The Best Art Gifts of 2024 for Artists and Art Lovers Alike

FOR ART LOVERS

An art-themed tree ornament

Your yuletide giftees can add a touch of summer to their Xmas trees with this hand-blown, hand-painted ornament. Produced exclusively in Poland for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it features the museum’s version of Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, one of five painted before, during, and after Paul Gauguin’s stay in the famed yellow house in Arles where Van Gogh resided. Two were hung in the bedroom he prepared for Gauguin, who pronounced them “completely Vincent.” Two more, including this one, were painted in 1889, the year following Gaugin’s departure.

Purchase: Van Gogh Tree Ornament, $34.00 on Philadelphia Museum of Art

Stuffies to support SculptureCenter

This limited edition set of mutant stuffed animals from SculptureCenter in Long Island City, Queens, is the creation of CFGNY—an Asian artist collective exploring “intersection of art, fashion, and identity.” A ragtag group of three plushies comes encased in a glass version of a Tupperware container, and each is a Frankenstein monster amalgamation: a Teddy bear with a frog’s head, a platypus with leopard-skin feet, and a catfish with an athletic sock for a tail. It may be the perfect present for a friend with ambivalent feelings about cuteness.

Purchase: CFGNY Cute Friend Group, $300.00 on SculptureCenter

An Andrea Fraser tribute book bag

Also from CFGNY, the Market Value Carrier combines a transparent vinyl tote bag with a tribute to artist Andrea Fraser, whose performances and video installations take aim at the market- and museum-based forces that codify art and its monetary value. The bag features two pockets, one for a book or other items and another containing a fragment cut from Fraser’s 2016 print Museums, Money, and Politics, which featured pie charts detailing the political contributions made by museum trustees during the presidential campaign of that year. The intersection of art and power has never looked so stylish. (Book not included.)

Purchase: CFGNY Market Value Carrier (Featuring Andrea Fraser), $120.00 on CFGNY

A Wade Guyton signed print

Published by White Columns in an edition of 150 signed and numbered Xerox prints (along with 30 artist proofs), this black-and-white view of the Lower Manhattan skyline by Wade Guyton will liven the home of anyone on your list. Guyton is a post-Conceptual artist who emerged in the early 2000s with paintings of simple letterforms produced with the help of scanners and inkjet printers. Though less abstract, this photo, dominated by the “Jenga tower” high-rise and World Trade Center One is consistent with Guyton’s interest in the technology of image reproduction, particularly the home and office variety.

Purchase: Wade Guyton, Untitled, 2024, $250.00 from White Columns

A Frances Stark sweater

Does someone on your list pine for wearable art? Surprise them with this sweater by Frances Stark, an interdisciplinary artist and writer from Los Angeles. Known for deconstructing language and meaning, Stark has previously based her work on texts by Emily Dickinson, Goethe, Henry Miller, and Samuel Beckett. This sweater utilizes a recurring motif from Stark’s work: bankers boxes, those anonymous-looking file containers that are famous mostly for keeping financial records. Here, Stark transforms the certainty of death and taxes into cozy mohair just in time for the holidays.

Purchase: Frances Stark Bankers Boxes Sweater, $500.00 on Frances Stark

Limited-edition prints and multiples from LACMA

You don’t have to break the bank to surprise the art lover in your life this season if you consider adding a limited-edition print or multiple from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to your shopping list. The LACMA Store has a wide selection to choose from, and some items—like an etching from Bay Area funkmeister William Wiley ($150), are surprisingly affordable. Other choices include photographer Katy Grannan’s outdoor portrait of a trans street person ($375). And if you’re in more of a splurging mood, there are offerings like Ry Rocklen’s quirky Trophy Modern Chess Set (Basketball) ($2,800) and an abstract lithograph by Mary Weatherford ($1,650).

Purchase: Limited-Edition Fine-Art Prints and Multiples, $150–$6,000 on LACMA

A poster from our favorite museum store

If you’re looking for the coolest posters to spruce up a bestie’s or family member’s digs for the holidays, look no further than the Moderna Museet Stockholm’s online gift shop, which offers a selection you won’t find anywhere else. The images include exhibition posters, individual works from the Moderna’s permanent collection, and illustrations from graphic designers. Marcel Duchamp, Kraftwerk, Niki de Saint Phalle, Roy Lichtenstein, and Hilma af Klint are just a few of the artists featured. Each poster is sustainably produced on high-quality paper; a line of wooden frames is also available to provide that elegant final touch.

