Xmas Gifts for Artists?

[Rob]

So I'd like to get my artist something nice for XMas and I thought I would mine the community for ideas.

He draws and inks traditionally and that's where I think I should focus. Not too expensive.

Let me know if you have any thoughts. 

[Gar]

Nerf guns!

[Rob]

You're not helping! 

[Alectric]

I'd say just drop by your local art supply store and ask the employees for recommendations.

[standard al]

Who are his influences? Are there any particular artists (comic or fine) that he's a fan of? The Modern Masters series of books are fairly inexpensive and cover a pretty wide range of comic artists, from Art Adams to Bruce Timm to George Perez, etc. Art books are a nice way to be exposed to new styles and techniques, and you don't necessarily have to drop a ton of cash. It's easy enough to just plug an artist's name into Amazon and see what kind of results you get. Or maybe there's a Half Price Books nearby?

http://twomorrows.com/index.php?cPath=70&main_page=index

Ø

[Funderbunk]

Does he use any specific type of paper? I remember Paul Southworth of Ugly Hill and Not Invented Here art fame once doing a donation drive because the high quality Bristol Board he drew on was a consistent burden on his finances. I imagine someone like that might appreciate a healthy helping of paper.

[HarringtonAW]

Yeah, paper or artboard is a good idea.

Actually, as an artist I can say that getting a gift of just about any kind of art supply that I use would always be welcome.

-S

[Rob]

Seems kind of like giving a vacuum to a housewife to me though...

[Alectric]

Well you did say something specifically for an artist.  I don't know what that would encompass besides art supplies.

[Gar]

Seems kind of like giving a vacuum to a housewife to me though...

Which brings us back to the Nerf guns

Maybe some of those super-articulated action figures? You know, the ones that have 60+ points of articulation? If it's a comic character he likes then double bonus, because they're also great for pose reference, much better than the wooden artist's mannequins.

[Funderbunk]

Or, if he likes certain comic characters or whatever, figurines and/or art books are usually a big hit for artists of any type.

[Rob]

I guess either I wasn't specific enough or I'm just simply not getting my point across. Art supplies are an obvious gift... so obvious I pretty much had that one covered from the get go.

What I meant by a gift for an artist is something more permanent... something an artist might want or covet but probably wouldn't buy for themselves.

Like a monogrammed, leather portfolio case to show off their work... or a drawing table accessory that is neat and makes arting easier.

That's where I was going. Stuff like that.

Art supplies; and to me that means anything an artist would use up and have to buy more of in a reasonable amount of time (like paper or ink or pens or what have you) just seems like I'm buying him stuff that doesn't involve much thought. I've always been a better present giver than... well anyone I know actually... so I consider that a cop out.

I don't mean to offend. I'm just one of those people who really enjoys giving more than receiving and I make my point with a great gift... that really speaks to the individual... and it is almost always something that they didn't ask for. I get many of my best gift ideas from casual conversations that I remember from months in the past.

It's how I roll. Santa style. 

[Richard]

I guess either I wasn't specific enough or I'm just simply not getting my point across. Art supplies are an obvious gift... so obvious I pretty much had that one covered from the get go.

What I meant by a gift for an artist is something more permanent... something an artist might want or covet but probably wouldn't buy for themselves.

Like a monogrammed, leather portfolio case to show off their work... or a drawing table accessory that is neat and makes arting easier.

That's where I was going. Stuff like that.

Art supplies; and to me that means anything an artist would use up and have to buy more of in a reasonable amount of time (like paper or ink or pens or what have you) just seems like I'm buying him stuff that doesn't involve much thought. I've always been a better present giver than... well anyone I know actually... so I consider that a cop out.

I don't mean to offend. I'm just one of those people who really enjoys giving more than receiving and I make my point with a great gift... that really speaks to the individual... and it is almost always something that they didn't ask for. I get many of my best gift ideas from casual conversations that I remember from months in the past.

It's how I roll. Santa style. 

A week off of doing artwork and a "what if the writer drew this webcomic?" week? 

For me that would involve quite a few stick figures and crude dinosaurs... But I can do a mean, crude dinosaur!

[Gar]

Like a monogrammed, leather portfolio case to show off their work... or a drawing table accessory that is neat and makes arting easier.

How about one of those things?

If his drawing table doesn't have a leather top there might be some sort of clip-on thing you can get in an art shop. A surface that's a little more pliable than wood (but not too soft) is great for using pens.

[scruffy]

Warm/cool gray copic "wide" markers in a variety of opacity, like 10%, 30%, and 50%. I wouldn't call them cheap, they'll run you five dollars or more per marker (which starts to get expensive when you start to talk about buying entire sets), but you can get some beautiful tones out of them. They're good for both sketching, and finishing illustration (look at Doug Chiang's Mechanica). http://www.dickblick.com/products/copic-wide-markers/

Actually, that's another good gift. Doug Chiang's Mechanica is a small, $20 dollar book where he details his process for creating concept art. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Mechanika/Doug-Chiang/e/9781600610233/?itm=1&USRI=doug+chiang

It's a really cool book, and your artist may enjoy it since the majority of the processes described in this book are done with traditional mediums.

Best of luck!