The Best Gifts for Artists UK — An Honest Guide for Every Budget

Written by Paul Worrall

Buying gifts for artists sounds like it should be easy — they have an obvious hobby, they clearly need supplies, how hard can it be? Quite hard, as it turns out. The wrong art supplies are worse than no art supplies at all. Buy a watercolourist a set of acrylics and you’ve essentially bought them nothing. Buy someone who uses professional paints a cheap beginner set and you’ve slightly insulted them. Get the paper wrong and the whole gift falls flat regardless of how much you spent.

I’ve spent sixteen years in the UK art supplies industry — nearly a decade as Digital Marketing Manager at ARTdiscount, one of the UK’s largest online art retailers — and I now run Discount Art Supplies, a price comparison platform used by over 36,000 artists every week. My wife Lucy paints watercolours. My son Zach draws constantly. I know this territory from every angle. Here are the genuinely good gifts for artists in the UK, for every budget, with honest advice on what actually works.

Before You Buy — How to Get Gifts for Artists Right

One rule above all others: buy supplies in the medium they actually use. A watercolourist doesn’t want acrylics. An oil painter doesn’t want watercolours. An illustrator who works in pencil doesn’t want a paint set. If you’re not sure what medium they work in, look at their work — the clues are obvious once you know what to look for — or go for a gift card and let them choose. A gift card from Cass Art, Jacksons Art or London Graphic Centre is always a better choice than a set of supplies in the wrong medium.

The second rule: quality beats quantity every time. One excellent set of pencils or a single sheet of genuinely good watercolour paper is more appreciated than a large multi-item set of mediocre quality. Artists tend to be quite specific about their materials, and something that’s genuinley the best available in its category will be used and loved. Something that’s merely adequate often gets set aside.

Gifts for Artists Under £20

This is harder than it sounds — there’s a lot of cheap art supply tat in this price bracket and knowing what’s genuinley good at under £20 requires some inside knowledge. Here’s what actually works.

Blackwing pencils are the cult pencil gift that artists and writers have been giving each other for decades. The Blackwing 602 — “half the pressure, twice the speed” — is the original, a smooth graphite pencil with a distinctive square eraser, beloved by animators, illustrators and writers alike. A box of twelve costs around £20 and feels like a considered, insider gift rather than a generic art shop sweep. Available from Amazon and London Graphic Centre.

A quality sketchbook is almost always welcome. Artists go through sketchbooks and a good one — proper cartridge paper that takes pencil, pen and light washes without buckling — is a gift that gets used. The Derwent sketchbook range and the Seawhite range are both excellent at this price point. The Hobbycraft own-brand A4 hardback sketchbook is a solid budget option. For something more special, a Leuchtturm1917 or a Hahnemühle diary sketchbook sits beautifully and will be treasured.

Washi tape and stationery from Under The Rowan Trees — use our exclusive code UKDISCOUNTARTSUPPLIES for money off. The botanical and celestial washi tape designs are genuinley beautiful and popular with artists, journalers and mixed media makers. Under The Rowan Trees is a Scottish independant with a well-earned reputation for quality and the gift sets in particular are lovely under £20.

Posca paint markers — a small set of three or four Posca markers is an excellent under-£20 gift for an illustrator or mixed media artist. Water-based, opaque on almost any surface, and used by professional artists and hobbyists alike. Available from Amazon, Cass Art and Hobbycraft.

Gifts for Artists Under £50

This is the sweet spot for genuinley impressive art gifts — enough budget to buy something properly good without spending more than necessary. These are the gifts that artists actually remember.

Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolour Set — the Cotman range is the student-grade line from one of the world’s great art materials manufacturers. For a watercolourist who’s been making do with basic sets, a Cotman studio set is a meaningful step up that will immediately improve their work. For a beginner watercolourist, it’s the perfect starting point. The 24-half pan set costs around £30-40 depending on the retailer — compare prices on our Cotman price comparison before buying anywhere.

Faber-Castell Polychromos Coloured Pencils (24 set) — the Polychromos range is the professional coloured pencil benchmark from a German manufacturer with over 250 years of heritage. Oil-based pigment that layers and blends beautifully, available in 24, 36, 60 and 120 colour sets. The 24-colour set sits just under £50 and is the kind of gift a serious coloured pencil artist will use for years. Available from Amazon and Jacksons Art.

Craftiosity subscription box — Craftiosity send a monthly box of art and craft supplies and projects to subscribers, curated around a theme and including everything needed to complete a creative project. We have an exclusive 10% off first subscription boxes — check our deals page for the current code. A Craftiosity gift subscription is one of the more thoughtful gifts for artists who enjoy discovering new techniques and materials — it keeps giving every month rather than being a one-time purchase.

