Ultimate Gift Guide For Digital Artists

If you ever delved into the world of digital artists, you will know the word ‘hardworking’ is never enough to describe their effort. Not only do they have to keep improving their skills in order to triumph, the cost of the tools they need could always put them into the state of starvation (and I’m only half-joking). Art burns money. So if you have plans to help out a fellow digital artist friend, we have for you the ultimate gift guide.

In this list you will find 40 down-to-earth products – hardware, software, apps, books and courses – will be the ideal gift(s) for a digital artist. Help them upgrade their skills, gain new insights, or be more productive, and with comfort in mind.

Let us know your favorite.

Books for Digital Artists

The Art of Loish ($26.49)

One always needs a good dose of insoiration. Here is a debut “art of” book by the famous animator/illustrator and internet sensation from the Netherlands, Lois van Baarle.

Steal Like an Artist ($11.66)

Steal Like an Artist is an inspiring guide book to develop creativity in the age of digitalism. The book offers ten transformative principles that will help aspiring digital artists discover their creativity.

Beginner’s Guide to Sketching ($43.98)

Looking to make an entry into sketing? Take help from this amazing book that tells you about the fundamentals of sketching and emphasizing the importance of concept sketching for artists of all levels.

Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop ($33.73)

Beginner’s Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop gives you an insight into character making in digital arts. You get a comprehensive guide on character development from conception to the execution level.

The Designer’s Dictionary of Color ($15.48)

The Designer’s Dictionary of Color gives you a detailed description of 30 colors key to digital art and graphic design. The book includes each hue with charts showing color range and palette variations.

Gadgets for Digital Artists

Wacom Intuos CTL4100 ($79.99)

Formerly Wacom Bamboo, Wacom Intuos Pen and Touch tablet is perfect for digital artist wannabe to discover the world of digital painting.

Wacom Intuos Pro PTH460K0A ($249.95)

Intended for the experienced artist, Intuos Pro is built with 2048 levels of pen pressure sensitivity and better control panel, and with the purchase you also get a set of nibs that mimic traditional brushes.

Wacom Cintiq Pro ($599)

Wacom surprised the world months ago by releasing Cintiq 13 HD, the most affordable luxurious graphic tablet with interactive pen display, allowing artists to draw on screen like they do on paper.

Wacom Cintiq 22 ($1149)

Cintiq 22HD is the dream of every digital artist. Not only does it have all the features of the Intuos and Cintiq family, this gigantic tablet also allows you to adjust its position for your comfort.

Wacom Bamboo Ink Plus Smart Stylus ($99.95)

Unlike most affordable stylus, the best thing about Bamboo Feel stylus is that it comes with pressure sensitivity, allowing you to draw and paint dynamically on the tablet surface.

Adonit Pro 4 ($29.99)

You deserve a great product if you are wiling to fork out a premium price. Adonit Pro 4 features 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, and a palm rejection feature which ignores hand movement on the touchscreen (talk about usability)!

Pogo Connect ($19.95)

Promoted by Procreate, Pogo Connect is a Bluetooth-enabled pen that lets you draw with different line widths on the iPad and yes, it comes with pressure sensitivity. With a few extra bucks you could even get 4 extra tip options including the brush tip.

Apple iPad Pro ($749)

iPad Pro is without doubt one of the best mobile devices and a digital artist can have. With amazing display features like reflectivity and color accuracy etc. and hundreds of innovative apps, you can never run out of creative ideas.

Apple Pencil ($99)

When you’re having an iPad, Apple pencil becomes a must-have. It gives you a precise and pixel-perfect precision with utter ease of use.

Logitech 910-004442 Wireless Mouse ($38.99)

Life’s too short to work with boring ol’ blacl and blue mouse. Here is a colorful optical mouse with a fantastic fox design that the artist in you would love to work with.

Adobe Photoshop Shortcuts Keyboard Cover ($13.58)

If you’re an Adobe Photoshop power user, then this keyboard skin is for you. Each key shows the precise keyboard shortcut for each function on Photoshop, saving you the frustration of finding the right key.

Sabrent 4 Port USB Hub ($16.89)

When you have to work with multiple USB port devices, this 4-port USB hub can come in really handy. The USB hub gives you fast transfer speed and is compatible with all major operating systems.

HUE Animation Studio ($69.95)

HUE Animation Studio is a cool toy suitable for any age (as long as you have the fun element). It’s a stop-motion kit with camera, softwar, and instruction book. Use LEGo figures, toys or clay models and create your own stop-motion movie.

