Our team at Jackson’s is made up of practicing artists working across a wide range of mediums and styles. We asked our knowledgeable teammates what they’d choose to give a loved one – or hope to receive themselves – this 2025 holiday season. In this article, they share the materials, tools, and treasures they believe would make inspiring gifts for the artist in your life.
Jackson’s Gift Guide for Artists
Gifts for Oil Painters
Whether it’s a set of buttery and jewel-like colours to savour, an always-needed set of brushes, or a luxury tool that makes an oil painter’s practice smoother, our oil-painting teammates have selected a few of their favourites. You can explore an even wider range of gifts for oil painters here.
Michael Harding Oil Paint Sets
“I would be delighted to receive either this Michael Harding Plein Air set of 10 colours or Introductory set of 6 colours. Michael Harding paints really are the crème de la crème of oils in my view – highly pigmented, radiant colours with no fillers. Just a pure dream to paint with. Also, they’re made in Wales, where I am from. What more could you want?”
– Harriet
Jackson’s Oil & Acrylic Brush Hair Comparison Set of 5 No.6 Flat Brushes
“Both useful and exciting! All painters will welcome new brushes, and size 6 is a good, popular size for most types of painters. I have tried all of these over the years and now know which one to choose for a particular mark or thickness of paint. Your recipient will get to explore the differences and discover their favourite brush.”
– Julie
Old Holland Classic Oil Paint Portrait Set of 10
“Old Holland offers curated sets from their huge 168 colour oil paint range that any painter would love to receive. Their paints have the highest possible pigment concentration in each colour, which makes them slightly stiff straight from the tube, but once activated with your medium are a joy to work with. They’re made simply with extra virgin linseed oil in the Netherlands, following the recipe of the Masters. The portrait set in particular is a wonderful gift since you can then offer to be the recipient’s first sitter.”
– Louise
Peg and Awl Sendak Artist Roll
“Beautifully made, and useful for travelling. Fits all of your necessary artists’ equipment, stationery and tools.”
– Charlotte
Gifts for Acrylic Painters
Acrylic paint is well-loved for its accessibility and versatility, ranging from fluid, flowing washes to thick, textural impasto. Its natural adaptability is perfect for experimentation, and its flexibility appeals to painters of all kinds. Below, our team shares a selection of gift ideas to delight acrylic artists. You can find even more acrylic gift ideas on our website here.
Golden Heavy Body Acrylic Paint Sets
“Golden Heavy Body Acrylics are exceptional quality acrylic paints with a highly-pigmented formula that always provides a punchy burst of colour. You can’t go wrong with this mixing set of 12 colours, which are extremely versatile primaries, especially selected for colour mixing in both warm and cool options. This set is an excellent option for all acrylic painters – from those that want to work with the nuance of a limited palette, to those that want to go wild and experiment with a huge spectrum of varying colours on their palette.”
– Jolyne
“Jackson’s aluminium panels create an exciting new possibility for the hard-to-gift painter who’s got every material already. Many artists haven’t tried this surface, and receiving it as a gift will excite them through the chance to experiment. The panels are ready to paint on in oil, acrylic, watercolour, gouache and ink, and are perfect for those who enjoy a smooth, rigid support. They’re also very light, so you’ll be spared from carrying a heavy present across town.”
– Louise
“These are great fun and versatile. You can mix paint into them to create stains, layer additional colours once they’ve dried, as well as so many other techniques for acrylic artists to try.”
– Mary
Gifts for Watercolour Painters
As the saying goes, good things come in small packages. Watercolour paint palettes make especially charming gifts – they are compact treasure troves of colour that open like jewel boxes, ready to inspire the watercolourist in your life. Our team has selected a range of beautiful fine watercolour palettes that are sure to create a joyful response from your recipient, and we have even more specially selected watercolour gifts available on our website.
Kuretake Gansai Tamba Japanese Watercolour Sets
“The Kuretake Gansai Tamba Watercolour Sets come in a lovely green cardboard box with gold embossment that appears like a gift without any wrapping. They’re filled with individual large pans of quality watercolour paints, with smooth consistency and strong payoff. I love using this set because you can easily rearrange the pans to organise a new palette for each work, or take out a handful of colours with you on the go. The large pans also mean that you won’t quickly run out of your favourite colours, and can be used with larger brushes for watercolours at scale.”
