What would you place in a $75.00 "Art Box" for a 8yo boys Christmas

[3littlekeets]

present.

 

My son LOVES to draw and pain. For his "something he needs" this year, I'd like to have Santa bring him things that he needs to further his talent ;).

 

I saw the thread on good colored pencils, so that's a $25.00 start -- but what else would you add? He loves to draw cartoons, family pictures, book illustrations, etc. We have 2 "learn to draw" books.

 

I'd love to make this a cool and special gift!

[4them]

We got our ds a child size double-sided easle...one side was chalkboard & the other was dry erase. It had a roll of paper at the top that pulled down over the dry erase side. Then we gave him loads of paint, brushes, crayons, dry erase & regular markers, chalk, regular & foam stickers, etc. He was only about 6, so we just got kid art supplies.

[Jean in Newcastle]

What kind of painting does he like to do? Watercolors? He needs a good watercolor paint set and some watercolor paper.

 

Tempera paints?

 

Oil?

 

Does he like to do oil pastels?

 

Some good drawing pencils would be good.

 

Has he ever tried drawing with charcoal?

[Farrar]

Maybe a small wooden artist's model - you know, to spice up the box so it's not all pencils and oil pastels.

 

But yeah, charcoals and oil pastels definitely. And a nice watercolors set.

[Jamee]

How about a really good sketch pad? Some more "how to draw" books for the subjects he likes. I like the idea of the artist model and easel too. I'll have to keep these things in mind for ds who isn't quite of age for the "good" stuff but getting there.

[Bird Girl]

Do look at dickblick.com for supplies, or go into the store, if you have a local one. They have great prices on paper, which I find is the most expensive art supply overall.

 

You might look into buying a few little tiny canvases. You can get ones as small as 2"X2"--they're fun for kids to paint or collage, then easy to keep and store.

 

We got watercolor crayons--draw like crayons, the paint over them with water to make a finished effect like watercolor paint. Colorix are another fun drawing/painting hybrid.

 

Sharpies are a great drawing tool too, especially for cartoonists. They come in at least three widths, from wide chisel-points to extra fine. They will draw on plastic and cotton cloth as well as on paper--which isn't always a good thing, of course!

[ChristusG]

I did this last year when DD was 5. She was very into art then....and still is to a degree. She was younger than your son, but we included the following:

 

pipe cleaners

lots of tape

lots of wooden things to paint from places like Michael's, AC Moore, etc.

nice new set of colored pencils, crayons, and markers (just Crayola)

sketch pad

blank book so that she could make her own book

watercolors (Crayola)

 

I know there is more, but I can't remember off the top of my head

[Catwoman]

How about a set of Manga drawing pens and one of Christopher Hart's manga drawing books?

 

Cat

[torikei]

How about an Art w Joy DVD? They are pricey, but the best art videos for kids that are out there. I like the elephant, dolphins, and the castle. We buy one at a time due to expense, but they are so worth it. She doesn't use expensive supplies in her videos, but I do think it's worth it to buy good art supplies--especially with a child that is very artistic. We have accumulated quite a library and my 12 year old still uses the videos.

 

Tori

[Whereneverever]

Good quality pens- I like Micron.

[snickelfritz]

I bought dd's some Colorix crayons and they loved them. They draw like a really smooth crayon. But, then you can use water to blend them. Dd loves how she can draw very precisely, but then get color on the picture in a very even way. And the color is better than the typical watercolors.

[Catwoman]

I was just thinking of something -- Please be sure to check the toxicity of the products you buy. Artist-quality materials are the best thing to buy, but be sure to look for the AP non-toxic symbol.

 

I wouldn't buy oil paints for kids, because even odorless solvents aren't without problems, and you really have to check those paint tube labels for safety info. I know a lot of people let their kids use pastels, but the dust (even from non-toxic pastels) can cause respiratory issues.

 

I would stick with the colored pencils, artist grade watercolors, non-toxic acrylics, and things like the Pigma Micron pens. (Sharpies are good pens, but the odor can be offensive if you use them a lot.)

 

Most art supplies (even the ones with cautionary labels) aren't deadly, but there is always the assumption that you won't accidentally ingest them or get them all over your hands on a regular basis. The heavy metals found in some of the paints are things that can be harmful over time (or immediately if a young child or a pet eats them or drinks the rinse water,) so it's worth being cautious. There are plenty of great supplies that are completely non-toxic.

 

Cat

[Sherry in OH]

Various art papers - watercolor, sketch, pastel, canvas paper, tracing paper, even some fun scrapbook papers for collages.

Good quality watercolors, charcoal pencils, colored pencils, graphite pencils, chalks, or pastels.

Brushes and sponges for painting

Calligraphy pens or ink and nibs

Rubber cement (so he can mask parts of his watercolor projects)

Gum erasers

Pencil and crayon sharpeners

Scissors

[Catwoman]

Rubber cement (so he can mask parts of his watercolor projects)

 

 

He would be better served with masking fluid -- rubber cement is tough to work with, and really needs to be thinned in order to work as a masking fluid. (Ask me how I know... :glare:) It's also stinky! (Masking fluid smells like ammonia, though, so that's something to think about, too.)

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

Does your ds enjoy instructional videos/DVDs? We have a ton of them, so I might be able to make some recommendations if you let me know what kind of artwork he likes to do. Does he like to try to make things look real, or does he prefer a cartoon or manga style (or does he do all sorts of different things?)

 

DVDs can be really helpful to a budding artist.

 

Cat

[*Jessica*]

Any of the following:

 

watercolor paints

watercolor paper

watercolor pencils (You draw a picture, then use a wet brush to blend it into a watercolor painting. We love them.)

paint brushes

canvas or hardboard panels

acrylic paints

paint palette

sketch pad

Bare Books

Stockmar block crayons

erasable colored pencils

drawing pencils of different hardnesses

Prang brush pens

[3littlekeets]

Does your ds enjoy instructional videos/DVDs? We have a ton of them, so I might be able to make some recommendations if you let me know what kind of artwork he likes to do. Does he like to try to make things look real, or does he prefer a cartoon or manga style (or does he do all sorts of different things?)

 

DVDs can be really helpful to a budding artist.

 

Cat

 

I'd love some recommendations for DVDs.

 

THANKS to ALL...I'm going armed with a list of amazing ideas...I know nothing about art...NOTHING, and the artists models, manga sets, charcoal, masking fluid, colorix, table top easels -- all new to me :lol:.