Holiday Gift Guide 2011 and Jet Pens Giveaway

Happy Holidays Everybody! I have tried and reviewed several new art supplies after writing my first gift guide in 2009, so it seemed like a good time to update it since Brad from Jet Pens has generously offered a $10 gift card for one reader that leaves a comment to this post (naturally it would be best not to post anonymously to allow for your effective identification should your comment win the prize). We'll use Random.org to select the wining comment on Monday, December 5th 11:59 pm EST. The winner will then have 48 hours to send me his or her name and contact information. Depending on the number of entries and depth of the comments, I might also select a couple of additional winners for "mystery sketching kits" (one selected randomly and another based on its originality). Thus I would be interested to learn what tools or components would you consider essential to your sketching kits and/or what was the best sketching advice or drawing tip you ever received. After my recent move, I had to figure out what main sketching tools to keep handy and what part of the collection should go in deep storage. So if you were to ask me today what might make a nice gift for the sketchers and artistically-inclined people in your list, I would have to go with the following categories and items (Disclaimer: these are my personal preferences from items I have bought in the USA or tried from samples sent my way, so your mileage and experience might vary. While I am a Blick's affiliate and really appreciate it if you click my banners on your way to their website, I have tried as a customer all of the online retailers listed in my links list at least once. I just tend to get the bulk of my collection through Blick's and Jet Pens given their selection and free shipping offers. I recommend you always compare prices, consider quality of customer service, and handling and shipping charges before choosing an online retailer):

1. Sketching pencils: a nice dozen box of Mitsubishi Hi-Uni pencils in 2B or 4B should meet the sketching needs of users that prefer soft dark leads that glide smoothly on the paper while remaining fairly smudge-resistant. If you feel like splurging, you might want to consider the Hi-Uni Pencil Art Set that includes all 22 degrees. Also worth considering the Tombow Mono 100 and the Palomino Blackwing 602 premium pencils.
2. Leadholders: this category remains a personal favorite and a staple of my sketching kit. A full set of 4 Mitsubishi Uni 2 mm leadholders (H, F, HB, B) bundled with a matching selection of lead refills would make for a well-rounded starter set. The recent addition of 3H, 2H, 2B, 3B, and red leads have further expanded the creative potential of these leadholders. If you prefer heavier models you might want to check out the offerings by Staedtler and Rotring.
3. Mechanical pencils: practical sketching tools that eliminate the need of constantly sharpening a pencil point. My favorite remains the Pentel Graph 1000. Leads are now available in Pentel Ain and Hi-Uni formats.
4. Drawing pens: The Sakura Pigma Sensei drawing pen set is another good choice for a starter sketching set that also includes a 0.7 mm mechanical pencil and eraser. I was super happy when they finally became available in open stock as boxes of 12 pens each since I always used up my 0.6 mm and 1.0 mm pens before the rest. For longer lasting tools with sleek aluminum barrels, I would recommend the Copic Multiliner SP pens that feature replaceable nibs and can be kept going almost indefinitely with their ink refills.
5. Markers: lets keep this category simple by saying that Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers would make a fine affordable choice for starter and field sets, and that for heavy marker users and manga fans you could not go wrong by choosing Copic Sketch markers.
6. Coloring tools: there are many, but I would suggest you consider Faber Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor pencils and a waterbrush for their versatility to be used dry or wet and the bright saturated washes they can yield. Also PanPastels are a fairly new product that might prove a welcome change of pace with their bright colors, ease of application, and erasability.
   
7. Sketchbooks: also plenty of choices available in this category. For a pretty original customized sketchbook and nice selection of paper choices, I would not hesitate to recommend the Neko Heavy Industries Custom Sketchbook and wirebound sketchbooks. For a ready-made option with sturdy papers, you might want to consider the Strathmore Visual Journals. If you enjoy using watercolor and light washes on your sketchbook, their product range include mixed media and 90 lb & 140 lb watercolor versions. For a pretty elegant choice you could take a look at the Quo Vadis Habana blank notebook.

This would be my 2-cents regarding suitable art supplies for my 2011 Gift Guide. What else would you add to this list? If you could only get to keep one type of paper and one sketching tool, what would they be?

Ongoing reply updates: Not sure what went wrong after approving comment #11, but somehow it disappeared after I got the e-mail confirming that it had been published to this thread. Perhaps it was deleted by mistake, so reader "ginigin" might want to repost his or her entry to the giveaway.

For pencils cases, I have tried and used many to keep my different supplies organized and stored. Yet the one that I carry with me everywhere remains the Mead Five Star Xpanz Zipper Pouch. If you carry complete pencil sets of 36 with you, I lean towards the Derwent Canvas Wrap rolls.