A third time makes it a tradition – 2 years after the previous list (and 5 after the first). It’s that wonderful time of the year again – and here are 12 last-minute gift ideas for the colorists and color lovers in your lives.
As usual, I tried not to repeat gift ideas – at least as much as I could.
1. The absolutely fabulous – TinyTV – the world’s smallest functioning color TV – complete with a cute little RC. This first one is “gift-perfection”. I came across it on a Kickstarter campaign and couldn’t resist not backing it up. It can store videos in it’s 9 channels – as well as stream from a connected computer. It now lives in my workstation – and I’m sure it will be a source of endless fun during long grading sessions in coming months.
https://tinycircuits.com/pages/tinytv2
2. I’d bet that most colorists and color lovers know the story of VantaBlack – the world’s blackest black paint, which absorbs 99.99% of light and makes everything look like a dimensionless void. First introduced in 2014 – it shocked the world with its capacity to make everything flat – and shocked the world again 2 years later when the manufacturer granted British artist Anish Kapur the exclusive right to use it in his work – fast forward a few years later – British artist Stuart Semple and a joint effort of artists all over the world develop BLACK 3.0 & 4.0 – as black as VantaBlack, much simpler and cheaper to use, and available for EVERYONE – except, Anish Kapoor (lol) – really, you have to acknowledge that you’re not him to order it, or even to accept the site’s cookies – funny.
From technical applications of light absorbance – to artistic touches to the studio – I can’t think of not wanting to play with this product.
This is from the BLACK 4.0 page “BLACK 4 DOES THIS…
- Absorbs all the light in the universe as well as other universes
- Works on all surfaces
- Thins with water
- Archival
- No cooking, Vacuum chambers or massive ego needed
- Brush or airbrush
- High-quality pigments means a little travels light-years
- The matte-est, flattest black you’ll ever see
The rest of the website is awesome too and has a ton of other cool gift ideas – I’d consider WHITE 2.0, PINKIE – THE BARBIEST PINK or that beautiful TIFF blue… but there are many other ideas there.
https://culturehustle.com/products/black-3-0-the-worlds-blackest-black-acrylic-paint-150ml
https://culturehustle.com/products/black-4-0
3. Of the many bridges between childhood and adulthood – Lego bricks must be amongst the most loved everywhere – and in recent years, Lego has come up with wonderful sets for adults to make the bridge even stronger. This specific set probably wasn’t intended for video colorists 😉 – but it is spot on, and a very cool studio/grading suite decoration piece – that both reflects on your inner child – as well as your love of colors – all bound by the iconic eternal geek-brick – (I can hardly describe the look and reaction of my 5 years old kid when he saw me pick this up in the Lego store as a gift for myself – but it was priceless). Also adding a link to Lego’s Walt Disney Tribute Camera – Which is another very cool gift idea – expanding from color correction to the love of cinema and film.
https://www.lego.com/en-il/product/everyone-is-awesome-40516
https://www.lego.com/en-il/product/walt-disney-tribute-camera-43230
4. Remember that 4-color ball point pen of the good ol’ days? What if it was re-envisioned to be the best coloring pen ever? – Meet The CMYK Pen – and prepare to fall in love. The very cool British Design company – SUCK.UK are a treasure of fun, inexpensive and well-thought-of gifts – and this must be one of their coolest – the tagline is “Sketch in full colour,” – and for less than 12$, this pen does just that – combining color theory with fun. Like every colorist should know – Any color can be created by combining the 4 colours; Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black. The CMYK process is used in printing to build up full-colour images, and now you can use that same process to create full-colour art with this ballpoint pen. And just that makes it a must-have for any color lover I can think of. The product page is very detailed and explanatory – this can also be ordered in bulk and branded as Studio Swag for your favorite customers… should I say more?
