Gift guide for your artsy friends

Every year there are birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries: so what to buy an artist? We all know our artsy friends can be particular and eclectic – we don’t always know exactly what they’ve been eyeing or what tools they use. Let’s go over the best artsy gifts for any occasion in this artist gift guide.

VISUAL EXPERIENCES

Take them on a date! Don’t worry – platonic dates, double dates, a group hangout sesh or some one-on-one time is all welcome. Experiences are the best gifts because you create memories and make the time for an attraction or event they might not have gone to see otherwise. Here are some prime date ideas:

• Buy tickets to a gallery opening – the opening day is always more fun than seeing it on view, but either works if the scheduling is right. It’s the perfect date day experience, especially if you know they like the artist and want to wear a nice dress and do a fancy dinner after. 

• For a cozy vibe, get tickets to an artist documentary in theaters, or make it a comfy romantic movie night at home (because we know those obscure films aren’t always in theaters). Takeout, a warm blanket, and digging deep into that rabbit hole with them will be a bonding experience they’ll appreciate.

• Walk through a park with an art installation or buy tickets to an upcoming immersive installation (think the Van Gogh series or Electric Forest Festival, which has great installation art). These vary greatly so make sure to do a little research on the event beforehand. A lot of times the installation art is secondary to some main attraction like music or a hiking trail. This could mean an amazing double-whammy gift.

• Not sure what type of art they like? Buy entrance to an art museum where there are multiple exhibits going on at once. It could be a modern/contemporary museum or a historical one, or a mix. You’re guaranteed to learn something new and feel cultured after.

• Get coffee and go on a mural tour downtown. If you live in a good area for murals you can usually find the best walking or biking route online. Often you’ll find a bit of info on the more prominent muralists online, too. Mural tours are a perfect morning time date and you can get lunch after.

Every good date involves taking a few pictures together to remember the occasion, so don’t forget to snap a few for the scrapbook. 

HANDS ON ART

Make it a craft day! Buy and prep all the supplies for a new creative project — one you can complete that same day and that they’ve never tried before. It’ll be a great memory and a challenge. A few great at-home ideas are: a photo album project, paint a mural in their bedroom, tie dye clothing, try embroidery on an old shirt, or make matching bracelets.

Another hands on art idea is to take them to a one-day class. These are often called workshops. Local artists will host them to teach people a particular skill or explore a new thing. It could be plein air drawing (aka outside with a beautiful view), something that requires a studio like pottery sculpting, or how to draw a comic strip. It doesn’t have to be related to their normal medium if it’s a single day affair.

If you know they’ve been burning to seriously dive deep into a new medium, or want to hone their skills or solve an issue they’ve been having with creativity, buy them a longer class. College classes, online courses, or local programs would be perfect gifts for an artist. P.S. if they struggle with art style, buy them Elements of Art Style.

Encouraging your artsy friend to get their hands dirty in a craft can provide the release they need. It’ll be fun and it might catapult them into a new creative phase!

STUDIO ACCESSORIES

One of my favorite gifts my husband has ever given me is a super cool pencil sharpener. It’s a knight’s helmet and you have to lift the face shield to get to the pencil hole. Aesthetic, rare, vintage, and functional. These small studio accessories or supply-adjacent tools are perfect gifts for an artist. 

Do they have their own art studio or a special corner in the living room dedicated to their practice? Get them racks for hanging things to dry, shelves for organizing, cubby cubes for sorting and hiding ugly supplies, or a pretty paint brush holder. These are all great, functional presents for an artist with their own home art studio. 

If they vend at art shows, totes for lugging supplies around, folding tables for show setup and pegboards for hanging are always in need of a little refresh. These items get banged up from being moved around so much. 

Extra things they already have but always use, like canvases, are good artist gifts. This is NOT a boring present. These supplies can be costly and the sight of receiving them for free will be very exciting. My advice here is to not try and make this a surprise. Make sure to ask if you’re buying the correct supplies because artists are particular about what they use. Ask ahead if it’s the right item or at the least, make sure it’s returnable. Buying supplies they won’t use will just add to their “someday I might use this random creative item” pile in the closet.

Artists who sell art as a side hustle (or do it full time) might appreciate equipment for filming. Promoting on social media, podcasting, and taking great photos to submit to galleries is a big part of the working artist’s day. If they’re into social media, gifts like ring lights or editing software or tripods might be perfect. If they’re into podcasting, maybe get them a new microphone or sound-canceling blankets. If they teach art classes online, maybe a backdrop, neon sign with their logo or other props for their videos would be appropriate. These content creation gifts would be another one to make sure you’re getting the correct item or make sure it’s returnable. 

ARTSY GIFTS AND DECOR

Obviously artists love art, decorating, and beautiful homes. Help them accessorize. 

Artsy gifts can include picture frames, art prints, pillowcase/bedsheet sets, coffee mugs, tea towels, coffee table books, cute doormats, souvenirs from recent trips, collectible magazine subscriptions, tapestries, and anything else that’ll spruce up the house.

Make it an experience and go with them to do the shopping together. Hit antique shops, festivals, thrift stores, IKEA, West Elm or another home goods store.

As a more service-based approach, you can help them paint their room or clean the house. Maybe they really need to organize the closet. Aesthetics are more than adding new pretty knick knacks – sometimes it means helping them sort through all the old stuff and decide what to donate. 

GIFTS FOR AN ARTIST

Maybe the gift you give could be meeting more artists! Invite them to join Artsy Friends, a Patreon group for artists in business to hang out and talk about their creative careers. There’s a free and paid version — both a wonderful gift.

What else would you add? What gift would you love to receive from your non artsy friends? Add it in the comments.