“All art is quite useless,” wrote Oscar Wilde, by which I think he meant that art is one of the few things in a society in love with “productivity” and “being practical” that can still manage to free itself and just be fun, or silly, or beautiful, or true. 

Often enough, however, the artistic and the practical go hand in hand – especially this time of year, and at no time without more cheer as when it comes to gifts. Yes, time is running out. That’s why we’ve divided this year’s artists’ gift guide into three sections, based on how desperate you feel: 1. Yeah, I’ve Got Time 2. There Might Still be Time and 3. There’s NO TIME LEFT!

Yeah, I’ve Got Time

The best gifts are things that people will love but won’t buy for themselves, right? In that spirit we offer the following with the assumption that at least you won’t have to pay for RUSH shipping.

Kolinsky or Synthetic Kolinsky Brushes

Raphael Stradivarius Synthetic Kolinsky brushes offer all the attributes of natural hair but are vegan-friendly. Ideal for watercolor, they have a fine point, excellent spring, and water retention. Priced from $12.95 +.

Princeton Neptune Series Travel Brush Kit

The watercolor artist in your life can take their favorite brushes wherever their creative journey leads with the Princeton Neptune Series 4750 Synthetic Squirrel Round Travel Brush Set for $72.04 at dickblick.com.

Sumptuous Sennelier Pastels

Landscape Colors contains only the purest pigments with minimal amounts of natural binders – $79.77 at dickblick.com

There Might Still Be Time

Brahman Design and Makers Cabinet have teamed up to create two of the most elegant drawing tools you’ve ever seen, using the highest quality and utility and made to last a lifetime.

IRIS DRAWING COMPASS by Maker’s Cabinet

Iris is a high-quality rotary compass tool that uses a unique moving aperture to draw and measure circles. $144.10 at JacksonArt.com

  • Accurate measuring instrument
  • Aperture adjusts to freely create circles of Ø3-70mm
  • Compatible with any mark-making tool
  • Seamless and efficient, designed to last

HOVEL PENCIL PLANE Yes, it’s a freakin’ pencil sharpener but – well, just look at it! Hovel is a pencil sharpener that functions as a miniature plane, which allows for as fine a point as one would like without breaking the lead like a typical sharpener. Includes a custom leather case with a brass button! How can this thing not be a pleasure to hold and use? $83 at JacksonArt.com

Unlike other red lenses, these Paint by Note Value Specs $26.95 are specially created to remove all colors so you can see the notes, or values, in any scene or photo. Once you look through these, you may be surprised how far off your perceived value notes were.

A video workshop teaching “The Easiest Way in the World to Learn Painting (Even if You Have No Talent)– great for aspiring artists!

There’s NO TIME LEFT

Deep-Dive Professional Instructional Videos

The beauty of professional teaching videos is that you no longer need to wait for anything to arrive in the mail. If you choose the streaming option, you (or the person you’re buying it for) can begin watching and learning immediately. There are hundreds of videos in a wealth of topics to choose from on www.painttube.tv

Plein Air Painting Event at Lake Tahoe

Give the gift of an experience they’ll never forget and the pleasure of anticipation as the event date draw closer and closer!