Great gift basket idea for an artist.

Gift baskets are lovely to make and lovely to get, a truly personalized present. Take time to know your artist, her needs and perhaps things she might like but cannot afford.

Be creative. Look for an alternative to a wicker basket that can be used for storage. From an artist supplier, or ebay, you can source some very creative ideas. Think about a folding stool-cum-box that can be taken out of doors. In it, include all that might be needed for an outing: sketch book, pencils, paints, brushes, small portable watercolor set, palette, stoppered water jar and so on. Include a few treats for a picnic as an additional gift. Wrap in gaily colored paper or attach ribbons and balloons.

Artists never have enough paper or canvas. Find out if she stretches her own canvas and if so buy a canvas roll you can decorate with ribbon. You may also consider buying some of the more mundane supplies like preparation oil and staples - they may not seem so glamorous but can be expensive and very welcome. You can also buy pre-stretched canvas in various shapes which tend to be more expensive, and some artists do not like them.

If you are in doubt of her needs, make a small basket gift with things she always uses like favorite paints, pencils and artist paper pads. With the basket include a voucher for an artist supplier for her to buy something special for herself.

Most artists enjoy books on artists and on painting techniques. Find out if she is considering moving into a different medium and buy an appropriate book. Similarly, it is expensive to try out new methods, so supplies for a new experiment may be very welcome. I recently bought paper, brushes and paper specifically for acrylic painting because a friend had told me she would like to try them. I put them all in a water container with paper and balloons. She thought it was wonderful.

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