Best creative gadgets for artists and art enthusiasts

With COVID-19’s spread, many of us have been under lockdown for nearly a month. This means you’ve probably already Marie Kondoed your home, caught up on your reading, and watched everything on Netflix. If you’ve run out of things to do, you might want to consider tapping into your artistic side with some creative gadgets.

Iskn Slate 2 Plus Graphic Drawing Tablet in Use

If you’re an introvert, there’s no doubt you’ve come up with countless ways to spend your time under lockdown. You’ve got books to read, Netflix shows to watch, and games to play. The extroverts among us might need a little more inspiration. But whether you enjoy time on your own or not, extended periods indoors takes a toll on everyone. One way you can pass the time and also improve your health is to create some art. Yup, just the way you did back in middle school. This time, you’ll indulge your inner Picasso with some creative gadgets.

You probably already know that art is good for you. But studies show that it doesn’t even matter if you’re talented. According to a 2016 experiment conducted by Girija Kaimal, assistant professor of creative arts therapies at Drexel University, 45 minutes of creative activity significantly reduces stress in the body, regardless of artistic talent. That’s hopeful news for those of us who enjoy painting but aren’t that great at it.

Regardless of your talent, both amateur and professional artists will enjoy these creative gadgets.

A drawing tablet can be your sketchbook

A drawing tablet will let you doodle and capture your ideas directly on a screen. There are many drawing tablets out there, and if you’re a professional artist, you’ll want to consider things like pressure sensitivity, size, and accuracy before you buy one. For the hobbyist, these things won’t matter so much, but you may want to think about the size. Larger screens give you more space to work with. Here are some nice ones:

XP-Pen Artist Display 15.6 Pro Tablet

To inspire your creativity, the XP-Pen Artist Display 15.6 Pro Tablet display comes with a stylus, a drawing glove, a stand, and—of course—the tablet. The tablet offers 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 15.6-inch screen. Because it displays an 88% NTSC color gamut and tilts up to 60 degrees, it shows you everything and is ideal for working on. This means you can create drawings and see them in true-to-life color, popping out from the screen.

Iskn Slate 2 Plus Graphic Drawing Tablet

The Iskn Slate 2 Plus Graphic Drawing Tablet allows you to draw on paper and watch your creations appear on the screen right in front of you. Likewise, you can even use your favorite pencils with the Slate 2 Plus, so nothing has to change by going digital. Also, the graphic drawing tablet lets you enjoy the same paper feel that you know and love. You can use your favorite paper as well as any notebook that is under 7mm thick. Moreover, the Imagink app provides many different drawing tools with distinctive rendering such as pencil and felt tip.

Wacom Intuos Pro Pen Tablet

For a professional-grade drawing tablet, you’ll want to consider the Wacom Intuos Pro Pen Tablet It’s ideal for digital sketching, professional graphics, fashion design as well as photo editing, 3D sculpting, illustration, and much more. Thanks to the Wacom pro pen 2 with 8192 pen pressure levels (included) and 60 levels of tilt recognition in every direction, the Wacom pad gives you maximum precision and a natural writing feel.

Adobe Creative Cloud Connected Paper Tablet 

The Adobe Creative Cloud Connected Paper Tabletlets you digitize your drawings in real-time by using the Moleskine Pen+. Likewise, the Adobe Creative Cloud Connected Paper Tablet brings your content to the screen via Adobe Illustrator. Additionally, the Pen+ enables you to get creative on paper and watch your drawings upload to your digital device of choice. Thanks to Creative Cloud back-up, you can sketch on the go and upload your artwork to the cloud from any location. With its extra-large size, the Adobe Creative Cloud Connected Paper Tablet gives you plenty of room to get creative.

Draw with a stylus

Just as important as a drawing tablet is an artist’s stylus. This creative gadget is integral to digital art and design. And like drawing tablets, there are many to choose from. Here are some of our favorites. 

