16 Gifts for Art Journalers for Under $50

If you’re still looking for some gift ideas for the art journaler or creative person in your life, I’ve put together this guide of 16 art journaling supplies sure to make them happy! You can get all these supplies easily and are sure to be used by any art journaler. Most of them are products I’ve used and love. And maybe also on my own Christmas list [take notes honey…] And everything on here is under $50, so you don’t have to break the bank to get yourself outfitted with some new art journaling supplies!

• Draw Every Day, Draw Every Way (Guided Sketchbook): Sketch, Paint, and Doodle Through One Creative Year by Jennifer Orkin Lewis  – a daily sketchbook to guide you through creating something every day of the year. This is a great way to work on creating a daily habit of making art!

• Uniball Signo Broad Gel Pen in White – These are the BEST white gel pens I’ve used and love how opaque the ink goes down. Every art journaler needs and requires a white gel pen & these are simply perfect. They are a staple in my own art journaling supplies!

• LYRA Water Soluble Graphite Stick – I was introduced to water-soluble graphite earlier this year, and it’s become one of my favourite  mediums. You can use the graphite dry as a dark pencil, then activate it with some water for new effects. You can create lovely washes and inky effects. I love adding some watery illustrations to my pages.
• Moleskine A3 (16.5″ x 12″ Art Plus Sketchbook – This bad boy is the talk of the art journaling community right now because it is so dang HUGE. Like massive! It’s my #1 pick for Christmas this year. Moleskine journals are amazing quality, and this one comes with 135 lb watercolor paper in, making it perfect for creating huge art journaling pages.

 

• Liquitex Wide Paint Marker – Paint markers are a must have, and Liquitex makes some of the best wide ones. The nib is 15 mm or just over half an inch wide and lays down the blackest paint. You can also get it in multiple other colors. A few of these would be perfect in a stocking!

• Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Water Soluble Crayons – These are water soluble crayons/pastels that make for some really cool mixed media effects. Lots of art journalers swear by them.

• Uni-posca Paint Marker Set – Medium Tip – I’m obsessed with Posca paint markers! I bought a set last year and they are now one of my essential tools. The paint is opaque, flows great and are fantastic for adding details or writing to pages. You can get these in fine tip as well.

• Finetec Gold Watercolor Palette – I don’t think I can sing enough praises for the Finetec palette. First of all, this is the BEST metallic watercolor set out there. This palette can add a ton of dimension and shimmer to a page. They’re also on my gift guide for watercolor artists (that’s how much I love them!)

• Liquitex Professional Gesso – Gesso is every art journalers best friend and is one of my essential art journaling supplies for prepping pages. It’s by no means a very exciting item. However, generally any art journaler would be happy to have their stock replenished with a bottle or two of it!

• Liquitex Fluid Matte Medium – Another one of my standard art journaling supplies is matte medium. Almost all art journalers use it for collaging, as a glue, to seal their pages, to take the shine out of acrylic paint, etc. It’s the workhorse of art supplies and again, would be welcomed with open arms to replenish someone’s stock!
• Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay India Ink Set – These inks are an affordable and super cool way to start using inks. These bottles are small, which is perfect for experimenting with. They are India inks, so they dry to a waterproof finish. Perfect for layering!
• Gold Washi Tape Set – I think every art journaler has some kind of washi tape collection, including myself. I find though that the only ones I want to use regularly are metallic tapes. This set would be a happy addition to anyone’s collection!

• Liquitex Professional Inks Muted Collection – Another highly coveted item in the art journaling community, this limited edition ink set is on every art journaler’s Christmas list this year. The muted tones are soothing and a little dark, and great in pretty much every way [can you tell I really want these?!] These will eventuallly be mine, I promise!

 

• DYMO Embossing Label Maker – I picked up one of these earlier this year and am addicted to making labels for my pages. It is one of my favourite art journaling supplies. The embossed labels add an old-school vibe to pages and makes adding some text super easy.

• Speedball Calligraphy Kit – This beginners calligraphy kit is great for getting started in drawing with ink on art journal pages. It’s a new technique I’ve been trying out, so now I’m convinced everyone needs to give it a go. This set won’t break the bank and works great for drawing!

• Arespark Handheld Sewing Machine – Lastly, this seems random, but adding stitching to pages and sewing down materials is an art journaling technique that everyone loves. This is a great tool to have so there’s no need to pull out a full-size sewing machine.

Fellow art journalers – what’s on your list this year? As always, I’m always on the hunt for awesome art supplies to add to my repertoire!

Also, If you’re looking for some inspiration or new ideas for art journal pages, then look no more! Well, no, keep looking too – but only after you’ve looked at this! These pages aren’t the ONLY way to art journal – they’re just pretty killer.

You can find the full step-by-step tutorial for this Bright & Geometric Art Journal Page over on Dawn Nicole Designs™ where I show you how to make the entire thing from start to finish. If you follow the tutorial or are inspired by these pages, please share your work with me! You can tag me on Instagram, and I’ll be sure to share some love!