Gifts for Painters: Supplies They Will Use Up

The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver

• Removes oil and acrylic
• Sable and synthetic brushes
• Solid soap cake

A solid cake of brush soap that cleans paint out of the bristles and conditions them in one step. Dish soap strips the hairs and leaves pigment near the ferrule; this one gets the paint out without drying the bristles, so a good brush keeps its point for years. Painters swirl a wet brush on the cake after every session. It works for acrylic, oil and watercolor alike, so you cannot pick the wrong medium.^[2]

Good for

Any painter, when you do not know their medium.

Skip if

They already own a big tub; one cake lasts a long time.

U.S. Art Supply White Gesso Primer

• Large tub
• For oil and acrylic
• Primes canvas, paper, wood

A tub of white acrylic gesso for priming canvas, wood panels and heavy paper before painting. Painters run through primer faster than paint, and an empty tub stops a weekend project before it starts. It brushes on and dries to a surface that grips both acrylic and oil. It is the unglamorous gift that always gets used.^[1]

Good for

Painters who prime their own canvas or panels.

Skip if

They only paint watercolor on paper; gesso is for acrylic and oil.

Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney

• Fully illustrated
• 224 pages
• Any painting medium

A well illustrated guide to how light and color behave, written by James Gurney, the painter behind Dinotopia. Most painting books teach one artist's recipe; this one explains why shadows, skin and skies look the way they do, so the lessons work in any medium. Painters read a chapter, then go back to the easel and try it. It is the book many painters keep within reach for years.^[1]

Good for

Painters who want to improve, not just restock.

Skip if

They paint abstract work only; it is about realist painting.

U.S. Art Supply Artist Sketch Tote Board

• Built-in carry handle
• Metal clip and band
• Tempered hardboard

A light hardboard drawing board with a carry handle cut into the top, a clip and rubber bands to hold paper flat. A clipboard is too small and a table is not always there; this board turns a lap, a park bench or an easel into a flat surface. Painters tape watercolor paper to it for studies and carry it like a briefcase. It is a small gift for painting outside the studio.^[1]

Good for

Painters who sketch outdoors or in class.

Skip if

They only work at a fixed easel; it is a portable board.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Sketchers' Pocket Set

• Twelve half pans
• Pocket brush included
• Mixing palette lid

A pocket sized plastic box of Cotman half pan watercolors with mixing wells in the lid and a short travel brush inside. A full studio set stays at home; the pocket box fits in a coat pocket or a bag and opens on a knee. Cotman is the student line of Winsor & Newton, with good transparency and tinting strength for the price. Painters take it to cafes, parks and on trips.^[3]

Good for

Painters who sketch on the go or travel.

Skip if

They already paint with artist grade pans; Cotman is the student line.

Masterson Sta-Wet Premier Palette

• Airtight lid
• Sponge and palette paper
• Large mixing surface

A sealed plastic palette box with a sponge and a sheet of membrane paper that keeps water based paint wet between sessions. An open plate palette dries into a crust in an hour; with the lid shut, the Sta-Wet keeps mixed colors workable for days. Painters mix a color once and come back to it tomorrow. It is the small tool that stops acrylic painters throwing paint away.^[1]

Good for

Acrylic painters who paint in short sessions.

Skip if

They paint only in oil; oils need separate oil palette paper.

ARTEZA Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Colors

• High viscosity paint
• Pigment info on tubes
• AP certified non-toxic

A box of thick acrylic tubes from ARTEZA, one of the most reviewed art supply brands on Amazon. Many budget sets hide what is inside the tube; every ARTEZA label lists the pigment number and lightfastness, the details a painter checks before mixing. The high viscosity paint holds texture from a brush or palette knife on canvas, wood and paper. It is a generous set for a hobby painter on a budget.^[4]

Good for

Hobby painters who want lots of colors to play with.

Skip if

They already own a full student set; a second box of basics adds little.

Compare with Liquitex BASICS →

Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Color Paint, Basic Set

• Ten tubes
• Lightfast colors
• Mixes with other brands

A basic set of tubes from Winton, the traditional student oil line of Winsor & Newton. Cheap no-name oils feel stringy and fade; Winton colors are individually formulated, lightfast and permanent, and mix with any other brand a painter already owns. It is the oil paint plenty of painting classes put on the supply list. A good set for a painter trying oils or painting every day.^[3]

Good for

Painters starting oils or doing daily studies.

