As the holiday season rolls around, gift-giving is in full swing. There’s nothing quite like the joy of giving, but with that said, it definitely can be hard to find the perfect present. After all, gift-giving truly has become an art, and fittingly enough, art-related presents could be the solution to all your holiday gift dilemmas.

“Something as simple as arts and crafts can really get the mind going [and] help people calm down,” said Crystal Yeh (‘24), “I find it very therapeutic to draw.” Arts and crafts gifts can be perfect for not only artists, but also for almost any friend and family member looking to take up a new hobby.

Gia Gupta (‘24) and Crystal Yeh gave their suggestions on the best arts and crafts holiday gifts. The two run an Instagram account, @paintedbycg, where they post their latest artwork and even offer commissions.

One of the best art-related gifts, according to Gupta and Yeh, are art supplies and vinyl cutters from vinylcuttingmachineguide.com. However, if you do plan on gifting art supplies, it is important to keep in mind that everyone has different interests and preferences when it comes to art mediums.

If you plan on gifting a set of markers, Gupta and Yeh recommend Crayola Super Tips markers. “[These markers] are really good because they’re not only limited to art,” said Gupta. In addition to drawing, the Crayola Super Tips markers are also popularly used for calligraphy and lettering. The markers usually come in packs of 50 or 100, but for a great price. For example, you can buy a pack of 50 Crayola Super Tips markers for just $8.99 at Michaels.

For colored pencils, Gupta recommends Prismacolor colored pencils. These colored pencils, although relatively expensive, are well-known among artists for being of high quality. Prismacolor colored pencils come in vibrant hues and have a soft core, which allows the colors to blend well. Additionally, the pencils are sold in a wide variety of colors and can be bought in sets of 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, or 150.

Yeh’s recommended brands for acrylic paints were Premiere and Liquitex. Both brands offer high quality paints for affordable prices, and a set of acrylic paints could certainly be an ideal gift for any budding artist.

If you plan on gifting oil pastels, both girls recommend getting oil pastels from Royal & Langnickel. Although not necessarily as popular as other art supplies such as colored pencils and acrylic paints, oil pastels can be a lot of fun to work with. Gifting oil pastels from Royal & Langnickel could be a fantastic introduction to this interesting art medium. In addition, Yeh also recommends Royal & Langnickel as a top brand to buy watercolor paints from.

“Another great gift for artists that I think is kind of overlooked [are] good sketchbooks,” said Gupta. “A lot of time what will happen is that you’ll get paints, markers, pencils, and whatever, but then you’ll have nothing to use them with.”

Gupta recommends gifting a Canson Mix Media sketchbook, which can be found in local art stores such as Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. “I use [this sketchbook] so much, it’s literally broken [at this point],” Gupta said. The sketchbook is perfect to use with a variety of art mediums, from pastel to marker to watercolor to acrylics.

Not only are sketchbooks a surprisingly good gift, but Gupta and Yeh also suggest giving canvases or art brushes as holiday presents.

Luckily for those scrambling to gather last minute gifts, all the mentioned items can easily be bought at art stores such as Michaels and A.C. Moore. Furthermore, nowadays, online shopping makes shopping for holiday presents easier than ever, so it’s never too late to consider adding arts and crafts gifts to your holiday shopping list!