Arty 12yo girl, need suggestions!

[BearSoFair]

Starting early with ideas for DD this year as I know it's going to be tricky. She's 12, not yet at the 'wanting to be grown up' stage of asking for make up etc, not really interested in fashion, but too old to be wanting toys now.

She's always been very into art and crafts, but most of the sets are aimed at younger children. She already has a good set of markers and decent paints, so I'm a bit stuck for ideas!

I would get her some "grown up" supplies, like art pens, pencils, and brush pens. A selection of adult colouring books would be fun, too.

www.amazon.co.uk/Watercolour-Brush-Pens-Calligraphy-CreativepeakTM/dp/B07NBHGF32/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=Art+pens&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1570370325&sr=8-33

a light box for tracing? she just has to place the picture she wants to trace on the light box, then another piece over it and the light shines so she can trace over the picture.

a henna kit?

markers, sketch pencils, a sketch pad

all the best x

Get a proper calligraphy set - most art shops do them anywhere from £10-12 up to £15-17 up to £25ish

Basic sets will be one pen several nibs
Better sets will have several pens and nibs and a number of colour cartridges and a book on how to do calligraphy...

Better buying the set with ink cartridges for continuous ink rather than the dip sets unless you have someone who can show her how to use a dip set

If she's really into art then copic markers would be a huge hit, they're considered the best markers on the market and a lot of professionals use them. They're also refillable.
If she likes crafting then gelly roll pens are also highly rated and come in different sets like souffle which give a raised effect and glitter versions.
Polymer clay is good too as it bakes in the oven and becomes very tough, it can be used to make jewelry and sculptures.
Washi tape is a good inexpensive gift especially when brought from aliexpress for about £1 a roll for designs that will cost £5 a roll elsewhere it is from china though so takes a while to arrive - I'd order around beginning of november latest for xmas gifts.

Pastels, acrylics, charcoals. Proper mixed media paper, maybe different sized pads. Good brushes.

I just realised she has markers and paints so perhaps a nicer sketchbook, some copic sp liners or micron pens, posca markers (paint pens) are trending right now too and will write on any surface so wonderful for crafting.

Calligraphy set might be a good shout, will definitely have a look at some!

The markers she has are Ohuhu, she seems happy with them, are Copic vastly better to be worth the much higher price?

Be careful buying markets on amazon they could be fake.

Op look at djeco art kits they are age rated

Arteza do some beautiful pens, but they are expensive.

My daughter is very arty too. I took her to a hobby store re entry and she didn’t seem that enthused til suddenly her eyes lit up and she said she’d ‘found her aisle’. Those markers with a brush tip. Very expensive but she loves them and takes good care of them. The only other thing she wanted were specific sketch books.
I’d ask her what she wants by way of suppplies, it may be different than you expect.

I can't think for the life of me what they're called but they're basically adult colouring books, and are a lot more intricate, dsd used to do these at this age, I think we got them from whsmith.

The Works has some great art supplies, including various sizes of (and mini) canvas with easels. My DD12 loves those, and paints them with acrylic paints.

Another vote here for brush calligraphy pens and paper too.

glass paints?

Sorry to bring electronics into it but how about a Wacom tablet?

Needle crafting beginners kit (Amazon about 13 pound) my niece and I took it up together as we fancied doing something crafty. It’s super easy to get started and it reeks quite grown up. Lots of tutorials on YouTube for ideas too.

Graphics tablet, for drawing on a computer. This is particularly good if she is into manga/anime or illustration. Wacom ones are a reliable brand.

A tilting art desk if she is really into art and careful with her stuff.

An artist's light box is good for tracing or making stencils and they can be inexpensive.
Fabre Castell is the brand to to for for pencils/pens etc

An artist's mannequin is really useful and the works usually do them for about a fiver.

Sorry to bring electronics into it but how about a Wacom tablet?

Graphics tablet, for drawing on a computer. This is particularly good if she is into manga/anime or illustration. Wacom ones are a reliable brand.

ability to draw on computer is a good idea - but really not sure I would be touching a Wacom any more - we have bought them over the years and they are very expensive for what they are - we are now (design company) replacing them with ipads with the pencil - very good and multi-functional. You can either use them on their own or dock them to a PC / Mac as an extra monitor and use any software from there - e.g. full illustrator / photoshop / etc.

Second a proper tilted art desk. Sewing machine?

ability to draw on computer is a good idea - but really not sure I would be touching a Wacom any more - we have bought them over the years and they are very expensive for what they are - we are now (design company) replacing them with ipads with the pencil

That's interesting. My daughter has the iPad Pro as she loves drawing but has mentioned having a Wacom tablet for Xmas. Maybe it's not worth it then.

Sewing machine, loom, knitting/ crochet supplies? Jewellery making tools and supplies: beads, shells, tassels, findings and Fimo?

Really good coloured pencils, oil pastels, tiny portable watercolour set?

Cheap canvases from the Range.

That's interesting. My daughter has the iPad Pro as she loves drawing but has mentioned having a Wacom tablet for Xmas. Maybe it's not worth it then.

I think that it is worth exploring why - Wacom have had a stronghold in design for many years - and we have bought them all - screens, small and large tablets - however, the latest iterations of ipad are so much better than previous versions that the two have started to come together, so it no longer makes sense to buy something so niche as the Wacom... - there are some great comparisons online - including youtube reviews, worth having a look... sometimes the ipad pro is not seen as serious - but hook it up to a Mac - now native with latest OS / iOS (or PC with 3rd party software) and it becomes a monitor like the wacom - drag software from computer straight onto the ipad...

akkakk

Thanks for that. I have a chat with her and see what she's expecting from it compared to her iPad Pro. I think it's just that she's seen people on YouTube using them and she loves art. I'll also have a look at some comparisons as you suggest. We've never tried using her iPad with her PC so I'll show her that and see what she thinks. Thanks, you've been really helpful, I didn't even know the drawing tablets existed before she mentioned them a few weeks ago so didn't have a clue.

What about those pictures where you scratch away the black to make the picture (I have no idea what they're called or if that makes any sense sorry 😂)

Something like this

My DD similar age&used to spend time drawing outfits for lego characters&avatars she invented..this quickly progressed to the outfits/hair etc so after we discussed it she said shed like to make them&we went &bought lots of material offcuts that matched her ideas of fabrics needed for the outfits&used old Barbies she used to play with for the models..shes learnt to sew really well&we're getting a sewing machine for xmas(& a few lego technics otherwise she'd kill me😂) ..its become quite a passion for her as shes mad on lego but had a headful of her own ideas for characters!