these are a few of my favorite gifts to give and receive they're open-ended architect approved
well-designed objects and effects and they support creators and making
i kind of think of them as the raw materials of creative work and a good life
even a small gift is more meaningful when you thoughtfully package it and this one's wrapped
in recycled sheets from last year's Stendig calendar and sealed up with a custom sticker
instead of using cardboard or another material to throw away the packaging can actually be a part
of the gift and this one's a felt Besta box from IKEA everyone can use an extra Besta of box right
inside this without question my favorite gift items are books for inspiration for access to new
ideas and just to have around in the studio books are a comfort and i can never seem to have enough
but not everyone knows what you like so keep a list of your favorites either at kit.co
or build a wish list online and do try and support a local bookstore if you can
sketching is a part of every creative's process and i recently picked up this heavy duty canvas
pencil case from Bellroy to hold all my sketching tools and this travels with me
pretty much everywhere easily tucks into your bag so it's nice and portable
i like to work in a very clean workspace and when you own nice objects like this you don't mind
keeping them out and visible on your desk what's nice about this the case edges fold over so you
can keep it open on the desk and then the zipper closure kind of makes this nice handle to grab
for sketching i like mechanical pencils and the nice ones make great gifts two of my favorites are
the Kuru Toga which rotates the lead as you draw so you always have a sharp point to use and i have
two of these i have one in silver which has 2h lead in it kind of a harder lead for lighter lines
and then one in black with hb lead which helps you to draw darker lines i've also added to this
a Rotring 0.7 millimeter mechanical pencil for heavier lines the Kuru Togas are 0.5 millimeter
this is a 0.7 millimeter now the Rotring is a little bit more expensive than the Kuru Togas but
all of these have metal barrels and importantly that's what gives them the right weight
in the hand throw in some spare lead and one of these Tombow click erasers for
some precise erasing and you have a set of nice long lasting tools now the case is a
perfect size to hold a set of 12 colored pencils and i like this palette by Derwent because they
mimic architectural and natural materials woods earth tones grass metal glass these are great
for adding just a little bit of color to your sketch and because these are a bit thicker than
normal you want to carry a sharpener that works with thicker pencils so throw in an M and R 604
For sketching this is a new sketchbook i designed called TRACE the pages are a luxe heavyweight
90-pound vellum with a white reticle grid printed on the reverse side of each page it takes graphite
colored pencils ink and markers beautifully with no bleed through including Copics which can be
a problem with sketchbooks and because it's translucent you can use it for iterating ideas
or layering on top of existing drawings you've done just as you would a roll of tracing paper
a set of Copic markers is a real luxury and neutrals are a personal favorite of mine like
this set of warm grays they're double tipped with a square barrel that's really easy to hold and
this one includes a colorless blender for fades and transitions
you'll love using these on vellum and trace
rounding out the gift are a few simple accessories this is a small box of Japanese
incense and i burn this in the studio each morning it's beautifully packaged
each stick lasts only about 10 minutes which is just enough to scent the room
and it comes with this beautiful small metal holder molded after a Tokyo street cobble
add to that a handful of specialty paper clips this is something i keep an eye out
for as i'm traveling in stationery stores but i think a found object is just as good
and for the end or, middle of the day your choice
this bottle opener by Ferm and a locally brewed beer make a perfect pairing
and because you'll need more wrapping for next
year's gifts throw in a timeless classic the Stendig wall calendar for yourself
designed by Massimo Vignelli in 1966 this one never goes out of style
as the year draws to a close i know for many of you this hasn't been an easy one sending you my
humble thanks for your support and for returning here when i make new things even if that's not
as often as i'd like wishing you peace and good health in the new year ahead cheers my friends