Toshiba (HDTB410XK3AA) Canvio Basics 1TB ($46.99)

Digital artists are always running out of space as they work with bulky media. This 1TB external hard drive by Toshiba will give you sign of relief and a huge storage space to save your digital assets.

Tracing Light Box ($34.93)

Here is a light and portable tracing pad. It is very light, being only 5mm (less than 0.3 inch) thick and is equiped with LED back light with adjustable brightness for more precise tracing.

Software and Apps for Digital Artists

Adobe Photoshop ($39.99/mo)

Besides photo editing, Adobe Photoshop is also a perfect painting software with highly customizable brush settings. It includes all professional features of its predecessors and comes with an incredibly low monthly subscription fee.

Adobe Illustrator ($20.99/mo )

If you love making icons, or are of the hardcore type that takes account where each pixel lands, Adobe Illustrator is for you. It is now available with an affordable monthly subscription fee.

Painter 2021 ($299)

A professional painting software with many intuitive tools, customizable brushes, texture and other media elements. You can create realistic digital art and illustrations using this software.

Painter Essentials 7 ($39.99)

A digital painting software for beginners of digital art, Painter Essentials offers a easy-to-use interface, faster speed, and AI-based photo painting features.

Poser Pro ($249.95)

The key to good art is correct perspective and posture, and Poser Pro lets you achieve them with less effort.

Procreate ($9.99)

Procreate truly lives up to its name with this professional interface design, its brushes, performance, and an up to 4096×4096 canvas size! No wonder it won the Apple Design Award.

Inspire Pro ($39.99)

It’s not just about painting, but also how fast you can paint. Inspire Pro allows you to paint as fast as possible with its performance-based painting engine.

ArtStudio for iPad ($4.99)

ArtStudio certainly has its edge in the mobile painting world with its 450 high-quality brushes and 21-layer blending modes, and 40 filters!

Magazines and Subscriptions for Digital Artists

ImagineFX Magazine ($10.93/issue)

ImagineFX could be one of your best investments as it comes with inspiring artworks, aspiring artist profiles, premium brushes and software. Also included, professional tutorials in both written and video format.

3D Artist ($5.99/mo)

Seeking enlightenment in digital sculpting? 3D Artist is the magazine where masters share their tips and techniques for you to improve.

Computer Arts ($6.99/mo)

There are times when we need to look more into design cases and business tips, and Computer Arts is published for these purposes.

The Gnomon Workshop ($49/mo)

Personal success means aggressive improvement, and aggressive improvement means lots of practice and professional tutorials. Gnomon Workshop is ready to boost your skill aggressively.

SkillShare Subscription ($various)

SkillShare offers thousands of useful online courses for skill building, including hundreds of courses on digital arts. For a budding digital artist, these courses will be quite helpful in developing their skills.

More Gifts for Digital Artists

12″ Wooden Male Figure ($10.99)

Made of seasoned hardwood and stuck firmly to a stand, this wooden guy is ready to pose any way you like for your reference.

3Doodler 3D Pen ($39.99)

Here is a 3D doodler pen for creating diy 3D models and figures. The pen comes with 15 plastic refills in different colors as well as different stencils to work with. Just plug in, wait for the pen to heat up and start doodling.

IDRAW Comics Sketchbook ($56.25)

When you’re an artist, you expect inspiration to come anywhere anytime. And nothing beats a good ol’ sketch book for that matter. The sketch book includes commonly used industry reference materials with an iconic sketchbook form.

1000 Colors Jigsaw Puzzle ($42.97)

As a digital artist, you get to play with colors a lot. This interesting and complex 1000-piece puzzle gives you the opportunity to ‘actually’ play with colors.

Artist’s Color Wheel ($3.35 – 40.55)

As artists have to deal with colors and color combinations, this color wheel can be a very practical gift. Colors are displayed on a wheel so you can visualize how they relate to each other.

Let It Gogh T-Shirt ($13.99)

This Let It Gogh T-Shirt will brighten up the day for not just an art fan but anyone who has an element of humor in them.

Bellroy A5 Work Folio ($199)

An elegant accessory to carry around, Bellroy A5 Work Folio keeps your stuff organized with many useful pockets and storage spaces. It fits neatly in your bag and is made with premium eco-friendly leather.