and spill all over your table and work.

The labels on these bottles and the boxes they come in are very beautifully designed with small distinctive illustrations that symbolize the color inside the bottle.

You can choose the most suitable ink set as a gift, and they even have special sets for beginners.

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Artist bracelet by YouLoveYouShop

Artists not only love to draw, but they also have a good sense of style! They love to dress well and in a creative way.

A beautiful accessory related to being an artist, such as this bracelet, would make a perfect gift for any artistic person.

You can choose the color of the stone (there are 16 different colors to choose from) and the initial letter of the future bracelet owner. The ability to choose really makes this gift personalized and unique!

The accessory itself has a silver color that will not tarnish over time, and it will fit almost every size because it’s made of an expandable wire material.

Every charm on it is also silver colored, which looks very stylish. And the combination of charms reflects deep love and devotion to art and the process of making art, so this bracelet is almost destined to be liked by any artist.

Cute Patterns Washi Tape Set by Ninico 

An extremely nice set of 60 different 3 mm wide and 4 m long washi tapes with various cute and adorable designs can be used in lots of fields.

Not only it’s a beautiful supply for art journals, sketchbooks, artbooks, bullet journals and planners, it can be also widely used in scrapbooking, card making, nail art, calligraphy, watercolor painting, gift wrapping, decorating and lots of other things.

Colorful minimalistic patterns can fit into every kind of design and are suitable for various purposes and implementing any idea.

These washi tapes are made of high-quality materials, are surprisingly durable, stick well to different kinds of surfaces, are easy to attach and also easy to peel off if necessary without damaging the surface under it and/or the tape itself, and it doesn’t leave any residue.

They’re also sticky enough to be re-positioned and still stay on the surface after being peeled off and placed again.

This large set would be a great gift for an artist, would make their owner happy and would be used a lot.

Manuscript Wax Sealing Kits

Do you want to get a gift for someone who’s deeply in love with crafts? Or for someone who loves sending and receiving paper letters or postcards? Or for someone who is a big fan of Harry Potter series or just loves the retro vibe?

Then you definitely won’t make a mistake by giving this wax sealing kit as a gift.

You can choose any themed set of stamps for any occasion, and everything else that is necessary to make an actual wax seal is already included in the set.

It features a wooden handle with a couple of interchangeable coins with the engraving itself, one wick wax and clearly understandable step-by-step instructions on what one should do to make it done.

Wax seal can easily, at a glance, turn any letter, or just a piece of paper, into a beautiful work of art, and it can also be used for gift wrapping, card making, scrapbooking and other crafts.

Just don’t forget about basic safety rules, and everything would be ea-seal-y done!

Artist Fairy by LottyLollipop

What is essential for any beginner artist in the world to keep on practicing and believing in themselves? Good self-esteem and support.

This little, only 6 cm tall, “artist fairy” peg doll is a wonderful way to show an artist that you care about them and encourage them on their way. It will give the artist a confidence boost, inspiration, and maybe even a little hint of luck every time they look at it.

The fairy is made out of wood and hand-painted (which means every single one is unique in its own way and has unique vibe), and would be a wonderful addition to every interior, no matter if it’s a room or a studio.

It also comes together with a free card that has a small inspiring piece of poetry on it.

The doll would be carefully wrapped in a beautiful bag and some tissue paper for extra safety and would bring good luck, inspiration and love to any home, being a reminder of someone who gave it as a gift.

Sakura Pigma Micron Pens

The famous Sakura Micron liner pens would be a brilliant gift for those who love drawing with ink or just doing smooth, beautiful lines.

They are perfect for any kind of art, comics, illustrations, writing, art journals, crafts and more.

The ink inside Micron pens is acid-free, archival and really permanent. They are not likely to bleed or feather, even on the thinnest paper, they won’t fade against any kind of light, each one of their colors is extremely consistent since it’s derived from a single pigment. And they also won’t clog or dry out as it happens with the vast majority of mechanical pens.

Micron liners are not refillable, but they will last for a long time. Too good?

Yet it’s true, and is tested out by lots of artists all around the world.

There’s a variety of pen sizes, from the thinnest 003 for tiny details to solid 08 for dark, heavy, thick lines.

But owning a full versatile set of differently sized pens is the best.

Acrylic Painting Set 24 Colors by SAS Supply 

Do good high-quality and cheap acrylic kits for the beginners even exist? They absolutely do, and this one is an example.

24 vibrant and rich acrylic colors, most commonly used ones and more uncommon ones together, in one set, have a quality so good that they can impress and satisfy even experienced artists.

These paints will work well on any surface – paper, canvas, wood, ceramics, cardboard, whatever your artistic heart desires.