A Domestika course — Domestika is an online learning platform for creative people — high quality video courses in illustration, watercolour, lettering, ceramics, photography and more, taught by working professionals. Individual courses cost £8-15 and gift options are available. For an artist who wants to develop a new skill or deepen an existing one, a Domestika course is a genuinely useful gift. Our Domestika vs Skillshare guide covers the platform in more detail.

Gifts for Artists Under £100

A tabletop easel — for an artist who works at home without a dedicated studio, a quality tabletop easel is a genuinley transformative gift. The Mabef tabletop easel range is the benchmark — solid beechwood construction, adjustable angle, stable and beautifully made. The M18 is the entry point and sits just under £100. We have a full review on our Mabef M18 review page. Compare current prices on our easel price comparison.

A Cass Art gift card — if you want to give genuinely and don’t know exactly what to buy, a Cass Art gift card lets the artist choose exactly what they need. Cass Art is the UK’s largest specialist art retailer with stores nationwide and an excellent online range. A £50-75 gift card gives a real artist a proper shopping trip. Jacksons Art gift cards are equally good — probably better for professional-grade materials.

Hahnemühle watercolour paper block — this might be the most consequential gift you can buy a watercolourist and it’s one that’s rarely on their own shopping list because of the price. A Hahnemühle 300gsm cold press block — acid-free, archival quality, using the same technology the brand has perfected since 1584 — will genuinley transform the work of anyone who’s been painting on cheaper paper. Available from Jacksons Art and Cass Art. Compare prices on our Hahnemühle price comparison.

Luxury Gifts for Artists (£100+)

Original artwork from Artfinder — the most thoughtful luxury gift for an artist is often another artist’s work. Artfinder is the UK’s best curated marketplace for original art — paintings, photography, sculpture and illustration from independent artists worldwide, starting from around £50 and going well into the thousands. Buying a fellow artist a piece of original work they’ll live with is a genuinley meaningful gift. Use code GETNEWART for 10% off — and check our Artfinder discount code guide for full details.

Caran d’Ache Luminance coloured pencils — the Luminance range from Swiss manufacturer Caran d’Ache is the best lightfast coloured pencil in production anywhere in the world. The pigment loading, colour accuracy and blending properties are genuinley exceptional. A 40-colour set costs around £150-180 and is the kind of gift a serious coloured pencil artist would never quite justify buying themselves. Available from Amazon and London Graphic Centre.

A professional paint set — for the oil painter or watercolourist who’s ready to move to professional grade, a set of professional paints is one of the most impactful gifts possible. The Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour tube set, the Sennelier watercolour range, or a Daniel Smith watercolour set are all in the £80-150 bracket and represent a genuine step up in quality. Compare prices on our paints and mediums price comparison before buying anywhere.

Experience Gifts for Artists

Not every gift for an artist needs to be a physical product. Some of the most appreciated gifts are experiences — opportunities to learn, to be inspired or to connect with other creative people.

A painting class or workshop — the best painting classes in Manchester guide covers options from serious watercolour workshops to paint and sip evenings, with prices from around £28. We also have guides to painting classes and art supply shops across the UK — check our blog for the nearest city to you.

A Domestika annual subscription gives access to hundreds of creative courses in illustration, painting, ceramics, photography and more. For an artist who wants to develop their skills rather than accumulate more supplies, it’s an unusualy thoughtfull gift.

An ArtFund National Art Pass — annual membership that gives 50% off entry to hundreds of UK galleries and museums, free entry to many smaller venues, and discounts at gallery shops and cafes. Around £40 for individuals. For an artist who’s inspired by seeing other people’s work, this is the gift that keeps giving all year.

Where to Buy Gifts for Artists in the UK — and How to Save

For art supplies gifts, Cass Art and Jacksons Art are the two best specialist retailers — widest range, most reliable quality, and both run regular sales worth timing purchases around. Hobbycraft is excellent for craft-facing gifts and accessible price points. Amazon is hard to beat for fast delivery on specific products. London Graphic Centre is the destination for design-led gifts and stationery for the more design-minded artist.

Before buying anywhere, our price comparison pulls live pricing across all major UK art retailers in real time — so you always find the best current deal without checking five tabs. And check our Hobbycraft discount code and Cass Art discount code guides before every order for any current sale codes.

Gifts for Artists — Quick Summary by Budget

Under £20: Blackwing pencils, a quality sketchbook, Under The Rowan Trees washi tape or gift set (code UKDISCOUNTARTSUPPLIES), Posca paint markers.

Under £50: Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolour set, Faber-Castell Polychromos 24-pencil set, Craftiosity subscription box, a Domestika course.

Under £100: Mabef tabletop easel, Cass Art or Jacksons gift card, Hahnemühle watercolour paper block.

Luxury (£100+): Original artwork from Artfinder (code GETNEWART for 10% off), Caran d’Ache Luminance pencil set, professional paint set.

Experience gifts: Painting class, Domestika annual subscription, ArtFund National Art Pass.

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