The Best List of Gift Ideas for the Artist in Your Life

Most gift guides meant for artists are unambitious at best. They are painfully and obviously authored by non-artists who are under the well-intentioned but incorrect impression that a cheeky reference to Mona Lisa's smile or a tapestry/mug/anything of Starry Night is the pinnacle of an art-themed gift. If the artist in your life is anything like me, they're probably hyper-specific and super-picky about the type of supplies they use - the type or brand of acrylic paint that has a specific drying time, or the correct brush cleaner for their oils, or they're a three dimensional artist (where the heck do you even buy clay?) - and a gift card just lacks the sparkle if you want to make it special.

"Aw shucks," you think to yourself. "Those three ideas were the extent of my arsenal of art-themed gifts for the special art nerd in my life! Now what?"

Well, fear not, dear non-artist reader! I, an artist, am here to tell you that there are much better and personal options available at every budget. Here we go!

1. Commission their Favorite Artist

I'll start with one of the most expensive options on my list. If you want something really special for your loved one and don't mind dropping the big bucks, you probably are close enough to them to know their favorite contemporary artist. If you don't, it won't take much Instagram-sleuthing to find out. One of my favorite artists on Instagram (@nogobed, pictured) opens her commission window each year for the holidays in order to create pet portraits. They're small and the commission spots fill up quick, but many artists work directly with commissioners to determine size, which is one of the biggest factors that will influence the price you pay for an original. You can send a photo or two for the artist's reference for the painting, depending on what you want. If you don't have quite that budget, but still want to get something from their favorite artist, keep reading!

2. Buy a Print from their Favorite Artist

Their favorite contemporary artist more than likely has a website linked directly from their social media to their website where they sell high-quality prints. Sometimes the pieces may be limited edition, where others are always available. Depending on the artist, they may also offer stickers or other merchandise, such as totes. Buying directly from their website helps support the artist, which your loved one will appreciate, too. Keep in mind that many of these artists run their business single handedly, so make sure you order early enough in the season in order to receive the gift on time! Pictured is @jacquelinedeleon, one of my favorite artists who has a successful online shop and just dropped sweatshirts featuring one of her well-known witchy gals.

3. A Fucking Good Advice Book

Sometimes artists get stuck in a creative block, we second guess ourselves - oh, hello inner critic, nice to see you again - or sometimes we just get plain old overwhelmed by the amount of artistic genius we encompass that we have to balance with our day to day tasks. We may need our advice to be a little on the aggressive side to give us a good kick in the pants. May I cordially introduce you to Good Fucking Design Advice, a team of creatives that aren't afraid to do just that. The best part about it is that it doesn't make the advice any less inspiring. It's brutally honest, gets straight to the point, and is even poetic at times. The advice is also universally applicable so this would be a great gift idea for anyone (even Nike and Adobe grace their list of corporate clients). In addition to a book, they also have mugs, clothing, prints, and a swear jar.

4. Patreon Subscription

Your artist friend probably looks up to an artist they deeply admire and wishes they could get some pointers from. Additionally, many small scale artists do not have the ability to fully support themselves on just art sales alone. Enter Patreon, a subscription service that people can sign up for to support their favorite artists, so you can solve both of those issues thanks to this service! For a one time or monthly fee, you can pay an artist for exclusive content. There are usually different levels of patronage that will give you access to different levels of exclusive content. These may be digital prints, process videos, tutorials, or even digital brushes for Procreate. I included @ellysmallwood as my example, who uses Patreon for tutorials and how-tos, though this is especially popular with digital artists and webcomic authors.

5. Art Magazines and Books

No matter how convenient or cheap (read: free) digital journalism is or can be, if someone walks into your home and sees magazines of any topic on your coffee table, you just gained at least 10 bonus points in the category of intellectualism. Plus, using apps or the internet to browse inspiration can hurt your eyes after a while and even ends up being a distraction - having a definitive start (front cover) and end (back cover) to an activity can help take the inspiration that has been gained and funnel it into an actual project. Print media looks great as decor and is fun to look back on for nostalgic feels - I still have a Swindle mag that I bought in 2006 with @missvanofficial on the cover (unfortunately, publication ended in 2009). You can look somewhere as convenient as Barnes and Noble for your gift receiver's favorite art topic or find a local zine to support. Some popular options that cover all kinds of art are Art in America, Juxtapoz, Apollo, ArtLtd., Art News, and Aesthetica.

