The paint set that turns "I wish I could paint" into a Sunday afternoon. Twelve high-quality pan colors lay down smooth, saturated washes instead of the chalky streaks you remember from grade school, and the palette is chosen so you can mix almost anything from it: red, pink, orange, yellow, yellow ochre, brown, green, olive green, blue, navy, purple and black. The tin lid doubles as your mixing palette, so the whole studio is one slim black case.

A round size 4 brush is included, which is the workhorse size for loose florals, lettering and the small painted notes Emily Lex is known for. At 8.5" x 2" it slides into a bag, a desk drawer or a suitcase, which is how most of these actually get used. A genuinely lovely gift for a beginner, and a set a practiced painter will still keep in the car.