https://www.suck.uk.com/products/cmyk-pen/
5. This is an original enough gift to stand on its own – even if it is from the same store like the previous – and if you liked the CMYK pen, you’ll love the CMYK Sticky Notes. They are semi-transparent to allow all the color mixing fun your fridge or studio memo-board can have, and at 7.50$ – they are an unbeatable last-minute stocking-stuffer
https://www.suck.uk.com/products/transparent-sticky-notes-cmyk/#more\
6. From very affordable – to mildly expensive, but wow, what a product this is – it feels like a device straight out of a StarTrek episode and definitely promises a lot. – this is the Colorpik Digital Ink pen – in a nutshell, it’s a pen device, that has a built-in color sensor, and inkjet printer – allowing you to scan any color – then paint/draw it on different surfaces using an assortment of different tips – the manufacturer claims 16 million colors, bright, resistant and applicable to many materials and surfaces – I can’t think of seeing anything like it in the past – And I deeply want one. It’s fair to add that this is still in development and though it was reviewed by trusted sources – is scheduled to ship around April 2024 – and like every crowdfunding project, there are risks. However, the Indigogo price is still 47% discounted – making it expensive but affordable at 159$ – it will cost 299$ once the campaign ends.
Website – https://colorpik.ai/
Indigogo – https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/colorpik-pen-copy-and-draw-with-16-million-colors#/
7. I had one of these on the 2018 list – but this one is an upgrade – not 1000 pieces, 5000!
A giant, challenging 5000-piece jigsaw color gradient puzzle – this is a quote from the designer: “This one is for all those who wrote and said that 1000 COLOURS wasn’t a challenge. Multiplying the number of pieces by a magnitude of five makes the difference in hue between neighbouring tiles barely perceptible.”– Clemens Habicht
It’s big, and manufactured in Germany, so a top-notch product.
https://www.playgroup.design/#5000-colours
8. Books make you smarter – and color-related books are always a fun, sensitive and fitting gift for color lovers; they also make a great addition to any studio, whether as a coffee table book or on your shelf of knowledge – as books don’t just make you smarter… they even make you look smarter 😉
This one is wonderful (Hardcover Edition) and will definitely be appreciated – The Secret Lives of Colors by Kassia St. Clair.
I also recommend – A Biography of the Pixel by Alvy Ray Smith (Pixar CoFounder) – which isn’t just a great read – but a must-have for video professionals and especially colorists.
9. Not many things say “Color” like Pantone does – and even if not directly related to our video-based craft – one just can’t resist the cool, intellectual and stylish vibe of the Pantone look.
The guys at Pantone know it and make wonderful and very fairly priced swag – from umbrellas and flasks – to the all-time favorite “Pantone color of the year mug” – this is the kind of gift that will attract the right kind of attention.
10. I think Sir Issac Neuton would definitely love this one – so simple and so pretty, these stickers interact with light from your windows to show beautiful spectral rainbows in your interiors.
You can get them at Etsy or here: https://www.organismt.com/products/adsorption-rainbow-glass-window-stickers
Bonus #1
11. Like a color picker in your pocket – I had one of these in the first list – back in 2018, mini Colorimeters were something rather new and exciting – 5 years later, there are many of them, in varying price points and functionality, from relatively inexpensive RGB Scanners – to full-blown (and more expensive) Spectrometers. Why would a colorist want a physical color picker in their pocket connected to their phone? I can’t think of an answer to that 🙂 – I chose 2 well-reviewed models at very attractive price points. The new Nix Mini 3 Color Sensor Colorimeter (evolved from the model on the original list) and the COLOR MUSE 2 Colorimeter – both under 100$ and packed with useful features.
Bonus #2
12. The Colorist Gemstone – Also part of the original list was opal stones and their beautiful quality to show millions of colors in their intricate interiors – on a ring, a pendant or even just as a display item – this still has to be one of the nicest and most personal ways to say “I love you” to a colorist friend or loved one – and since the Opal Auctions Website is having a Christmas sale – it’s a great opportunity to find something really special. This is a search for up to 100$ opal jewelry on the website, but of course – you can look for much much more.
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