Purchase: Poster from the Moderna Museet, $9.00–$46.00 on Moderna Museet

A Nicole Eisenman jigsaw puzzle

Painter Nicole Eisenman is known for political and existential narratives told with a queer eye for satire and a variegated stylistic approach. Her overarching subject, though, is the human condition—with its many foibles, but also its moments of repose. The latter is evident in the scene making up this jigsaw puzzle, which depicts the end of a party and takes its title from a classic Brian Eno album. Eisenman’s complex composition and its dense array of figures winding down after a night of revelry alluringly provides details that are sure to occupy the puzzle lover in your life for hours.

Purchase: Nicole Eisenman Another Green World jigsaw puzzle, $22.00 on MOCA LA

An editioned heating pad

You can help someone on your gift list stay warm on cold nights or alleviate pain with this practical editioned multiple created to benefit Print Center New York. A collaboration between Ezra Benus and Finnegan Shannon, it is a fully functional heating pad decorated on one side with the printed image of tangled electrical cords and on the other with a text meditating on pain relief and the physical and psychological benefits of warmth. The product was launched as part of an installation at Print Center, Towards a Warm Embrace, which invited viewers to partake of its benefits.

Purchase: Ezra Benus and Finnegan Shannon “Hot Enough for You?” Heating Pad, $95.00 on PCNY

FOR ARTISTS

A funky brush pot

A pot for storing paintbrushes need not be fancy: Jasper Johns famously used a Savarin coffee can that became a recurring image in his work. But spicing up your brush holder can add a nice touch to your workspace. Pentreath & Hall’s handmade glass brush pots are branded with either a letter or a punctuation mark and are available in a huge range of colors and fonts. Note, however, that they cannot be used as water containers.

Purchase: Alphabet Brush Pot, $48.00 on Pentreath & Hall

A water pot for plein-air painters

For the plein-air watercolorist, consider gifting this collapsible container. Simply push down to create a flat disk, or pull out for a secure 12-ounce water pot. Made of grippy silicone, the cup is nonslip on most surfaces and has a scalloped edge designed to hold your brush. Consider pairing it with our favorite view finder.

Purchase: Faber-Castell Clic & Go Water Pot, $5.56 on Blick

. . . and a cushion for plein-air painting

While you could use Peace Cabin’s Wanderer cushion for any outdoor activity, it makes an excellent yuletide choice for any plein air painter who wants to keep their tushies comfortable while limning landscapes. Weighing just two pounds with a sewn-on handle, the Wanderer is easy to take on the go, and if you happen to get it dirty, no worries: its nylon shell means that grime comes off with a quick wipe. Measuring 15 by 15 by 4 inches, the cushion is also sustainably stuffed with fully biodegradable, non-toxic kapok, shredded organic latex foam, and raw cotton.

Purchase: Wanderer Cushion, $135.00 on Peace Cabin

A good paintbrush case

While not the most aesthetically pleasing of brush cases, this no-nonsense zippered version is one of the best. The water-resistant fabric and vinyl flap are handy for wet brushes, and the pack is rigid enough to protect your brushes—and stand up on its own to double as a brush holder—without a lot of bulk.

Purchase: Just Stow-It Brush Case, $34.89 on Blick

Nonstick all-purpose scissors

These Japanese-made, stainless steel scissors cut cleanly through sticky materials like tape thanks to their Teflon-coated blades. Their blades are ultra-sharp and durable, their rubber-coated handles protect your hands, and their symmetrical design makes them comfortable for both right- and left-handed users.

Purchase: Allex All-Purpose Scissors, $40.00 on Cooper Hewitt

A really good hand cream

Ceramicists in particular appreciate a super-moisturizing hand cream, and many like O’Keeffe’s Working Hands. It’s ultra-moisturizing and contains a bit of paraffin, which forms a protective barrier on the skin. Importantly, the unscented cream is nongreasy and absorbs quickly into the skin, making it an especially good choice for artists who work on paper.

Purchase: O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream, $15.94 for two on Amazon

. . . or for something more luxurious

For something more special, try Augustus Bader’s fragrance-free The Hand Treatment for working hands. It is similarly rich, nourishing, and non-greasy, but it also has white peony extract and vitamin E for antioxidant protection, as well as shea butter to leave hands feeling soft.

