Affordable Art Christmas List 2020
Affordable Art Christmas List 2020
Well it’s that time of year again and to help you through the terrible chore of selecting the perfect affordable art gift for your friends and loved ones, or perhaps even for yourself. Affordable in the art world does not mean cheap and nasty, there are really desirable gifts out there for artists at more than affordable price points and for the third year running, The Art Gear Guide is here to help you see what’s on Santas list this year.
Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be the most stressful time of the year, especially for those of us financially shorter. Although this affordable list might help you select a beautiful gift for your artist friend or loved one, its important not to lose sight that Christmas is for family, sharing, caring for one another and this year more than any other year, families all over the world could very well be isolated from their loved ones. We need to spare a thought for all those apart from their families, those that are homeless living on the streets and spread the true meaning of Christmas which is love, compassion and sharing.
120 Set Castle Arts Colored Pencils
120 set of colored pencils is a real treat for any colored pencil enthusiast or adult colouring book artist, but a set of excellent quality colored pencils, protected and sorted in their own zip case, packed with a huge 120 gorgeous pigments, well that really would be the perfect Christmas gift.
Castle Arts provide that very gift described about, I have reviewed the Castle Art pencils extensively on The Art Gear Guide including a comparison review against a similar type of colored pencils. This 120 count from Castle is the perfect addition to any colored pencil enthusiasts, crafter or adult colouring book artist’s collection
Here in the UK you can expect to pay approximately £49.99 for this set, in the US you can expect to pay $59 and in the EU you can expect to pay €54.99. Check out my original review of the Castle Arts Coloured Pencils
Arteza 48 Set Of Real Brush Pens
I review the Arteza Real Brush Pens quite a while back and actually whilst reviewing them, I completed a botanical piece of some Roses, which turned out to be one of my favourite art pieces. The pigment strength within the Arteza Real Brush Pens are absolutely Phenomenal. The Arteza Real Brush Pens are essentially watercolor paints in a pen format, with each pen sporting a gorgeously fine tip brush.
The pens can be used simply straight from the pen or as soon as you lay down paint on your surface, once you add a bit of water, the pigment behaves exactly as you would expect from a watercolor paint. The pen format allows for wonderful convince, allowing the artist to carry a small collection on location and create watercolor paintings in a sketch book or pad. Obviously with the Arteza Real Brush Pens being watercolor, with the ability to mix the paints, the color selection is endless.
In the UK you will pay approximately £31.49 for the 48 set of Arteza Real Brush Pens , in the US you will pay approximately £39.99 and in the EU you can expect to pay €35
Derwent Superpoint Sharpener
The Derwent Superpoint hand crank sharpener is perhaps the very best sharpener I have ever used. Throughout my four and a half years of reviewing art products, I have tested and reviewed many sharpeners including some of the most incredibly expensive sharpeners. However, every time I return to the Derwent Superpoint hand crank Sharpener.
Despite the number of sharpeners I have, I always, unintentially gravitate back to the Derwent Superpoint Sharpener, at least I did until my youngest daughter borrowed mine and accidentally dropped it down the stairs breaking it, but before this, the Superpoint was my goto sharpener. I always knew that I was going to get that needle point tip I wanted and throughout the sharpening process, not a single pencil, that wasn’t already damaged, broke.
Here in the UK you will pay approximately £19.99, in the US you will pay $22.78 and in the EU you will pay €28.99. To see my original review follow the link.
Colored Pencil Storage Drawers.
The correct title for this protect is Pastel Storage Drawers, however, many colored pencil artists, including myself have adopted the drawers as colored pencil storage and what a magnificent job they do. As a colored pencil artist, there will be pencils that you purchase that will be rather expensive and the last thing you will want is for those pencils to be laying about on your desk, falling off the desk and shattering the core. Also, once you get the colored pencil bug, it is quite likely that you will amass quite a collection of pencils over the years.
The colored pencil drawers, holds all your pencils safely and securely in place, you can arrange your pencils by color, or brand, whatever suits your work style. Each time you are ready to start a new piece you can remove the drawers you need, complete with the pencils and arrange them on your desk accordingly, making selection easy whilst keeping the pencils safe. The Drawers come in many different formats, two drawer, three, four, five and six; they all stack perfectly on top of each other making for a stylish storage system
Here in the UK a 4 drawer unit is £35.95, in the US you will pay approximately $34 and in the EU you will pay €51
Caran d’Ache Swiss Color Water Soluble Pencils
Any set of pencils from Caran d’Ache would be a welcomed gift for any lover of the colored pencil medium we all adore so much. The Caran d’Ache Swiss Color are aimed more for students, however, it is important to note that student grade from Caran d’Ache is better than a lot of artist grades from other pencils.