– Louise
A. Gallo Handmade Watercolour Paint Sets
“A. Gallo offers a range of beautiful handmade watercolours, and this Naturale Set of tubes is a really special selection that feels unique. The set of 10 includes a variety of earth pigments (Green Earth, Raw Umber, Moroccan Red Ochre, and Raw Sienna) alongside Potter’s Pink, a soft pink loved by watercolourists that you don’t often find in watercolour sets. The most historic pigment is Lapis Lazuli, a blue made from the semi-precious stone once used extensively in late medieval and Renaissance painting. The result is a palette that feels far more characterful and intriguing than your average watercolour set.”
– Evie
Charvin Artists’ Extra-Fine Watercolour Paint Sets
“This beautiful Royal Blue Watercolour Set of 12 colours from Charvin is perfect for either plein air or if you want to keep your materials small and contained. They’ve taken the time to create a palette that would work with a range of subjects, and I love the soft blue they’ve chosen for this tin. It also comes in other colours, so there’s something to suit everyone’s tastes.”
– Lauren
“I have a dot card of the IUILE watercolours, and they really are as shimmery as they look in photos. The shift is lovely, and I’d be delighted to receive this set as a gift, as it can feel like quite an investment if you’re buying it for yourself. I’ve found quite a few uses for metallic paints in my work, and they add an unexpected touch of life to paintings at times.”
– Lauren
Arches Aquarelle Watercolour Paper Blocks
“Arches is a French paper company that has astonishingly been making paper for over 500 years. Based on their longevity, their paper is unsurprisingly some of the best you can get. Not only is this paper a joy to work on in every way, but I also love the vintage black graphic design on the label, which adds to its appeal as a beautiful and luxurious gift. Blocks are handy as they allow artists to work on the go without needing to stretch their watercolour paper, great for both painting on location and in the studio alike.”
– Jolyne
Gifts for Pastel Artists
Pastels arrive in such an irresistible spectrum of colour, it’s no wonder they’re often likened to sweets in a sweetshop. Below, we’ve gathered a few of our favourite pastel picks – thoughtful materials that are sure to delight any pastellist. You’ll find even more pastel gift ideas over on our website here.
“I love Sennelier oil pastels, they are such a beautiful tactile medium for mark-making – think crayons for adults! This set of 12 pastels contains a beautiful range of metallic/iridescent colours. What could be more Christmassy than opening a box of these beautiful jewel/pearly colours on Christmas day!? If baubles were oil pastels, eh?”
– Harriet
Jackson’s Handmade Soft Pastel Set of 3 Fluorescent Colours
“I love the Jackson’s fluorescent pastels, they’re soft and easily blendable, and still keep their vividity on the page even once smudged out entirely. This would be a fun gift for pastellists who are looking to add more vibrancy to their work.”
– Lauren
Gifts for Printmakers
We offer a wide selection of beautifully designed gifts for printmakers. From finely crafted carving tools for relief techniques to richly pigmented inks and exceptional papers, there’s no shortage of materials for printmakers to explore and experiment with.
Pfeil Linoleum and Block Cutters: Colin Blanchard Set of 5 Tools
“These are carving tools to treasure. They make the relief carving process so much smoother. The grip and feel of the hardwood handles inspire the feeling of being a part of this historical creative tradition.”
– Yael
Pfeil Lino and Block Cutter Tool Display For 12 Tools
“This stand would be handy for displaying tools, it prevents them from getting chipped in a drawer, and you can easily spot which tool you’re looking for. It gives the impression of a craft or workshop bench, which would be an appealing asset to many printmakers.”
– Lauren
Somerset Velvet Printmaking Paper in Antique
“Somerset Printmaking paper is a classic. It’s durable, reliable, and has a really lovely look and feel to it. It’s available in multiple surface textures, hues, and weights. I particularly love the Antique version – a warm, peachy, off-white that adds a classy touch to prints – and looks particularly nice paired with gold accents. I’m certain all sorts of printmakers would appreciate receiving this paper as a gift.”
Drawing and Illustrating Gifts
Explore our selection of sketching and illustration gifts. Drawing sits at the heart of so many creative practices, and the these timeless mark-making materials – from velvety charcoals to the essential graphite pencil – are perfect for artists at any stage.