Scribble Smart Pen and Touchscreen Stylus

The Scribble Smart Pen and Touchscreen Stylus are incredible tools that will let you draw in any color. The Pen uses advanced ink that won’t fade in the light. And your drawings with Scribble are water-resistant. The device also has an RGB color scanner, meaning you can copy the perfect shade from any object. But the creativity doesn’t end with pen and paper. You can also use Scribble Stylus with your favorite design and illustration apps. It works perfectly with the iPad Pro, the Surface Pro, Android tablets, and numerous other devices.

Apple Pencil (second generation)

Apple’s answer to the artist stylus is the Apple Pencil. It boasts the precision, responsiveness, and natural fluidity of a traditional writing instrument yet offers much more. The Apple Pencil lets you turn your iPad into a notepad, canvas, or just about anything else you can imagine. It’s only compatible with certain iPads, so be sure yours is covered before you buy one.

The Friendly Swede 4-in-1 Stylus Pen 

The Friendly Swede 4-in-1 Stylus Pen offers the ultimate digital drawing variety for a creative gadget. It combines a stylus, a fine point disc stylus, a ballpoint pen, and a brush in one device. All the functions are replaceable, and you’ll receive two disc tips, two fiber tips, and one extra brush.

These art accessories are cool too

NeoLucida XL Optical Drawing Aid

The NeoLucida XL Optical Drawing Aid will let you draw anything you set your eye on. Armed with a mirror and glass, this nifty system projects objects onto your paper for you to draw. With this artist’s projector, you can trace and recreate the object in your style. The NeoLucida XL is perfect for artists and enthusiasts and brings a whole new dimension of inspiration to your sketchbook. 

DraftTable iPad Pro Drafting Stand

If you’re drawing digitally, you’ll need a creative gadget to stabilize your tablet. The DraftTable iPad ProDrafting Stand is designed specifically for the iPad Pro and offers security and convenience. It holds your device at an angle and can also withstand all-day designing, styling, and working. Also, you can adjust the angle thanks to the concealed internally spring-loaded hinges. The DraftTable is perfect for photographers, digital artists, students, and more. 

Numark DJ2GO2 Touch Pocket DJ Controller

The Numark DJ2GO2 Touch Pocket DJ Controller is the creative gadget you need to practice scratching looping and more if you want to learn how to mix your own sets. With capacitative touch jog wheels, this compact DJ device makes it super easy to scratch and mix beats. This two-channel controller comes with Serato DJ Lite software. Furthermore, it’s ready for you to upgrade to Serato DJ Pro when you feel ready. This software gives you access to millions of different tracks from both SoundCloud and TIDAL. 

Get inspired by some non-tech art supplies

Gadgets aren’t all tech. These non-tech creative gadgets are great for non-digital art and will inspire you with their beauty.

Petal Palette

You’ll feel like Monet painting a pond of lilypads with this floral-inspired stoneware Petal Palette. With six notches for brush-resting, eight wells for paint-housing, and a bowl for brush-rinsing, this beautiful yet functional palette will help your creativity grow.  It’s handmade, too, so this artistic palette will be one-of-a-kind. 

Natural Earth Paint

You’ll be able to mix your own paint and create art like the old masters with Natural Earth Paint, 100% pure and natural earth oil paints. Naturally non-toxic, these paints create the most archival, UV resistant, durable, and radiant paints on the market. These are top-quality pigments sustainably harvested from around the world.

Natural Earth Paint in Green

Leather Roll Case

Another creative gadget that will inspire you to draw is this Leather Roll Case. It’s the perfect case to keep pens, brushes, and pencils in order. Made of genuine leather with five color options, you’ll feel like a Victorian-era artist sketching nature scenes. You can also add personalization and the material is sturdy enough to give you years of use.

These are our picks for some the best creative gadgets to help you get in touch with your artistic side. Do you have any favorite gadgets that we haven’t mentioned? Leave a comment and let us know!