Purchase: Augustus Bader The Hand Treatment, $57.00 for 50ml on Augustus Bader

An adjustable pencil sharpener

Anyone who uses pencils will tell you that having a reliable sharpener is an absolute must, making this adjustable model from legendary manufacturer Dux the perfect stocking-stuffer for any artist or draftsman. Precision milled in Germany out of solid brass, it has a satisfying, heavyweight feel, and a raw finish that will patina beautifully over time. A numbered knob allows you to adjust the fineness of the point (the higher the number, the sharper the point). The knob is also knurled to ensure a firm grip as you click it into place. It works for just as well for colored pencils and crayons as it does graphite pencils.

Purchase: Dux Adjustable Brass Sharpener with Case, $24.65 on Blick

A luxe pencil case

Made in Japan, the leather and cotton Postalco Tool Box might seem excessively pricy for a pencil case. But it is exquisitely crafted and holds a surprising number of essential tools. With two generous pockets, it is as stable as a pencil box when open and will accommodate 36 pencils or pens or a variety of drafting supplies.

Purchase: Postalco Tool Box, $248.00 on Postalco

A sparkly mixed-media set

Famed for its high-quality art and writing supplies, the iconic Swiss art-supply brand Caran d’Ache welcomes the holidays with a new mixed-media set that invites you “to dream as it whisks you off to the very heart of the cosmos.” The set includes ten metallic colored pencils (gold, dark gold, bronze, scarlet, pink, violet, blue, green, silver, and grey), as well as an equal number of Neocolor wax pastels (soluble in mineral spirits) in the same palette. The whole shebang comes in a midnight blue box adorned with stars and divided into lift-out trays. Truly, a stellar present for under the tree.

Purchase: Caran d’Ache Cosmic Blue Multi-Product Set, $50.80 (was $63.50) on Goldspot

Graphite sticks for scaling up

Many painters who draw on their canvases prefer a lead holder to a pencil that will need to be sharpened multiple times. For those painters who want a bolder line or for artists wanting to draw on a larger scale, these jumbo graphite sticks likewise won’t require sharpening (though if you want to sharpen them, a sanding block will do the trick). The easy-to-peel paper wrapping keeps hands clean. The set of two sticks includes one each of 2B and 4B.

Purchase: Koh-I-Noor Jumbo Graphite Stick Set, $7.27 on Blick

FOR WRITERS AND EDITORS

A nice fountain pen

For an elegant gift, consider the sleek Kaweco AL Sport fountain pen. The “sport” in its name refers to its compact nature, which allows you to always keep it on hand. Although available in several different materials and finishes, we love the AL line, which features a hard-wearing aluminum body with a comfortable heft. Choose from a range of colors, nib sizes and finishes, ink converters, and pen clips. If you’re unsure of your gift recipient’s preferences, go for a medium steel nib to start; it can always be changed out later.

Purchase: Kaweco AL Sport Fountain Pens, $68.40-$86.50 on JetPens

. . . or an even nicer fountain pen

No pen is universally loved—each person’s writing preferences are too distinct—but the Pilot Custom 823 is a classically styled pen that’s not fat or too slim. It comes in just two colors—amber and black—and three sizes of 14K gold nib (fine, medium, and broad). One of its rarer features is the vacuum filling mechanism: You depress a plunger, and almost instantaneously the large reservoir fills with ink, which is oh-so-satisfying. In all, you just can’t beat the 823 for sturdiness, ease of writing, and understated elegance.

Purchase: Pilot Custom 823 Fountain Pen, $336.00 (was $420) on Goldspot

. . . paired with a journal created for fountain pens

If you know your notebooks, you know that Rhodia’s have a cult following—and for good reason. These tried-and-true leatherette journals are bound with high-quality, smooth European paper that is ideal for taking fountain pen ink. The legacy brand, in business since 1934, offers lined and unlined options in a wide range of colors and sizes, including a super-handy pocket-size journal.

Purchase: Rhodia Rhodiarama Notebooks, $15.95 and up on Goldspot

An attractive mechanical pencil

Never requiring sharpening, mechanical pencils let you work for hours without interuption, no matter how hard you tend to press down on the page. If your giftee prefers to edit, write, or do crosswords in pencil, this mechanical pencil from Caran d’Ache makes a thoughtful present. It has a sturdy aluminum barrel that features one-piece construction, its hexagonal shape tapering to a rounded point. Fitted for 0.7 mm leads, it’s lightweight and reliable, and comes in blue or turquoise in an attractive embossed metal box.

