1. Airtight Resealable Palette | £13  24 compartment palette
   This palette is incredible in keeping acrylics workable, I’ve had paints for weeks and they can still be used. There is a handy spatula that slides in the front of the palette and a thumb grip on the back. There are a number of different brands that all create very similar palettes.

Something they want, something they need, something to eat and something to read is always a good starting point when you don’t know what to buy someone.

Below are a few last-minute stocking fillers for the budding artist in your life (or just a way to treat yourself!)

For Scanning Drawings and Watercolours

2. Epson Perfection V39 II | £119 Epson Scanner

For £100 (there is a £20 cashback offer at the moment), you will get fantastic copies of your images at a super high resolution. Just plug it into your computer and scan. You even get a stand so you can store it vertically if needed. Great for making prints of your sketches, scanning your acrylics and recording your watercolours.

For super matte drawings

3. Faber Castell Matt Pencil Kit | £25.99 (8 Pencils, Paper Stump, Sharpener & Eraser)

Sometimes, with traditional graphite pencils, the surface can reflect light, so your darkest darks aren’t quite as dark as you may like. Faber Castell’s new range of pencils offers a matt sheen to your drawings, allowing you to go super black!

To unlock your creativity

4. The Creative Act: A Way of Being – Rick Rubin. Hardback | £20.99 

One book I’ve enjoyed this year is The Creative Act by Record Producer Rick Rubin. He’s got some fascinating insights on how creativity works and how to get into the act of creating. We get to move forward in our art, a bit like a coach telling you the obvious thing, but you still need to hear it.

“We Tend to think of the artist’s work as an output. The real work of an artist is a way of being in the world.” Rick Rubin

For the wannabe organised creative!

5. Nimbot Label Maker: Bluetooth wireless Thermal label printer | £29

For just under £30, I thought this might be too good to be true. But it’s great! Thermal printing, so you never need to buy ink again (just new labels). You download the app on your phone, type in the label and print. You can also import icons and images to the app. Great for labelling paint mixes and shelves. I got a set of cable labels aswell, so handy when digging behind the computer for plugging in the printer.

For the timid sketcher

6. Pentel Brush Pen | £18.60 Pentel Brush Pen

So nice. I use it in practically all of my urban sketches; it adds shapes and fine lines all within one tip that seems to stay wet and workable even if you haven’t used it for weeks. They now have a grey and a sanguine colour.

For the part-time woodworker

7. Tracer Pencil | £7.91 Tracer-tools.com

These pencils are designed to be used for woodworking and construction sites because the narrow metal shaft allows you to mark holes through woodwork. I find them super comfortable to use and really handy around the studio. They have a sharpener in the rear of the pen and come with refillable leads.

For the perfectionist sharpener

8. Hovel Pencil Plane | £68 MakersCabinet.com

You definitely don’t need this, but there is something therapeutic about having a plane as a pencil sharpener.

For the art appreciator

9. National Art Pass | £56.25 individual year artfund.com

This pass gives you discounts and free entry to hundreds of events and exhibitions across the UK, which is marvellous!

For the digital painter

10. Paperlike screen protector | £34 for 2 Paperlike.com

If you find the surface of your iPad too glossy and slippy to sketch on, this might be the answer. Paperlike is a screen protector that also adds some resistance to the stylus. You lose some of the intensity and contrast of the screen image, but you gain more grab.

Have a creative Christmas, and if you’re running right up to the wire, all the art courses on the blog can be gifted as instant digital Gift Vouchers!

Have a fab time.