Prismacolor Colored Pencils make a great gift for almost anyone, whether it is family member, close friend, or for an office party.  That said, I would recommend any Prismacolor product as a gift.  Prismacolor manufacturers the finest art supplies drawing when it comes to drawing pencils and markers.  While fine artists agree that Prismacolor Pencils are the superior drawing pencils, novices alike will also enjoy their rich and smooth quality.  You may click here for a full list of Prismacolor products.  Additionally, for up-to-date art supply specials, bookmark our site and check back often for discount art supplies from any of our trusted partners, such as Utrecht and Daniel Smith.  Additionally, if you are a student or art educator who is registered with Utrecht, you always save an additional 10% with your ArtSmart Card.  If you don’t have the ArtSmart Card, getting it is easy. Just follow our links! If you are shopping for a gift, but not sure what to buy, you can easily buy a Utrecht or Daniel Smith Gift Card.  However, I feel that a gift card is rather impersonal, and rather buy something.  Perhaps you feel the same as I.

Getting back to why you came here. I believe it was to find out more about Prismacolor Colored Pencils.  If you shop at Utrecht, they have a very large selection of Prismacolor Pencils, including single pencils and  pencils sets.  Sets range is number and type of pencil, such as Scholar Colored Pencil Set of 12 Assorted Colors in Easel Stand Case for under $10!  Now that is a thoughtful, inexpensive, and high quality office party gift!  If you are able to spend more and want to add some other drawing supplies in order to put together an art gift kit. I recommend a pad of Utrecht Bristol Paper Illustration Boards Vellum Smooth Surface, erasers, an Exacto knife, and sandpaper for sharpening the pencils. If, you are not sure about the knife and sandpaper, get them a good hand pencil sharpener.  If they are interested in learning more, you might suggest that professional artists do not use pencils sharpeners.  The technique that we use is to shave off about an inch and a half of the pencil from the point and then sand down the inner pencil.  This method makes for a far superior drawing tool.  In art school, NO one uses a sharpener.  We only use knives and sandpaper.  In fact, we mount the sandpaper on a wooden block, so we always have a flat surface to sharpen our pencils and charcoal.  Of course, you don’t need a knife with vine charcoal!  The challenge is to make our point as sharp as needles.

Actually, you can used almost any paper with Prismacolor Colored Pencils, but the reason why I recommended the Utrecht Bristol Paper Illustration Boards Vellum Smooth Surface is because it erases easier and is thicker than drawing paper. This is especially good for novice artists and students. More experienced artists would probably prefer acid-free colored drawing paper sheets, due to their tooth. Tooth means texture. An experienced artist will take advantage of the paper’s texture in their drawing. Texture can be very helpful, especially for subtle blending.  These papers normally come in either sheets or drawing pads.  The best color for fine art is always a light blue.  Therefore, rather than pads, I recommend buying individual sheets, because pads usually come in a variety of colors and therefore is usually is a waste of money.  This recommendation is for fine art portrait work and landscape.  For other types of art, a pad of different colors is perfectly fine. To add an extra splash to your art gift kit, I recommend a sturdy Utrecht Studio Series Portfolio 24 x 36 x 1 inches for storing and carrying fine art.

Have fun shopping at Prismacolor Pencils! Should you have any questions, please feel free to post your question below!

“Prismacolor Colored Pencils Make a Great Gift!” was written by Brenne Meirowitz, BA, MA, MS ©2011 Brenne Meirowitz & PrismacolorPencils.net. All Rights Reserved.