Skip if

They paint in a small apartment without ventilation; oils need solvent and airflow.

ArtBin Super Satchel Double Deep Craft Box

• Removable dividers
• Snap-tight latches
• Stacks with the series

A deep plastic storage box with a carry handle, snap latches and removable dividers that set up anywhere from two to eight compartments. Supplies in shopping bags get lost and crushed; the double deep Super Satchel lets paint tubes and brushes stand upright in one box. It stacks with other boxes in the ArtBin series on a shelf. It is the gift for a painter whose supplies have taken over the table.^[5]

Good for

Painters who work at the kitchen table and pack up after.

Skip if

They have a dedicated studio with drawers; a box will feel redundant.

U.S. Art Supply Stretched Canvas, Six Pack

• Six cotton canvases
• Triple primed
• Wide landscape format

A pack of six stretched cotton canvases in a long rectangle format, primed and ready for acrylic or oil. Single canvases at the craft store add up fast; a pack means they can start a painting the day an idea arrives. The wide format suits landscapes, seascapes and city skylines. Painters use up canvas faster than they like to admit.^[1]

Good for

Acrylic and oil painters who paint landscapes.

Skip if

They work only on paper or panels; canvas will sit unused.

Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolor Essentials Introductory Set

• Six artist tubes
• Warm and cool primaries
• Mixes a full palette

A small set of six artist grade watercolor tubes from Daniel Smith: a warm and a cool version of each primary, picked to mix almost any color. Student watercolors go pale and chalky when dry; these stay rich on the paper because they hold more pigment. Painters squeeze them into a palette and rewet them for weeks. It is the clear step up for a watercolorist who has outgrown student paint.^[1]

Good for

Watercolorists moving up from student sets.

Skip if

They are brand new to watercolor; a pocket box teaches the basics cheaper.

Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set, 24 Tubes

• Twenty four tubes
• Student quality acrylic
• Sticks to most surfaces

A set of student acrylic tubes from Liquitex, the company that invented artists' acrylics and still makes nothing else. Craft store acrylics dry chalky and shift color; BASICS uses the same pigments as the Liquitex professional range, ground fine for clean mixes. Painters use it on canvas, paper, wood and board for practice, studies and big pieces. It is a reliable everyday acrylic set from a name painters know.^[6]

Good for

Acrylic painters who go through paint fast.

Skip if

They already paint with professional acrylics; BASICS is the student line.

Compare with ARTEZA Acrylic →

OttLite Creative Curves LED Desk Lamp

• Natural daylight LEDs
• Four brightness levels
• Flexible gooseneck

A compact LED desk lamp from OttLite, a brand built around light that shows colors close to daylight, with touch controls and a long flexible neck. A warm household bulb tints every mix yellow; a daylight lamp shows the real color on the palette, so a painting finished at night still looks right in the morning. Painters bend it over the desk or the palette. It is the light upgrade most hobby painters never buy.^[7]

Good for

Painters who only get time after work.

Skip if

They paint at a big floor easel; a desk lamp lights a small area.

Arches Watercolor Paper Block, Cold Press

• Cotton paper
• Glued on all sides
• Gelatin sized

A block of cotton watercolor paper from Arches, a French paper mill, glued on all four edges so the sheet stays flat while it is wet. Wood pulp paper buckles and pills when a painter lays a second wash; cotton Arches takes layer after layer without falling apart. Painters work right on the block and slide a knife around the edge when the painting dries. Many watercolorists save it for their best work.^[8]

Good for

Watercolorists who paint layered washes.

Skip if

They paint acrylic or oil on canvas; it is watercolor paper

MEEDEN Studio H-Frame Easel, Beech Wood

• Beech wood frame
• Tilts flat to vertical
• Rolling front wheels

A tall H-frame studio easel in beech wood that tilts from upright for oil to flat for watercolor and rolls on two front wheels. Lightweight tripod easels wobble with every brushstroke; an H-frame stands steady and holds very large canvases. MEEDEN is one of the best known easel makers on Amazon and backs this one with a three year warranty. It turns a corner of the room into a real painting studio.^[1]

Good for

Painters who work big in acrylic or oil.

Skip if

They live in a small apartment; an H-frame easel takes floor space.