Viarco Artgraf Drawing Putty with Ceramic Jar
“A unique and fun gift for someone creative.”
– Sarah
Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Hardcover Notebooks
“Great for anyone who loves to journal (or who has a New Year’s goal of completing The Artist’s Way), keeps a commonplace book, writes to-do lists, etc. I think there’s a resurgence of analogue media at the moment – people are drawn back to ways of doing things that reduce their screen time, and keeping a notebook on hand for ideas is one way of doing that.”
– Josephine
Caran D’Ache Museum Aquarelles Sets
“Caran d’Ache produces my favourite pencils in these beautifully presented box sets. They’re richly pigmented, layer and blend beautifully, durable and resistant to breaking, and seamlessly activate with water to a quality equal to many pure watercolour paints. Even without the watercolour aspect, these are my preferred pencils to use because of their high pigment density and lightfastness. All artists who draw will find these pencils indulgent to use.”
– Louise
Makers Cabinet Brass Hovel Pencil Plane
“This one falls into the luxury gift category in my opinion – but for an artist, it’s absolutely worth the investment. It’s a beautiful object and designed to last a lifetime.”
– Lauren
Palomino Blackwing Graphite Pencil and Accessories Starting Point Set
“Blackwing pencils are so satisfying to sketch or take notes with, particularly with a Pith sketchbook.”
– Mary
Jackson’s Adjustable Drawing Board (Easel) A3
“This is a good size, and the adjustable height helps with your posture when drawing, making the drawing session much more comfortable. This would be a practical and thoughtful gift for artists working in multiple mediums.”
Small Gifts and Stocking Fillers
Here’s a selection of small but wonderfully useful gift ideas chosen by our team. They make perfect stocking fillers or thoughtful little gestures. For even more inspiration, explore our wider range of small gifts.
Schmincke Liquid Charcoal & Schmincke Liquid Earth
“I like how it feels when you get it on the surface and can manipulate it with a brush. I don’t really get on with charcoal, as I can never get it to work in the way I want it to. Whereas with Schmincke Liquid Charcoal, you can lift out areas with water, and it’s like working backwards. Also, it’s not messy. Charcoal is a real pain with getting everywhere. I love the texture and how you can work over it with other media.”
– Aaron
“It might not seem like the most luxurious gift, but a tube squeezer is one of the most useful tools a painter can have in their studio. It’s designed to squeeze every last drop out of paint tubes, something many painters struggle with. The Big Squeeze is heavy-duty – it has an all-metal build, an ergonomic handle, and is dishwasher‐safe. Since it fits most tubes (up to about 3.1″ wide) and works for metal, flexible plastic and rigid plastic ones, it’s a genuinely useful gift across mediums.”
– Evie
Jackson’s Original Artists Apron
“Great quality apron for any artist.”
– Sarah
“Best gold ink I’ve ever used. It’s not watery, has a slight viscosity to it, and is brilliantly opaque.”
– Dominique
Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver
“This brush cleaner is an item that I could not now be without. I have been using this brush cleaner recently when working with oils, and it works like a charm. The cleaner conditions the brushes, too, and I like to slick my hog and sable brushes in this and leave them on my palette overnight, to reshape. The brushes feel like new the next day! I have also used this to breathe new life into some paint brushes that were handed down to me from my nan – again, it did not disappoint. The little pot really does go a long way, and I like how it fits into my palm easily.”
– Harriet
Tombow Multi-purpose Dual Tip Glue
A multi-tasking hero. Acid free, non-yellowing glue which is the perfect viscosity to secure the surface while avoiding warping. The packaging is designed for easy use and avoids getting sticky or blocked. Great for collage, mounting and framing on multiple surfaces. Also useful for craft or DIY projects.
– Yael
Can you go wrong with a Gift Voucher? Perfect for the person you know loves art but you’re never quite sure what they may need or want. Having the choice between physical or digital vouchers means you can buy one last minute, or be prepared far in advance!
– Lauren
Further Reading
Oil Painting for Beginners: What You Need to Get Started
Acrylic Painting for Beginners – What You Need to Get Started
Watercolour Painting for Beginners: What You Need to Get Started
Gifts for Artists: Recommendations from the Jackson’s Team
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