Holiday Gift Guide for Artists: Creative Gifts They’ll Love

gift ideas for artists

Finding the perfect gift for the artist in your life can be both exciting and challenging. Artists are a creative bunch, and they often have unique tastes and needs. Whether you’re shopping for a professional artist, an aspiring creator, or a hobbyist, this holiday gift guide for artists has you covered with thoughtful gift ideas that any artist would appreciate.

* Please note, some links in this post are affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I appreciate your support and it helps me create more great content for you to enjoy!

gift ideas for artists

Art Supplies They’ll Actually Use

Every artist appreciates high-quality tools, and you can’t go wrong with these art supply ideas:

  • Professional Sketchbook: A durable sketchbook with thick paper is a must-have for any artist. The Canson XL Mixed Media Sketchpad is perfect for everything from pencil sketches to watercolor.
  • Fine-Liner Pens: The Micron Pen Set is a staple for detailed illustrations and ink drawings.
  • Acrylic Paint Set: If they’re into painting, this Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint Set provides a great range of vibrant colors at an affordable price.

Tech Tools for the Modern Artist

Artists who blend traditional and digital mediums will appreciate tech-savvy tools that enhance their creative workflow:

  • Drawing Tablet: The Wacom Intuos Graphics Tablet is an excellent option for beginners and professionals alike.
  • iPad Stylus: For artists who work on an iPad, the Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) is a game-changer for digital sketching and design.
  • Adjustable Desk Lamp: Proper lighting is essential for any workspace, and this adjustable LED Desk Lamp offers customizable brightness levels to suit any project.
holiday gift guide for artists - art supplies they'll actually use

Organizational Tools for Creative Spaces

Help your artist friend keep their workspace tidy and inspiring with these practical gifts:

  • Art Supply Organizer: The ArtBin Storage Box is perfect for keeping paints, brushes, and other tools neatly stored.
  • Rolling Cart: A 3-Tier Rolling Utility Cart is ideal for organizing supplies and moving them around easily.
  • Paint Brush Cleaner and Holder: A tool like this Paint Brush Cleaner and Holder helps keep paintbrushes in top condition for longer while keeping them organized.

Creative Inspiration Gifts

Sometimes the best gift is something that sparks new ideas:

holiday gift guide for artists - bullet journal

Fun and Quirky Artist Gifts

If you’re looking for something lighthearted or unique, try these options:

Gift Cards for Freedom of Choice

When in doubt, let the artist choose their own supplies with a gift card:

  • Amazon Gift Card: Available in any amount, an Amazon Gift Card lets them pick exactly what they need.
  • Art Supply Stores: Consider a gift card to a specialty store like Chalkola Art Supplies (use code julie10 for 10% off) or Michaels.

Final Thoughts

Artists thrive on creativity, and the right tools and inspiration can make all the difference. Whether you choose practical supplies, tech tools, or quirky gifts, your thoughtfulness will surely be appreciated. I hope this holiday gift guide for artists has inspired your gift shopping this holiday!

Happy gifting!

Cheers,

julie signing off

Free Festive Virtual Backgrounds for Your Zoom Holiday Party

christmas backgrounds free teams meeting
festive zoom meeting backgrounds

Brighten up your virtual Holiday parties with these free festive Zoom meeting backgrounds!

Many Christmas parties are going virtual this year, which is better than nothing and can even be fun! Safely spread some holiday cheer by adding one of these custom festive background to your Zoom or Microsoft Teams meetings.

If you don’t know how to add a custom background here are some links with instructions.

How to add a custom background to Microsoft Teams

How to add a custom background to Zoom

All images were created by me in Microsoft Paint 3D and Pixlr Editor.

Just right click and Save As the images below. They are all 1920x 1080 pixels which is the perfect size.

Free Festive Meeting Backgrounds

christmas tree fireplace festive zoom meeting backgrounds

happy holidays red green simple christmas teams holiday background

winter snowflakes zoom teams virtual background

pile of christmas presents festive zoom background

happy holidays festive meeting background

I also made some New Year themed background for your virtual New Years Eve parties!

happy new year virtual background

happy new year fireworks virtual background

Fun fact: I actually created these for my own office’s virtual Christmas party background, and then decided to do a whole series to share with all of you!

I’d love to know if you use any of these festive meeting backgrounds! Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

Other freebies you might like:

Cheers,

Julie

10 Ways to Get Your Print on Demand Shop Ready for the Holidays

print on demand holidays
print on demand shop holiday tips

The holiday season is nearly upon us, and for those of us who sell through Print on Demand it’s the most profitable time of the year.!

Today I’m sharing 10 tips to get your shops ready for the busiest shopping season, so you can sit back with a glass of eggnog and watch the sales roll in.

10 Ways to Get Your Print on Demand Shops Ready for the Holidays

1. Go though your older designs and update them with new and improved keywords and descriptions. Especially your holiday themed designs.

2. Add as many high quality designs to your stores as you possibly can, including different versions of your best selling designs.


3. Enable new product types that you might have missed from earlier in the year.

4. Create Hoilday specific designs.

Do some research to find out what’s trending for the current Holiday season and create some new artwork based on that. (Ex. Trending themes, colors or patterns). I like to use Pinterest for this.

5. Create templates and promotional material for big sales coming up, especially Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

society6 sale promo template example

6. Set up a promotional calendar to remind you of when major sales are occurring in your different stores so that you can promote them.

You could also add reminders on your phone to pop up on certain days to remind you to post something on that day.

7. Design some greeting cards and/or wrapping paper for holiday gift giving.


8. Refresh your shop banners and profile picture if they are looking a little out dated or no longer reflect your brand.

9. Create holiday themed collections in your shops. Society6, Redbubble and Zazzle all have this option.

holiday print on demand collection on Zazzle

10. Update your store profile description, collection descriptions, and just generally make sure everything written has been updated.

BONUS TIPS:

  • Take some holiday themed photos of your products to post on social media using your own household decorations!
  • Create custom holiday themed banners and profile pictures for the holidays. I like to add a Santa hat to my profile pic for some easy and cute holiday flair.
avatar with santa hat

That should keep you busy for a while, and then you can just sit back, relax and enjoy the Holidays.

Cheers,

julie signing off

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