6. Artbish Merch

If your artist loved one is also an empowered baddie, Artbish is perfect for them. It's a brand and collective that features, supports, and empowers creative women and femme-identifying people. They also sell really cool clothes and merchandise. I love the g-strings and rainbow sweatpants! Right now they have a collection that features one-of-a-kind apparel from reworked vintage t-shirts and jerseys that give me major Aaliyah vibes. Their Instagram page is full of featured artists of all kinds who are inspiring and powerful baddies, and your artist friend can also sign up to be featured on their page!

7. Art Museum Membership

Art museums are like libraries for art people and, if you live in a city that has at least one art museum, your loved one probably loves to visit. If you have the funds, you can buy a one-time or annual membership so your gift recipient can enjoy the exclusive exhibits and events that come to the museum. Many art museums have free access, but traveling shows with famous or historic pieces are the ones that are hyped and worth seeing! When Guillermo del Toro's traveling art exhibit At Home With Monsters visited my city back in 2017, my friend went to see the exhibit and actually got to meet del Toro! That kind of access and opportunity is only made available to paying members, and they also can get discounts on cafe and gift shop items if the museum features them. If your gift receiver is a traditional art nerd and just loves getting lost in their favorite museum, this is a great gift that keeps on giving.

8. Studio Creature Comforts

Have you ever been to your artist friend's studio? No? That might be because they draw while lying in bed or watching Netflix. Regardless, the best studios to work in are ones that make the artist want to spend time there. Candles, suncatchers, plants, a bean bag, blankets, a coffee maker, anything that's up their alley that will make their studio comfortable and inspiring will be a great addition to enrich their space. I recently discovered this small candle brand from California called Blow Me that looks beautiful and smells even lovelier - Baby It's Cold Outside is the perfect twist on a classic pine scent.

9. Self Care

Chances are, your artist friend is hunched over a canvas, desk, or computer all day, and they feel it. Even if they don't complain about their tight shoulders, a massage session would relax and reenergize them so they can finish their masterpiece comfortably. If you don't have the budget for that, treat them with bath bombs or a massage roller so they can treat themselves. Blue-blocking glasses are another great option to prevent tired eyes when they need to be on their computer editing photos or updating their website for hours. I need one of my friends to read this article so they can buy me these frames by freepeople. If the artist in question works with clay or has to wash their hands frequently due to their medium of choice, a rich hand cream is another little budget friendly gift to remind them to take care of their most valuable tool: their hands. (My own mother got me the Weleda hand cream for Christmas and I'm obsessed.)

10. Texts From Your Existentialist

This is an Instagram account I have been following for some time that pairs dark humor with famous works of art such as Edward Hopper, René Magritte, Roy Lichtenstein, and more. TFYE was created by poet April Henry and she creates the prints and t-shirts herself, which are available for purchase on her shop. This is a much more unique option for your friend who loves Dali than getting an IKEA print. They're dark, funny, relatable, and exclusive, just like your friend. Perfect.

11. Artist Tech and Business Accessories

People often forget about the business side of art. If your loved one has everything artsy they could ever want or is extremely picky, think of ways to help their business! Social media platforms, websites, business cards, and high quality photos are all such invaluable assets for artists to share work with their audience across all platforms. Artists need proper cameras (including the newest smartphones), tripods and gimbals, bluetooth remotes, lighting setups, and Photoshop or other photo editing software that will bring sharing their art to a professional level. I love this stylish business card holder from MOO - and if your artist friend used MOO to make their square business cards, they have business card holders that will fit those, too.

Bonus: A Corny Pun Gift Because Even I Couldn't Resist

I mean, come on. If you're an artist, chances are you're at least 25% tortured, and everyone loves fluffy bubbles. (And if your artist friend is nothing like me and loves corny art gifts, the Unemployed Philosopher's Guild website has a metric ton.)

Happy shopping!