Purchase: Caran d’Ache 844 mechanical pencil, $33.12 (was $36.79) on the Pen Company

A Blackwing pencil set

The storied Blackwing 602 pencil dates back the to the 1930s when it was introduced by the Eberhard Faber Pencil Company. Its quality graphic lead and unique rectangular eraser drew the attention of such notables as author John Steinbeck, Looney Tunes creator Chuck Jones, and Disney animator Shamus Culhane (who asked to be buried with his Blackwing 602). After being discontinued in 1998, it became a cult item before being reintroduced in 2008. Now you can give this set of four Blackwing pencils, including one 602, in four different hardnesses. The set comes with a $10 discount on a future purchase of 12 of one of the pencils included.

Purchase: Blackwing Audition Pack, $15.00 on Blackwing

A secure pencil sharpener

There’s nothing more annoying than a pencil sharpener with a container for shavings whose container doesn’t stay attached to the sharpener, resulting in spilled pencil dust and shavings. Another sharpener made by Dux, this 3-inch-tall plastic container securely screws onto the replaceable sharpener and stays there, even when thrown into your bag.

Purchase: Dux Two-Hole Pencil Sharpener, $6.50 on Blick

. . . and an eraser for tight spots

The narrow build of Tombow’s super-skinny white block eraser makes it a breeze to remove fine pencil lines or marks in small areas. The plastic material won’t damage your paper, and doesn’t require a lot of pressure to erase cleanly. It’s great for everyday writing and fine art-making that involves subtractive line work. Each eraser is encased in a protective paper sleeve that keeps the eraser clean and in good form.

Purchase: Tombow Mono Smart Eraser, $2.05 on Blick 

An indispensable notebook

A staff favorite, the Midori MD notebook is a case study in Zen simplicity: it features a plain cover made from the same stock as the pages, so you can decorate it as you please. The paper is 20% cotton, and the sewn binding allows the book to be opened perfectly flat. Like all MD products, this notebook provides a smooth writing experience. It is available in three sizes and three formats: blank, lined, and gridded. The lines are printed in pale gray, so as not to distract the writer.

Purchase: Midori MD Notebooks, $8.00 to $25.00 on JetPens

. . . and a sumptuous leather notebook cover

Though we’ve suggested a couple here, notebooks can be tricky to give—those who use them often have a favorite that works for them. If your giftee uses a softcover one routinely and you don’t know what kind of notebook it is, consider presenting them with a luxurious notebook cover like this one from Roterfaden, which works with any A5 notebook, not just Roterfaden’s, as well as loose papers. Made of textured, vegetable-tanned, full-grained nubuck leather, the cover is guaranteed to develop a beautiful patina over time. Its interior also stuns, as it’s lined with velvety suede. There’s also a unique clipping system to hold notebooks at their spines, plus two business-card-sized pockets and a pen holder.

Purchase: Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter WK Notebook Cover, $160.00 on Jet Pens

FOR CRAFTY FRIENDS

A pottery lamp kit

You don’t need a potter’s wheel or kiln to enjoy working in clay—this gift idea allows you to make something practical anyway. First make your lamp base with the included air-dry clay, which hardens into a paintable surface. An amber-colored spiral filament bulb complete with socket, dimmer switch, and cord transforms your creation into a fully functional lamp. The kit includes an illustrated lamp-making guide as well as 4.4 pounds of air-dry clay (enough for 2–3 other projects), pottery tools, paintbrushes, a sponge, varnish, and white paint. (You can also opt for different sets of colors.)

Purchase: Filament Lamp Kit, $85.00 on Sculpd

An embroider-your-own sweater

Knitwear purveyor Lingua Franca is known for cashmere sweaters that can be customized with personal slogans or designs. But if you’ve got a fashion-forward D.I.Y-er on your list who’d prefer tackling the job on their own, here’s a welcome gift idea. Lingua Franca’s Home Embroidery Kit comes with a 100% sustainable cashmere crewneck or cardigan in your choice of color and size, and all the things you need to embroider your own design thereon, including thread, needle, scissors, two embroidery hoops (one full size and another, smaller one to practice on the test fabric that’s also provided), and an instruction booklet that takes you through the process.

