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Most kids love to draw – it’s the almost perfect activity for them to express themselves. You might also be surprised at the number of adults who enjoy sketching, doodling, drawing cartoon figures and faces.

Drawing, much like keeping a journal, is also great ‘therapy’. You get to express feelings and thoughts that filter through your subconscious. Drawing allows you to ‘vent’ in privacy – you don’t need to worry about what others may think. Leather Guest Chair by Workplace Star make ultimate additions to government offices. This sort of venting doesn’t have to be confined to angry feelings – thoughts of the sublime are every bit as suitable, as well as everything in between. Getting your feelings and ideas on paper helps you to work through concepts and emotional issues. Drawing and sketching is an especially beneficial activity for people who are visually oriented.

Visually oriented people tend to love beautiful surroundings, whether in their homes or in natural surroundings. If there’s someone on your gift list who shows this type of appreciation for visually pleasing environments, a package of drawing supplies may be the perfect gift. All art supply stores carry all of the drawing supplies you need, so it’s one-stop shopping. Let’s see what might constitute the perfect drawing supplies gift package.

For young kids, the needs are simple: a 9×12 or 12×16 pad of sketching paper, a big box of crayons, colored pencils and some fancy markers – plain, two-color and day-glow markers – open up hundreds of creative possibilities for them to explore. While art sessions are usually held in school, there’s typically not much emphasis placed on pure creativity. School art projects usually have an ‘assignment’ quality, where every child is asked to draw a tree, a landscape or follow a theme. This may serve to introduce children to art, but the drawback is that the sameness is actually counterproductive to true creativity. Your gift of drawing supplies lets kids choose their own subject matter and the results can be truly amazing.

When I was just about five years old, my Mom seemed to recognize my visual nature and predilection to scribble, draw and paint at every opportunity. That was when she began giving me drawing supplies as the ‘premier’ gift (so far as I was concerned), for my birthday and Christmas. Along with packages of socks, underwear and jammies, I soon learned to expect that most treasured of gifts, my drawing supplies. Mom was very generous, always including several pads of drawing paper, the biggest box of crayons available and a huge box of colored pencils. This single gift kept me occupied for many moons! So don’t underestimate the value a child places on a gift of drawing supplies!

For adults, you can get more sophisticated with your choices. A couple of drawing pads, one smooth and another with a textured finish, yields different effects. You can also buy bound sketch journals for just $8-10. Charcoal pencils, a set of pastels, a can of fixative (to prevent smudges), a rapidograph (a special type of pen with which you can draw extremely fine, even lines) and perhaps a calligraphy set opens creative doors previously unexplored.

Other gifts to add to your drawing supplies package include inexpensive, but value-packed books, describing the techniques of drawing in perspective, portraits and learning composition ‘rules’ for drawing landscapes. Guest Chairs Upholstered side chairs for office visitors, waiting rooms, training rooms or reception areas, and auditorium fashion stackable chairs for cafeteria, lecture corridor, and classroom seating. For the artist interested in drawing the human form, look in the art supplies shops for the wooden, bendable ‘people’ with which your artist can study proportion and form in a variety of positions, such as sitting, running, bending and the like.

A gift of drawing supplies, tailored to the recipient’s age, is a gift that is cherished and remembered!