The Caran d’Ache Swiss Color are packed with pigment and are incredibly well priced considering the exceptionally high quality pigments and craftsmanship put into the manufacturing of these pencils. Of course with the Swiss Color being water soluble you can use them dry or wet, the best of both worlds , ordinarily when artists use watercolor pencils, once they activate the pigments with water, when it comes to the finishing touches they use the pencils dry for detail and a little extra punch. Check out my Gadget Art Christmas List for some excellent additions to pencils such as the Swiss Color
To purchase the 40 set in the UK you will pay approximately £35, in the US you will pay $60 and in the EU you will pay €32. To see the original review follow the link
Arrtx 80 Set Markers
I was fortunate enough to have been sent these excellent markers to review a month or so ago, they are double ended alcohol markers, sporting the traditional chisel nib for larger areas and the fine bullet nib for detailed work. The Arrtx Markers come in many different sets, but the 80 set is the all round best value for money.
The Palette is well thought out with just the right amount of greys and assortment of colors and nice blends scattered throughout with just the right level of grades between each shade. The Arrtx markers are perfect for crafters, adult colouring book artist and mixed media artists, adding colored pencil over the top to enhance detail.
Here in the UK the 80 set will cost approximately £49, in the EU you will pay approximately €51 and in the US you will pay $55. To see the original review follow the link.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi 36 Watercolor Pans
For Watercolor artists who maybe can’t afford the more expensive professional artist graded pans, there are still wonderfully high quality watercolor paints available at excellent prices. One such set of watercolors and they always make an appearance in some form on my Christmas lists are the Kuretake Gansai Tambi Watercolors.
This 36 set of Kuretake Gansai, all the way from Japan offer a wonderful palette but more importantly a selection of high quality pigments. One of the really appealing aspects of the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors are the spacious pans within the sets, allowing for easy mixing. In this 36 set, you are spoilt for choice within the palette, flesh tones, beautiful greens for botanical, strong blues for landscape and wonderful reds, pinks, violets and yellows, the watercolor genres are your oyster.
Here in the UK you will pay approximately £34.95, in the US you will pay $50 and in the EU you will pay €38
Derwent Drawing Pencils
The Derwent Drawing Pencil was a set of pencils I purchased close to the beginning of my colored pencil journey, even back then I could see what a special set of pencils they were and now, with a lot of research, knowledge and colored pencil understanding under my belt, my opinions have changed slightly.
The Derwent Drawing colored pencils are perhaps the most unique set of pencils on the market, their palette is simply breathtaking and the buttery soft yet girthy core is perfect for all types of colored pencil work. 24 is the largest set in the Derwent Drawing range and fo most people this is the only down side to the set as artist can’t get enough of the pencils and would love a larger set.
Here in the UK you will pay £38, in the EU you will pay approximately €59 and in the US you will pay $58 . To see the original review follow the link.
Sennelier 40 Portrait Pastels
I know some people while loving and admiring the work pastels can achieve, can’t actually use them due to the feel of the medium in their hands or the mess that pastels can sometimes be associated with. Nevertheless there are pastel artist out there perhaps looking for the perfect portrait pastel set and this is it.
Sennelier have been in the pastel game for decades, manufacturer high quality pastels, a lot of which can be quite expensive. However, this 40 set of Sennelier Soft Pastel Portrait Set is reasonably priced given the incredibly high quality, this portrait set would be a most welcomed Christmas gift to any pastel artist.
Here in the UK you will pay approximately £33, in the EU you will pay €52 and in the US you will pay approximately $60
Giotto Di Natura Colored Pencils
Expensive highly lightfast pencils are all well and good, and to be honest are a must for colored pencil artists wanting to sell their work or hang their work in Galleries. That being said, not all colored pencil artists, including myself sell their work and those amazing artists who love adult colouring books don’t always wish to use expensive pencils in their work.
The Giotto Di Natura colored pencils made by Lyra are absolutely superb colored pencils, incredibly inexpensive, a glossy buttery smooth core with strong pigments. Unfortunately this 36 set is the largest set they do, but given how soft their core is, blending is a dream and more colors can be achieved.
Here in the UK you can expect to pay £13.99, in the US you can expect to pay $25 and in the EU you will pay approximately €24. To see the original review follow the link.
Caran d’Ache Pablo Colored Pencils 18 Set
For those colored pencil artists among you, wanting to try out one of the more expensive sets of artist quality colored pencils, Caran d’Ache make a wonderful 18 set of their popular Pablo pencils. In terms of quality the Pablo are up there with some of the best, a lot of colored pencil artists would compare them to Faber Castells Polychromos.
