Gifts Ideas for Artists: Budget and Small Art Gifts

Oil sticks aren't the same as oil pastels. They're bigger (especially if you buy the extra-large ones!), more slippery and buttery so feel quite different to work with, and they dry completely (well, after a few months, like oil paint). Oilsticks let you combine the immediacy of drawing with the intense colors of oil paints, offering new ways to express yourself.

Different texture mediums contain different things, from pumice to glass beads. Imagine having granules of "sand texture" in a seascape or "urban grit" in a cityscape... that's the sort of possibilities texture mediums present. A perfect gift for an artist wanting to explore textures or move their painting style in a new direction.

If you're using acrylic paints, texture medium can be mixed with the paint or used to create texture before you start painting. Oil painters can use acrylic texture medium as a base layer, before they start painting.

For painters who like to travel and use water-based paint (watercolor, gouache, acrylic), this collapsible container for washing brushes would be a real space-saver. Just remember to open it up back home so it can dry out thoroughly.

The problem with normal bags for holding brushes and/or pencils is that you've got to scratch around inside to find a particular item. This one folds back on itself to make a freestanding bag with things on display and easy to see. There's also a pocket for placing smaller items, such as an eraser or sharpener. It'll be a great for taking to a workshop.

Forget carrying a brush and a separate container for water, just carry a waterbrush! You can use it with watercolors and water-soluble pencils, and it's really handy for sketching or doing outdoor studies, as well as back in the studio.
• How to Use a Water Brush

A brush pen is like a waterbrush that's filled with ink. I've got a black one (Pentel Color Brush) which I use instead of a pen when planning composition or sketching (and then 'color in' using my waterbrush and small watercolor set), but brush pens come in a multitude of colors. (Refills are available.)

Take finger painting to the next level with a brush that slips on the end of your finger like a thimble would. The various colors are different sizes (small, medium, large, extra large), so you ought to find at least one that fits. Having a brush on all five fingers will certainly test your dexterity! The bristles of the finger brush are synthetic; they come to a sharp point so you can paint quite fine lines if you don't press too hard.

You wouldn't drop a sweet wrapper on the pavement, so don't do the same with pencil shavings when you're out sketching on location. Yes, you could argue it's biodegradable, but it's still litter really. Rather take it home with you by using a pocket-sized pencil sharpener that collects its shavings.

How many stumpy bits of graphite pencil or color pencil are lurking in the bottom of your art box? Never struggle and get frustrated with a too-short piece of pencil again, or feel you're wasting it by throwing it out. Stick it into this pencil lengthener and it's instantly transformed into a pencil that's a reasonable length for using easily.

Keep all your brushes together in a brush tube. It's got a lid so you can close it up when you're transporting your brushes anywhere and, back in the studio, you can leave the lid off so any damp brushes can dry.

One disadvantage is that if you've got a tube in your daypack, it tends to rattle when you're walking around unless you've got it jam-packed with brushes or put a small piece of cloth in it. If this is likely to annoy you, rather get a brush roll.