Non-Clutter Gifts: Art Supplies for Kids

I’ve always liked the idea of giving art supplies as gifts. They’re consumables, so they don’t tend to become clutter (unless a parent believes they must keep everything their child creates) and they encourage the creativity of children who have an artistic inclination.

But there’s one aspect of art supply gifts I never thought too much about until I read this on Twitter:

PSA: If you’re doing shopping for artsy kids this holiday season, avoid these art sets. Every artist I know got these as a kid and LOATHED them, because the quality sucks. Instead, find out what medium the kid likes and get nice versions of that specific thing. —Adam Ellis 

When Adam says “these art sets” he’s referring to the all-in-one kits, selling for around $25, that come with crayons, colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, scissors, watercolor cakes, oil pastels, markers, etc. He went on to suggest better gifts, and a lot of people joined the conversation. Some points made:

• The gift-giver’s budget obviously needs to be taken into consideration. But to meet budget constraints, you can consider getting a smaller quantity of higher-quality stuff. 
• The age, interest level, and skill level of the child matter; not all kids will appreciate the higher-quality items. The boxed sets can be fine for a kid who would just like to try different mediums: watercolors, colored pencils, markers, etc. But kids in their teens might really appreciate some better supplies. 
• Even Crayola crayons are a step up in quality from many of the kits. (Lots of people mentioned Crayola products as a good alternative!) You can get better quality than the kits without going to top of the line. (Dried markers were a top complaint about the kits.)

But if you have a child on your gift list who is really into art, some suggested gifts from Adam and others were:

Colored pencils

Favorites included Prismacolor, Caran d'Arche and Faber Castell. Over on Dick Blick I saw a tin of 12 Prismacolors for $7.10 (well below list price) — and I also saw a set of 160 Caran d'Ache pencils in a wood box for $463.99. Obviously there are plenty of choices between these two price points.

Author Ann Leckie made a great case for good colored pencils:

I’ve been looking for the tweet I saw where someone said basically that low quality art supplies can make you feel like you can’t do the thing, because this is very true. Particularly colored pencils, which, by and large the cheap ones are just disappointing and frustrating. ... Speaking as someone who has recently been taking art classes—the difference between cheap colored pencils and good ones is AMAZING.

Watercolors

Adam mentioned Winsor & Newton watercolors but noted they are expensive — and that there are cheaper options that are perfectly fine. Other folks mentioned Daniel Smith and Van Gogh. The picture above is the 10-tube Van Gogh set.

And here’s someone making the case for good watercolors:

Decent watercolors were a game changer for me. I hated those little pan sets that they gave us in school. They made me furious at their badness. Turns out I love painting. I hate bad paint. 

I am so on team Give Kids Good Art Supplies.

Pens for Ink Drawings

Adam mentioned Microns (and Copic Multiliners as a huge upgrade). Someone else prefers the Artline Drawing System. This set of six Microns lists for $17.99 and can be found for much less.

SL Huang makes the case for good supplies, including these pens:

Since art supplies ARE so expensive, if you *can* get the Very Artsy kid in your life something specific & high-quality they’d prob be over the moon. I know I lusted after SO MANY art supplies I couldn’t afford as a kid & was always thrilllllled when ppl gifted them to me

Also, many times, a truly arty kid would be much more excited with 5 microns for the same price as this big crappy set.

Gift Cards

If there's a good art supply store close to where the child lives, a gift card could be a great option, too. (Flax is a store in San Francisco that I’ve enjoyed for gift-buying.)