Artistic children need great supplies to help them express their creativity and artistic talents. If your child loves to doodle, draw cartoons, copy pictures or just experiment with different media in an artistic way, consider getting him or her a few great items to let them have some expressive fun. My mother is a retired Montessori teacher, who taught about art and artists, among her teachings, to her students in her 44 year career. She and my father bought me art kits as a child and it inspired me so much, that my career as an illustrator was set early in life. Even if your kid isn’t interested in being an artist, it’s a great diversion for children to create. The accomplishment of making a pretty picture for mom and dad is self-esteem building. If your child was shy and kind of a loner, like I was, it may bring him or her out of their shell. It worked for me. Here are some great supplies that will get lots of mileage from an art-loving kid.
Caran d’Ache art supply sets
These beautiful, Swiss made art sets come in a variety of sizes. Their colors are rich, and all the products are of high quality. Different sets can be seen at DickBlick.com, from sketching kits to markers, water-soluble pastels and colored pencils that come in a wide variety of colors. The rich pigments are suitable for the very young up to and including professional artists. My parents brought a set of these for me from Switzerland years ago when I was small, in the pre-home computer days. Now, they are readily available for everyone, online. You get what you pay for. Despite hard use, my set lasted a very long time, and the color in my drawings didn’t fade through the years.
Crayola Cutter
This hot new item is a cutting tool, designed for children above the age of six, which handles like a pen. It’s able to cut angles and complicated designs with ease, without posing a danger to young fingers, by perforating the paper instead of slicing it. Traditional cutters slice, and that’s where accidents happen. The tip of the cutter retracts when it isn’t being used. This is a revolutionary new invention that will give kids the abilities to create more sophisticated and intricate designs than those old, rounded edged scissors we had in grade school.
Melissa and Doug Beading Kit
If you have a little girl who likes to create jewelry or things to wear, try this great kit. It has a variety of different colored beads, comes with cords to string them on, and is housed in a nice wooden case for easy storage. It’s most definitely a good thing. On Amazon.com it’s under $15 as of this writing.
"How to Draw" books by author, Jack Hamm
As a child, I grew up with a book called "How to Draw Animals," and it was like a bible to me. Other books by Jack Hamm include, "Drawing and Cartooning for Laughs," and "First Lessons in Drawing and Painting." These books are classics, and are great for self-teaching. Kids can spend hours following the simple suggestions, on their own, learning very useful techniques that can help them draw even into adulthood.
These items are great for your budding Picasso or cartoonist. Take some time to help them explore their supplies. My father, an excellent artist, would sit with me, to give me a little moral support and help me sometimes. Pretty soon, your child will be confident and doing it all his or herself. Learning art is all about confidence. The more the child has, the more it will be pursued with interest. So put art supplies under your Christmas tree today, the kids will be thrilled and grateful in the end, to receive such a thoughtful gift.