I tested and reviewed the Pablo quite a while back and they extend to a whopping 120 set, however this manageable 18 set would be a fantastic place to start without breaking the bank should you heavens forbid decide they are not for you. The 18 set of Pablo will supply enough colors for you to get a good run out with them, helping you to fully appreciate and understand the pencil to the point of making a final decision, one way or the other, as to whether or not they are suitable for your style of art.
Here in the UK for the 18 set of Pablo you will pay approximately £26, in the US you will pay approximately $38 and in the EU you will pay €34. To see the original review follow the link.
Derwent CarryAll Bag
Another very popular choice among artists of all medium’s. The Derwent CarryAll Bag is designed to carry large quantities of colored pencils, graphite pencils, pastel pencils etc about. When you purchase the bag, it comes with leaves, ladened with elastic bands to hold your pencils in, the leaves are slotted into place via a ring binder type format.
You can purchase extra leaves as and when needed and overall the Derwent CarryAll bag can carry over 300 pencils. However, as I mentioned the bag is not just for colored pencils, you can slot markers, pens, pastels, anything you like into the bag, safe in the knowledge that all your supplies will be safe and protect on the move. Many artists, such as myself house bound, use the CarryAll as a means to store and manage surplus pencils.
Here in the UK the Derwent Carry All Bag is £19, in the US you can expect to pay $36 and in the EU you will pay approximately €24. To see the original review follow the link
Winsor & Newton 24 Set Of ProMarkers
Winsor and Newton are a huge name when it comes to watercolors, but they also create a lot more than just watercolors and their ProMarker range being one of those other products. There is a 188 colors in the Winsor and Newton Marker palette, which with such a number can be quite overwhelming, however Winsor & Newton sell their markers in manageable sets and individually.
The Winsor and Newton ProMarkers are not to be confused with their ProMarker Brush, the ProMarker sports a traditional chisel tip and a fine bullet nib for detail. The 24 set that I have on this list comes with a wonderful selection of colors as well as a blender marker all in their own wallet for storage and also doubles as a selection stand, exposing the markers in an easy to select fashion.
In the UK you can expect to pay approximately £34 , in the US you will pay $55 and in the EU you can also expect to pay €32. To see the original review of the ProMarkers follow the link.
Stabilo CarbOthello 36 Set Pastel Pencils
I mentioned earlier about artists admiring the work accomplished with pastels yet not being able to use them due to the feel of the pastel in their hands. Some people just can’t stand the texture of pastel dust on their hands. This is the perfect gift for those particular artists and many more, pastel pencils.
Stabilo CarbOthello are a pastel pencil, meaning that there is less need to have the pastel dust touch their hands on account of using blending stumps and color shapers etc for the blending process. The Stabilo CarbOthello are slightly more chalky that other pastels and certainly much harder than block and stick pastels.
Her in the UK you will pay approximately £43, in the US you will pay $90 and in the EU you will pay €82. To see the original review follow the link. The US and EU prices for this item are quite high on Amazon so please make sure you check local stores and sites that you may know personally.
Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens 24 Set
The only downside to alcohol markers is the fact that they are not lightfast, so any art work that you complete with them will lack the ingredients to perform long term art pieces to hang in galleries or commissions. Faber Castell however have combated this little oversight with the introduction of their Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens.
Not quite as big as most alcohol markers and more along the lines of felt tip pens, the Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens are filled with Indian Inks, leading to not only the lightfast issue but also incredibly strong pigments. The Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens sport a beautifully fine brush nip, allowing the artist to create many different effects from razor thin lines, to many line variations and not to mention calligraphy type.
Here in the UK for the Faber Castell Pitt Pen 24 set you will pay approximately £49, in the US you will pay $69 and in the EU you will pay approximately €55.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays To You All
On behalf of myself and The Art Gear Guide, I would like to wish you all an absolutely wonderful Christmas, I hope you have the most wonderful time but more importantly that you all remain in excellent health. for those of you who don’t celebrate Christmas I wish you all a wonderful holiday season.
2020 has been a very difficult year for us all with love, kindness and generosity very thin on the ground, so I hope that Christmas and 2021 will bring us all happier, more successful but above all a safe and healthier year. I would also like to thank you all so very much for reading my reviews, in a magazine packed with so much amazing content, featuring the most wonderful artists, I am humbled that people read and enjoy my reviews and the messages I have received about the reviews have been incredibly heartwarming.
To see more from The Art Gear Guide you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, items selected for the Christmas lists have been reviewed individually on the Art Gear Guide should you wish to take a closer look before you purchase. I have three YouTube videos uploaded Luxury Art Supply Christmas List 2020, Art Gadget Christmas 2020 List and Affordable Art Supply Christmas List 2020 just follow the links to watch.
