Reddit mentions: The best drawing tables & boards

I'm probably too late, but some ideas!

The mug is a cute idea, I love these "Surprise Mugs"

We don't know which country you or she is from, but it might be nice to get hers something small from her country (or something from your country that's super distinct if she's very excited about living there).

For instance, if she is from Germany, you could get her some Hanuta -- I know when I moved away from home, it was very comforting to get reminders from there.

Or if she's from Belgium, Stroopwafels might be nice to go with tea! Just something small that represents her home.

As for relaxation items (which seems to me to be one of your best options seeing as your ultimate goal is to help her relax, right?), I have a few:

Gong for her desk at work?

A zen "Desktop Garden?"

A Buddha Board for work?

A little desktop fountain?

A diffuser for at home (SUPER relaxing, but you'd also need essential oils)?

Or even a necklace diffuser?

"Natural Talent" is a lie. It doesn't exist. Anyone anywhere who is any good at anything, is so because they worked hard and practiced for a long time.

The kid's 9 years old, anything that he tries to do, he is going to get frustrated. All you can do for now is encourage him, and help him learn to derive fun from the process of art-making, rather than worrying about the result. Getting hung up on particular techniques and styles at this early on is, I think, counter-productive. All it will do is serve to highlight the disparity with his current skill level and that of others around him, which is discouraging. Get involved with him in the process, draw with him. Are you no good at drawing? Great! Have fun drawing with him, and show him that making a perfect drawing isn't the most important thing. And maybe you can begin learning and developing as artists together.

One thing that can help make the process more exciting is new tools. Is he drawing mostly with crayons and markers? Get him some (cheap, nontoxic, water-soluble) paints or pastels. Make collages out of ripping construction paper. get him a Buddha Board, or just some sidewalk chalk. Experimenting with different mediums will help get him engaged in the process of making art, and not worry about the final product.

He sounds like a good recipient for a Buddha Board.

I'd also think of a pile of great books that delve into the therapy/specialty he's interested in, knowledge goes with any lifestyle. Or maybe a book on how to build furniture yourself that's easy to make and light on the environment.

> Preferably something basic, that improves quality of life and will last a lifetime.

Victorinox Swiss army knife with lots of necessary features. For $50 I don't know too many things that will last a lifetime, maybe someone else here knows better.

A Buddha Board, its one of the coolest things I've seen that somewhat relates to meditation. I'm sure your friend would love it! Buddha Board Amazon

HandHook I think you'll love this

/u/argirl09 (my latest newbie) has a water writing board thing on her list. I've played with one and can say that if five minutes of readability is too much but you also don't want the ability to erase your work at will, this is for you. Do you have cats? They'll enjoy drinking from and pushing over the water glass you leave out to use with the board.

Small container of lube.

If you have any plants, moonwater is great for tending them. You can also use it in teas, baths, cleansing sprays, and as a base for any kind of magical liquid mixture.

I also like to use it for making temporary drawings/inscriptions - marking out a circle on the floor, or writing on a buddha board.

I like the easel boxes like this or this where you can store limited supplies right in the box. Left to my own nature I could fill a van or cargo trailer with art supplies, but having to keep everything in one very small box makes the system portable and compact and keeps the end product from being huge and cumbersome. It also makes you focus on just a few mediums, but does allow some choice between pencil, pen, watercolor, acrylic or oil, provided you primarily focus only on one or two of those and don't try to do it all.

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You need this [Buddha Board] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010TEFFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_ryIQwb3AYPNY7)

It is a super cool canvas that you paint with water and then it disappears in minutes. Zen painting. :)

You could gradient sheets like this.

If you're consistently pressing too hard, try switching to an overhand grip and/or draw with your paper more upright. Sketch boards like this are good for keeping your paper upright, and Proko has a video on pencil control you should check out.

Just an idea but why not try a drawing stand. I think it would only be natural to move the cintiq around like you would a piece of paper. And it would be a lot more ergonomic to position the cintiq much higher and closer to head height. Although you couldn't travel with it.

when i was in art school i bought something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00LUZBTQS/ref=mh_s9_acsd_top_bs76x_c_x_3_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=mobile-hybrid-3&pf_rd_r=A0X0QFQNFTHFXFX66RTX&pf_rd_t=30901&pf_rd_p=d272dacc-6ca7-56de-aeec-9ff93bda2767&pf_rd_i=12897051

sorry about the crazy link i'm on mobile. and then we clipped or taped the paper to it. you can mount it on an easel or prop it on a table or a stack of books to be angled or whatever you want. mine is probably like 20x30 in and has been very helpful to me for larger drawings. you can get them in person at smaller specialized art supply stores (not a michaels or whatever).

