Budget Art List For Christmas 2025

I know I am a bit late publishing my Christmas list this year, but better late than never and hopefully if anyone is struggling to find that perfect Christmas gift for the artists loved one in their life, or perhaps you are looking for some ideas for yourself, dropping some hints for the family to buy you the perfect Christmas gift as opposed to another pair of socks or tie that sits in the wardrobe all year gathering mothballs.

On a serious note, I have completed three Christmas lists this year, a Stocking Stuffer list, a Luxury Art List and of course this list, a Budget Christmas List. Many of us are feeling the financial pinch and have been now for quite a few years, but that is not to say you can’t buy or be bought an art supply that you will love and help you create beautiful artwork. That is the purpose of this list, to help you select art supplies on a budget without compromising quality.

If there is anything on this list that you like the look of but would like to know more detailed information about the product, I have supplied links directing to my original review of the product. Every item on all the lists I have published, has been reviewed and used by me, hopefully providing you with a detailed, in-depth look at the product.

1. 24 Set of Etchr Watercolour Pans

Etchr sent me out a set of there Watercolour Pans when they first introduce them to their already outstanding range of satchels and field cases. When I first tried them I was absolutely blown away with their vibrancy, the way the colors performed on high quality 100% cotton watercolour paper and lower student grade watercolour paper.

The overall selection of colours inside the 24 Etchr Watercolor Pan set is a well balanced palette and excellent for all genres of watercolour art. This is a fantastic set for experienced watercolour artists or even those just starting out and wishing to expand the quality of their materials.

2. Castle Arts Gold 72 Set Of Colored Pencils

From day one of Castle Arts making a colourful splash onto the colored pencil world, I personally have been a huge fan and have found very little to no issues with their products. The Gold series of their colored pencil range are the next step up from their original colored pencils, sporting a slightly softer easier to blend core.

I have chose the 72 set of Castle Arts Gold Colored Pencils even though their largest set is 120. For a first time colored pencil artists, someone wishing to get started in the medium, art students looking for a good quality pencil with a fantastic palette or even those of you who love to create in adult colouring books, the Castle Arts Gold Colored Pencils are a wonderful place to start.

3. AFMAT Professional Pencil Sharpener

As colored pencil artists, you will know we are always constantly sharpening, I would love to track how much time I actually use throughout an entire colored pencil project using a handheld sharpener. Handheld sharpeners are a must for on the go artists, traveling somewhere or out and about creating beautiful landscapes.

However, for those very occasions when you are in the studio, working on a colored pencil project, graphite piece or charcoal project, you will be so grateful for a professional desk sharpener like the AFMAT Professional Rechargeable Electric Sharpener. This will go through pencils like butter, with auto stop preventing you from sharpening too much. I have just recently reviewed the AFMAT Professional sharpener and I just know any pencil Artist will love this.

4. Faber Castell Classic Red 60 Set Colored Pencils

Any budget list I create, this amazing Faber Castell Classic Red 60 set of colored pencils is always in the list. This is perhaps the cheapest set of colored pencils on the list and whilst the packaging may make them look like children’s pencils, in my review of them you can see they are worth the money and some.

Faber Castell are a formidable name in the colored pencil world, with their world famous Faber Castell Polychromos, but don’t think that they scrimp on quality just because the Classic Red colored pencils are aimed toward kids. The Classic Red set are obviously not lightfast, but they are beautiful to layer and blend with, providing an excellent pencil for those simply practising their craft as a colored pencil artist.

5. Caran d’Ache Swisscolor Aquarelle

Caran d’Ache is another name synonymous with high quality, finding a good quality, budget friendly, water soluble set of pencils can be a lot tricker than you first might think. Caran d’Ache sell two different sets of the Swisscolor, a water soluble set and traditional wax / oil set of pencils, but it is the water soluble set in this list.

The biggest set in this range is 40 and I personally feel for water soluble pencils, a 40 count is perfect given the mixing and color creating you can achieve. Although the lightfast rating for the Swisscolor is non existent, but that does not stop the Swisscolor from delivering explosive color when activated with water.

6. 48 Set of Ohuhu Markers

I can’t talk for all colored pencil artists, but I myself love to use marker and colored pencil together. I love creating Marvel, DC, Star Wars Characters and the like, for this type of art, bright bold color is the name of the game and for me personally, I like to create this type of art in large format and as all colored pencil artists know, covering large areas can be time consuming.

This is where using Ohuhu Alcohol Markers come into play, laying down a large area of color using the markers and then coming in with colored pencil on top, allows you to create the artwork in a much faster time. This 48 set from Ohuhu is an excellent place to start, a fantastic palette within the set and the markers dual nib of brush and bullet point, brush nib for the larger areas and the bullet nib for the detailed work.

7. Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencils

Bruynzeel are one of the most under rated companies I can think of within the colored pencil world. A Dutch company, part of the Royal Talens branding, they don’t. seem to get a lot of exposure from other pencil artists, but I happen to absolutely love them and their pricing is exceptional. This 72 set of Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencils is one of the biggest set of pencils in the list.

The Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencils are a hexagonal barrel that feels good in the hand, a well balanced barrel and a superb selection of colors within the set. There is not too much of one color and if you would like to know more about the Bruynzeel Expression Colored Pencils check out my review of them and see just how good they are.

8. Faber Castell Pitt Graphite Introductory Set

Another Faber Castell Set in the budget list only this time it is a gorgeous graphite and charcoal set, this set gives you a flavour of everything, a set of 11 individual pieces, 2 x Faber Castell 9000 Graphite Pencils 2B and 8B, 2 x Faber Castell 9000 Jumbo Graphite Pencils 2B and 9B. 2 x Graphite Aquarelle pencils, water soluble 2B and 9B.

2 x Pitt Graphite Pur Pencils 3B and 6B, the Pitt Graphite offers a gorgeous Matt coverage avoiding that graphite metallic appearance you can sometime get from the B grades. 1 x Pitt Graphite Crayon, 1 x Plastic Eraser and finally a single watercolour paint brush. All in all this is a fantastic wee set for any artist to get.

9. Derwent Chromaflow 48 Set Colored Pencils

I know this is a budget set that I have compiled for your Christmas list, but there is still no reason why you shouldn’t try out some of the finest colored pencils released. The Derwent Chromaflow expanded to a whopping 150 colored pencils, but for this list I have selected the 48 set of Derwent Chromaflow.

The Derwent Chromaflow Colored Pencils are the UK’s version of Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, and so it is the soft and creamy core of the Chromaflow that makes them such a popular and sought after pencil. The 48 set of Chromaflow is not the cheapest item on this list, but they are a gorgeous pencil and hopefully this 48 set can make things a bit more accessible and affordable for you.

10. Arrtx 126 Set of Colored Pencils

Arrtx is another excellent budget set of pencils that many colored pencil artists have come to love, be it for adult colouring book enthusiasts or those of us looking for a decent pencil at an even more decent price, that will aid our pursuit of colored pencil perfection.

This 126 set of Arrtx Colored Pencils offers a wonderful selection of colors, allowing the artists to perform any genre of art, from human portraiture, wild life, pet portraiture, botanical and landscape. Colored Pencils are not like water soluble mediums were colors can be added and mixed to create different tones and colors, mixing with traditional colored pencils is a little bit harder and so a larger count can go along way for any colored pencil artist.