They dry quickly, perfectly mix with water, blend easily without problems to create clean, bright colors, produce amazing texture, and are very versatile in their use. The colors on the surface exactly match the colors marked on their tubes.

This set also features three different synthetic brushes, already included in the price. Two round brushes of different sizes for thinner strokes and one flat brush for thick, even, straight lines will give you more opportunities to unleash your creativity and make all of the ideas come to life.

These brushes are designed specifically to be held in your hand very comfortably so you can work for a long time and your fingers won’t hurt.

Paint Water & Not Paint Water Pots by TeHeGifts

Just a couple of pots that have the famous inscriptions on them. But the fact that they’re famous and basically everyone has seen them doesn’t make them less witty, funny or relevant.

Almost every artist has mistaken their mug with any kind of beverage to their paint water pot and dipped their brush into it. It doesn’t matter if that happened because the artist was tired, too involved into the process or his systems just bugged for a second – the result is still the same: ruined drink and the need to wash a brush immediately.

Slightly annoying, but a funny situation.

These handmade ceramic pots would make it even funnier in case it ever happens (and, mark my words, it definitely will!).

High-quality print, that will not fade out, is printed on both sides of each pot, which is really convenient.

Each of them weighs 311 grams, or 10 ounces, and is made of high standard ceramic to last long and be an eye candy for an artist you would give it to.

Ultra-thin Tracing Light Table by NXENTC 

This ultra-slim portable A4 tracing pad is a wonderful and useful gift for any beginner artist in the world.

Tracing lightboxes are very multipurpose: they can be used for studying, tracing, animation, calligraphy, embossing, sketching, tattoo tracing, sewing, and many many more activities.

This lightbox is absolutely safe to use, the cold white, even and flicker-free LED lights won’t damage your eyes even on the highest brightness level.

Yes, the brightness is adjustable for the better comfort and working efficiency, and it’s done very easily – by pressing the touch switch for a few seconds.

Even though this lightbox is mighty, it’s very thin (0.2 inches) and light, and has special circular arc edge design for extra safety, so it’s easy to carry around and can be easily used even by children.

It’s powered from USB, which is versatile and convenient, because you can not only plug it into the power socket, but also power it from any powerbank, laptop or computer – whatever option is the most comfortable for organizing the working space.

Eve the Doodles Woman

Studying anatomy and learning to draw poses is undoubtedly a very useful activity. But everyone knows that looking for human models can be difficult, they get tired too fast and they often demand payments for their work as models.

Therefore, humanity invented wooden dolls with joints so artists would be able to practice easily.

Regular wooden figures are boring and trivial, so why not take a creative approach and try something a little bit different, but just as useful?

Eve the Doodles Woman will add a creative note to any interior and will also serve as a wonderful manikin for drawing studies.

The 11” high figure has fully and easily adjustable limbs and joints, which means it (or “she”?) can strike any pose you want her to, even a not very realistic one.

It’s made of high-quality stainless steel wire, and connected at the joints with extremely durable aluminum rivets, and it can sit or stand comfortably on its two feet on your desk, shelf or any other piece of furniture.

Pink Ears White Rabbit Brush Rest by Poppyoo

This absolutely charming little handmade white ceramic rabbit with cute pink ears and bright red dots as eyes would serve as a rest for any brush or other drawing, painting or calligraphy tool.

It can also be used as a chopsticks holder or just an adorable figurine to place on your shelf, but its main purpose is making the drawing process easier, more efficient and less messy.

It can also be an amazing and irreplaceable part for an Instagram flat lay picture, if you want to take a nice shot of your drawing process and share it online.

The bunny has the 4.5 cm x 2 cm x 3.5 cm size and wouldn’t take a lot of space on the table, but would efficiently stop your brush or any other tool from slipping down, falling on your drawing or on the table and getting it dirty.

And even if you can clean the table, the drawing can be hopelessly damaged. But accidents like this don’t have to happen anymore thanks to this cute and useful brush holder.

So, dear reader, are you inspired now that you’ve looked this list through?

Well, this is great, because this is totally what we aimed for: making your life easier and giving you a confidence boost in this considered-to-be-hard act of choosing a good gift that would be loved and used a lot.

But no matter what you end up choosing, even if it’s not from this particular list, please remember that attention and love is what matters most in the gift, not its price.

Now you can go on and make your purchases.

And probably even make someone’s dreams come true.

Author: Hanna Martsynkevich
Hanna is an artist, poet and musician who lives in Minsk, Belarus. She loves food, cats, gigs and esoteric stuff. She posts the things she does on Instagram and sometimes appears on FB.