Here are five top quality drawing sets, at a variety of price ranges. Covering a variety of media, these sets are chosen for their useful contents rather than packaging, although all are presented in tins or boxes for convenience and portability, and of course gift-giving.
Conte crayons are a versatile medium, less dusty or crumbly than soft pastel or charcoal, softer than pencil. A set of earth tone and black Conte crayons is excellent for art school and traditional artists, providing a good choice for figure drawing classes and 'trois crayons' technique. They also come in various landscape and bright color choices.
I've used these watercolor pencils for years, and have yet to use any other pencil that I like as much. I use them for both straight colored-pencil drawing and in combination with watercolor. The quality of Faber-Castell pencils is evident in the high ratio of pigment giving reliable rich, true color, free of irregularities. Blend and create wash effects with water on-site or later in the studio, or leave dry. Available in various sets as well as individually - collect your favourites or replace well-used colors.
Want to really impress someone? Don't waste money on a ring or a watch. Get them a stunning wooden case filled with Sennelier's sublime soft pastels. Sennelier use the finest pigments with minimal binder, so these soft, lucious pastels need a good, fine-toothed paper and fixative. For those used to cheaper materials, they might seem expensive, but they deliver unmatched pure color, and occasional good sales prices make them more affordable. If your intended giftee is already working in pastels, do check on their preferences first, as the pastel medium is one of those that is very sensitive to personal taste and style.
Watercolor is an ideal sketching medium, with its quick-drying, portable color. Winsor and Newton are an English company who make superb watercolors using the finest pigments These travel sets come with mixing palette and brush. For a cheaper alternative, look for their student range, Cotman waterccolors, which are also of a high standard. These are my personal favorite. I like using the small field boxes, as I find them convenient to handle and compact for travel - perfect for drawing in the field, whether it's a day trip or camping.
Cretacolor's 'Black Box' set is a perfect 'art student' set that contains the perfect materials for getting started with figure drawing or larger-scale expressive artwork - willow, compressed, block and pencil charcoal, tortillon, kneadable eraser, as well as 2 'Monolith' graphite pencils and 3 'Nero' pencils (charcoal mixed with oily waxes for gloss and water resistance). The Nero pencils are really lovely to draw with, giving rich deep blacks.
