The holidays are right around the corner! Need help picking out professional paintbrushes for the artist in your life? There’s no need to wander the isles of your nearest art store looking for something you hope they’ll use. We came up with a gift guide for all mediums so you can give the perfect gift this year.

Hobby Artists

Do you know an artist new to painting? Our Select Artiste Series is perfect for beginners who work with any medium including oil, acrylic, watercolor, or gouache.

One of our favorite watercolor papers for beginners is Canson XL Watercolor Pads. They work perfectly with watercolor or gouache. Pair it with a Daler-Rowney Aquafine Travel Set and they’ll be ready to start painting!

A beginner in oil or acrylic painting would love Canson XL Oil & Acrylic Pads along with Daler-Rowney Georgian Oils or System3 Acrylics.

Watercolor Enthusiast

If you’re looking to spoil a watercolor artist in your life, get them any Princeton Brushes from our Neptune, Aqua Elite, or Heritage Series. Combine the brushes with an Arches Aquarelle Block and some tubes of MaimeriBlu watercolor and you’ll be their favorite person!

If you know someone who is a big urban sketcher or traveler, you could gift them an Aqua Elite Travel Set or Neptune Travel Set. They come with 4 round brushes that come in a carrying case perfect for traveling. Pair that with a Strathmore Watercolor Hard Bound Art Journal and a Daler-Rowney Aquafine Travel Set and they’ll be ready to paint on the go!

Gouache Lovers

Know someone who loves to paint with gouache? Any of our series that can be used for watercolor can also be used for gouache. Some of our favorites to paint with gouache are the Summit, Velvetouch, and Heritage series!

Get them a Strathmore Series 400 Watercolor Pad and a beautiful gouache set from Maimeri and you’ll have the perfect gift.

Oil Painting Pro

For the oil painting professionals, we have many options of synthetic brushes that allow for control and precise placement of color. Some of our favorites are Aspen, Dakota, Catalyst, and our new Velvetouch Long Handle Brushes.

To complete your gift, we love Strathmore 300 Series Stretched Canvases that come triple-primed and Daler-Rowney Georgian Oil Paint or Georgian Water Mixable Oils.

Acrylic Aficionado

Acrylic artists need brushes that can stand up to heavy paint! If you’re looking for the best of the best, go with our professional Aspen or Catalyst series. If they prefer short handle brushes our Select Artiste, Velvetouch, and Summit series are perfect for acrylic painting.

For an artist that loves to add texture to their paintings, Catalyst blades and wedges are a great option.

Add in Daler-Rowney System3 Acrylics and some Strathmore Canvas Panels and they’ll be happy as can be!

Last Minute Gifts – Brush Sets

Looking for an easy last-minute stocking stuffer? Our professional brush sets make the perfect gift! Princeton Brush sets include four to six brushes in different sizes and shapes to give an artist multiple tools to paint with. If you’re not sure what to get them, a brush set is a great way for them to test out a new series or brush.

For watercolor artists there’s no greater gift then a brush set that holds oceans of color to help them paint. We love the Neptune Professional box set or Aqua Elite Professional box set.

If they love cardmaking and florals, Strathmore Watercolor Cards and a Floral Brush Set would be a dream!

Any mixed media artist would love a Lettering Professional 5-Piece Set, Velvetouch Professional 4-Piece Set, Select Artiste sets, or a Mini-Detailer 6-Piece Set.

If you know an oil painter or acrylic artist gift them an Aspen Professional 4-piece set, Dakota Professional 4-piece set, or a Velvetouch Professional Long Handle 4-piece set to make their day.

We hope this guide helps you choose professional paintbrushes to give the artists in your life this holiday season! If you want more gift ideas, you can check out our gift guide for each medium in depth.