Purchase: Lingua Franca Home Embroidery Kit, $350 on Lingua Franca

A block-printing project

Los Angeles textile firm Blockshop offers apparel and home furnishings made from hand-blocked fabrics, and its line of block-printing kits allows you to use their designs to create art prints, wallpaper, notecards, wrapping paper or anything else you can imagine. Included are eight sheets of 6 X 8-inch cotton watercolor paper; five tubes of water-based inks in white, black, yellow, blue, and red; three wooden printing blocks with designs by LA artist Guillermo Bert; an acrylic ink plate; and a rubber roller. How-to tips are provided in an enclosed booklet.

Purchase: Block Printing Kit, from Blockshop, $100.00-$145.00 on Blockshop

FOR PHOTOGRAHPERS

A pinhole camera kit

This lightweight, large-format (4 X 5) pinhole camera is manufactured in Britain and is designed with ease of use in mind. The body consists of two boxes, one smaller than the other, that slide together and latch in place with magnets. Using the darkroom or a changing bag, you simply open the camera, lay a sheet of film into the larger side, close the camera and you’re good to go. The pinhole shutter also opens and closes with a magnet. The camera includes a tripod mount, 10 sheets of film, 20 sheets of photo paper, an exposure calculator, and a light-tight box for storing exposed materials.

Purchase: Pinhole Camera Kit, $169.99 (was $211.35) on Adorama

. . . paired with a kit for making tintypes

Best used with a pinhole camera with secure 4 x 5 film holder like the one above, Rockland’s Tintype Parlor kit offers an authentic re-creation of the 19th-century tintype process. The kit includes everything you need (emulsion, developer, fixer, eight 4 x 5 aluminum plates, and a how-to booklet) to create beautiful, permanent sepia-toned photos on metal.

Purchase: Rockland Tintype Parlor 8 Plate Kit, $39.95 on Rockland

A Peanuts Polaroid camera

Anything Peanuts is big this season, and this Polaroid camera, branded with the comic strip’s characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy, is right on target. The camera is based on Polaroid’s Model 600, first introduced in the Reagan Era. It comes in a yellow-and-black colorway, which when closed reveals the iconic zig-zag motif on Charlie Brown’s shirt. The camera is made with genuine, refurbished, vintage Polaroid parts from the 1980s and ’90s, housed in a brand-new body with built-in flash.

Purchase: Polaroid 600 Peanuts Instant Film Camera, $179.00 on Retrospekt

A premier instant camera

The new Lomography Lomo’Instant Wide Glass camera offers the same gratification as Polaroid cameras did in the past, but with better image quality. It uses Fujifilm’s Instax Wide film (or paper), has a focal length of 90mm (35 mm equivalent), and has two aperture settings: f/8 and f/22. It also features an advanced auto exposure, the ability to shoot multiple exposures, and includes a built-in flash. Plus it is great looking.

Purchase: Lomography Lomo’Instant Wide Glass camera, $279.00 on Lomography

A top-of-the-line instant camera

This Leica instant camera comes with a Leica price tag, though it is far below what you’d pay for one of the company’s standard models. Still its cool minimalist design is hard to beat. An app lets you post your pictures online once they’ve been printed, but still, the point of using an instant camera experience is to pass around pictures you can hold with your friends and family. A great gift for anyone, the camera comes in red, white, and black.

Purchase: Leica SOFORT 2 Hybrid Instant Camera, $399.00 on Adorama

APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES

A fashionable purse charm

If the shoe fits, wear it as a bag charm, or so this gift idea suggests. Created by the venerable fashion house, Ferragamo, this trinket is based on the iconic, rainbow-colored platform shoe crafted by Salvatore Ferragamo in 1938 for actress and singer Judy Garland. Still in production, it’s a timeless design that looks just as striking in diminutive form.

Purchase: Rainbow Mini Charm, $495.00 on Ferragamo

Warm footwear for cold studios

Studios can be chilly in winter. As a practical solution to intermittent heating, consider giving the artist in your life shoes to keep their feet supported and toasty. With their easy slip-on/slip-off design, these clogs come with a wool-lined foot bed that massages the foot with every step, while a lightweight rubber sole provides reliable traction on surfaces like cement. And they come in enough colors to suit anyone’s taste. (We like the GZL for its pared-down look.)