I had one of these from my art classes: http://www.amazon.com/Heritage-Sketch-Board-Size-23-5/dp/B001DIC63M/ref=sr_1_2?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1405639939&sr=1-2&keywords=art+board+clips

My girlfriend and I would throw this over our laps when we played in bed. Also, get an iPad at some point if you can. It's the perfect lazy-gaming.

I'm so sorry for your loss. <3 I'd love to use this to build my drawing skills as well as managing my anxiety. Thank you for this contest.

US Art Supply Artist Sketch Tote Board - Great for Classroom, Studio or Field Use (23"x26") https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LUZBTQS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_JwEDAbN967JGM

It’s just called a tabletop or desktop easel. It can also be called a drawing board easel. You can find them fairly cheap on Amazon (though not sure about how easy to find in Manila?) tabletop easel

Some neat ideas for artsy people are a Buddha board and an expert coloring book.

It’s a tabletop easel. I have one like it. The one in the picture isn’t really all that small, but here’s a similar one you can buy on Amazon here

https://www.amazon.com/Buddha-Board-100-The-Original/dp/B0010TEFFQ

I got it as a gift. But, it's nice. It's kind of kitcshy, but it's calming/relaxing to draw/write on it. Just requires water. It comes with the brush.

They have a nice zen version called a Buddha Board. It comes in different sizes.

Its a white board that turns black when you paint water onto its surface. As the water evaporates, the painting fades. Very calm, much zen. http://www.amazon.com/Original-Buddha-Board-Master-letting/dp/B0010TEFFQ

an adjustable drawing board? Like this

https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Multifunctional-Adjustable-Painting-Sketching/dp/B07C2X8MHH

Get yourself an angled drawing board. I use one and it helps a ton, it also helps avoid drawing skewed pictures since you're not drawing them from a weird angle. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for about $24, so I'd go there if you have one near you. Just remember to bring a coupon.

A Buddha Board for sure. Artsy and spiritual - you paint on it with water and it fades away in time.

I use the VYCO mats to cover my drafting tables, with the biggest being 3'x5', here is an amazon link. The material is available is many sizes including entire rolls.

https://www.amazon.com/Alvin-VBC44-4-Green-Cream-Board/dp/B001DKKWHC/ref=asc_df_B001DKKWHC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167139441096&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4142861271659410529&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9013338&hvtargid=pla-276079119489&psc=1

I have an artist board like this which I use to write notes on / put my laptop on while in bed. Mine is made of a......"hard cardboard" material that 'puffs up' when exposed to water.

Any recommendations on how to waterproof this? Could I just get some epoxy and smear a very thin layer over the top?

As soon as I found out about the Buddha Board I knew I wanted one.

It is a special board that allows you to paint with water. When the water dries, the image vanishes. It is supposed to be a zen thing to show you to paint just for the sake of painting, since the image will disappear. It is also supposed to be a symbol that everything is temporary.

I also use coloring and collect as many coloring books as I can.

This is this first time I have ever tried to enter hyperlinks in a comment and I hope it works. I could have just screwed these hyperlinks up royally, lol.

I believe it is this one here at 26" Wide x 20-1/2" Tall. I bought it at Hobby Lobby for $30 about 10 years ago, and have moved across the country with it 4 times since, so it should last you! Here's a slightly smaller one that is also slightly cheaper.

The Buddha Board is my new go-to gift. It's cool and suits a wide variety of personalities (mother that needs a Zen moment, CEO that needs a Zen moment, cube worker that needs a cool cube toy, that artsy-fartsy guy that did that thing for me once, the weird chick that no one knows anything about but I drew her name in a Secret Santa).

I think a "buddha board" might be what you're looking for. There's also a cheaper mini one

Example of drawing board if link is allowed:
https://www.amazon.com/Urban-Artist-Adjustable-Painting-Sketching/dp/B00IWOQ2O4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502259739&sr=8-4&keywords=adjustable+drafting+board

U.S. Art Supply Large 18-1/2" Wide x 14-1/8" (A3) Tall Artist Adjustable Wood Drawing Board https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSDP7Z2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hKsBCb0YSNAHC

Sometimes I use by drawing board with my SP4 although it’s a bit clunky. This one is a bit smaller than mine: amazon

Hello you should check out sketch boards (you can always make one yourself) or you could get a drawing board. Just pay attention to the size you need. Usually people like to use angled surface because when drawing on flat surface your back will start to hurt after few hours.

Here are the specific products I used:
Masonite, Chalk Markers, and Chalkboard Paint. I also used a slightly different color set of sidewalk chalk like this that I bought at a drugstore. If I had it to do again, I might spend some time looking for a thinner Masonite board.

ETA: I realize my bar for "sustainable" is likely lower than some, but I live in the DC area, so my main concern was reusability. It's also worth noting that Masonite board was designed as a way to reuse wood wasted at factories back in the day (although Masonite the company doesn't make masonite the material anymore, so I have no idea how the material is sourced now.)