Purchase: Haflinger GZL Clogs, $160.95 on Haflinger

A coverall à la Schnabel

Some artists don’t care what they get on their clothes, while others are more fastidious. If the latter is on your list, check out these jumpsuits by Big Bud Press, an L.A. company specializing in unisex, size-inclusive workwear-style clothes. They’re practical and cool enough to wear anywhere, with or without paint on them. Made of 100 percent cotton twill woven in America, they wear like iron and come in a rainbow of colors created with sustainable dyes (though to properly conjure the 1980s art world, stick to white). Fits can vary, so you may want to give a gift card and tell recipients to try them on at the nearest Big Bud retailer.

Purchase: Big Bud Press Jumpsuit, $210.00–$275.00 on Big Bud Press

Actually warm tights

Cold studios make for poor productivity, so stay warm this winter with some thermal tights. Wolford’s are made of a super-fine technical yarn designed to regulate body temperature. They help trap body heat without overheating you, and they’re thin enough to wear under pants if you’d like.

Purchase: Thermo Tights, now $58.50 (were $90.00) on Wolford 

A charm for bookworms

For your favorite booklover, Montreal jeweler Sofia Zakia offers this 14k yellow gold charm in the shape of a miniature library card. It’s rendered with the customary ruled spaces for author, title, borrower’s name, and due date, all of which can be custom engraved. An elegant memento of times immersed in the written word, it’s the perfect gift for the bookworm on your list.

Purchase: Customizable Library Card Charm, $610.00 (matching chain not included) on Sofia Zakia

FOR THE HOME AND STUDIO

A universal paint sprayer

The amazing Preval paint sprayer allows you to achieve smooth gradations without the hassle and expense of an airbrush. Pour up to 16 ounces of pretty much any paint (or glaze, dye, stain, etc.) into the refillable container, screw on the sprayer attachment, and you instantly have an aerosol spray paint. The tool is extremely easy to use and cuts way down on waste, since you only have to add as much paint as you want to use each session. Perfect for painters, stencilers, ceramicists, furniture upcylers, and more.

Purchase: Preval Sprayer ValPack, $62.99 on Preval OR Preval Spray System, $9.99 on Preval

An affordable cotton canvas shopper

Here’s the perfect gift for anyone needing to get art supplies to and from the studio. Made out of 100% cotton canvas, this rugged tote bag from H&M features a central basket-like compartment surrounded by solid-fabric pockets. Available in khaki, the bag is easy to handle with plenty of space for all your gear. On sale for just $16.99, it’s affordable enough to buy one for your giftee and one for yourself.

Purchase: Cotton Canvas Shopper, $16.99 (was $19.99) on H&M

Powerful magnet tacks

Here’s a combination of magnet and thumbtack that the person on your list never knew they needed. This sleek-looking tack has a magnetized head able to hold all sorts of metal objects—keys, pens, paperclips, and even heavier items like scissors—while also offering a conventional pinning function. Pro tip: Use these tacks with mini magnets to hang drawings and posters without putting holes in the paper—just push the tacks into the wall where needed, then sandwich each corner of your poster or drawing between a tack and a mini-magnet. Available as a three-piece set.

Purchase: 100% Magnet Tacks, $18.50 on 100%

An alarm clock for the sleep-deprived

Art nomads (and art-world partyers) rejoice! The Wi-Fi–enabled Loftie Clock gently wakes you up and puts you to sleep with meditative soundscapes that ensure a deeply restorative snooze, no matter the time or the time zone. It comes with a two-phase alarm that starts by slowly rousing you before a full wake-up call, with customizable settings for sound and volume. It also has a built-in nightlight, and most amazingly, an A.I.-powered feature called Magic Story Maker, which creates personalized bedtime tales starring your own sleepy self through the Loft+ app.

Purchase: Loftie Clock, $128.00 (was $159.99) on Loftie

Retro pouches for organizing

Japanese stationery and office-supply purveyor HIGHTIDE specializes in well-crafted products with a midcentury feel, and these pouches are no exception. Made from lightweight yet durable PVC, they feature a snap button closure, an expanding gusset bottom, and two internal pockets. The smaller size will help you keep credit cards and mad money sorted; the larger will accommodate bills and jottings. (Note that for heavier items like keys and change, these mesh zipper bags in cool colors from Papier Tigre are a better option.)

Purchase: General Purpose Pouch, $8.95 (S) and $16.95 (L) on McNally Jackson

BOOKS

See also our guide to the best new art books to buy as holiday gifts here.

Remy Charlip, Arm in Arm: A Collection of Connections, Endless Tales, Reiterations, and Other Echolalia

Though available as a reprint since 2010, this whimsically illustrated compendium of kid-oriented poems and stories was originally published in 1969, and its Aquarian vibe clearly shows in its absurdist humor and discursive, circular structure. That the book also has a definite avant-garde feel to it is no surprise, given that author Remy Charlip (1929–2012) was a dancer, choreographer, and founding member of the cutting-edge Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Arm in Arm is filled with puns, riddles, and tongue twisters along with philosophical musings and performance-based play; one passage instructs you to turn the book a full 360 degrees while reading it. Charlip’s delightfully meandering drawing style is well suited to the book’s anything-goes ambience and tendency to take readers on a digressive narrative path that often winds up where it started. Arm in Arm is just one example of Charlip’s long-held interest in child-friendly art, literature, and theater.

Purchase: Arm in Arm: A Collection of Connections, Endless Tales, Reiterations, and Other Echolalia, $17.99 on Amazon

Kiki Smith, Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore

Most histories of women’s fashion focus on designers, especially those of the haute couture. Breaking the mold, author Kiki Smith (not to be confused with the artist) focuses on the clothes that ordinary women have worn over two centuries, with barely a Christian Dior or Miuccia Prada in sight. Indeed, the labels, if any, were usually from the likes of Sears or JC Penny, while many of the items featured were sewn at home. Drawing upon the Smith College Historic Clothing Collection, the book features some 300 garments, offering the story of the particular woman behind each.

Purchase: Real Clothes, Real Lives, $30.00 on Amazon

Phaidon Editors, Latin American Artists: From 1785 to Now

A comprehensive inclusion of Latin American artists into the art-historical canon has been a fairly recent development, and a piecemeal one at that. Although contemporary Latin American artists have received a fair amount of exposure, and figures such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo were acknowledged in their day, a complete picture of Latin American art history has been assembled only in the last few decades, recovering many forgotten careers in the bargain. In typical fashion, Phaidon Press adds to this revisionary effort with a sumptuous coffee-table tome covering some 308 artists. Organized alphabetically, with each artist given his or her own page, Latin American Artists reaches back to a time when the region was under Spanish rule before proceeding through subsequent eras and movements such as Surrealism and Neo-Concretism. That the volume isn’t arranged chronologically allows for felicitous pairings across spreads that illustrate the shared cultural threads binding Latin American artists together.

Purchase: Latin American Artists: From 1785 to Now, $48.97 on Amazon

THE CLASSICS

Some things are so appreciated we recommend them as gifts every year. Here are three pairings we love:

A set of graphite drawing pencils

Know someone who discovered his or her inner sketcher? Gift one of our favorite graphite pencil lines in an affordable set. Tombow makes pencils in degrees between a soft 6B to a hard 4H, and they come in sets of 3, 6, or 12 plus an eraser and sharpener. We love these pencils for their reliable performance and durability; the hard cedar wood barrel surrounds a precisely centered core that sharpens cleanly to a fine point. Pair with a spiral-bound sketchbook from Stillman & Birn for a truly useful gift.

Purchase: Tombow Mono Professional Drawing Pencils and Sets, $1.56 to $14.18 on Blick; Stillman & Birn Archival Sketchbooks, Alpha Series, $15.16 to $28.76 on Blick

A set of great brushes

No animals were harmed in the making of our very favorite watercolor brushes, which are springy, sturdy, and excellent for watercolors and gouache. Pick up this set of four assorted synthetic brushes for the painter in your life who deserves an upgrade. Consider pairing with a watercolor paint pan set from Winsor & Newton.

Purchase: Da Vinci CosmoTop Spin Watercolor Brushes, Set of 4, $28.63 on Blick; Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolor Half Pans and Sets, $6.83 to $101.81 on Blick

A set of high-end colored pencils

Faber-Castell’s Polychromos oil-based pencils are somewhat harder than wax-based pencils and are wonderfully rich and smooth. The cedar barrels encase richly pigmented 3.8-millimeter leads that are resistant to water, breakage, and smudging. We recommend a gift set like the 24-pencil box, which includes 20 colored pencils, four graphite pencils, a sharpener, and an eraser and arrives in a sophisticated black box. Pair with a package of Fabriano Artistico Extra White hot press watercolor paper, a favorite of artists who work with colored pencils.

Purchase: Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils and Sets, $2.22 to $300.00 on Blick; Fabriano Artistico Watercolor Paper, 22 x 30″, Extra White, Hot Press, Single Sheet, $7.53 on Blick