People who read science fiction read a lot of it. That makes them hard to buy for. The obvious present is a book, and the odds are good that they own it, have read it, or have firm views on why they won't. A gift card is safe and dull.
There is a better idea. Science fiction is a visual genre. Its readers carry pictures in their heads of ships, cities and alien skies, and they tend to like art that looks the way their favourite books feel. A piece for the wall by the reading chair will be used every day and will not duplicate anything on the shelf.
Science fiction and its pictures
The genre has always travelled with art. The pulp magazines of the 1930s to 1950s sold on their painted covers. Paperback cover artists of the 1960s and 1970s gave whole generations their idea of what the future looked like. Space artists such as Chesley Bonestell painted the planets before any probe had been there. Many readers can name the cover artist of a favourite edition. So art is a present that suits the hobby.
Match the art to what they read
Find out which shelf they return to. Look at their bookcase, or ask what they have enjoyed lately.
Space opera and hard science fiction
Starships, empires, physics, deep time. These readers like the real universe, drawn grandly.
- Black Hole. Silver and white on black. See black holes and wormholes: the science behind space art.
- Light Nebula. A magenta and blue cloud among stars.
- Purple Pink Wormhole. For anyone who has read about faster-than-light travel.
Cyberpunk
Neon, rain, hackers and corporations. The look was fixed in the 1980s, and it is one we know well.
- Cyberpunk Slick Street. An empty wet street at night under coloured signs.
- Japanese City Punk FX.3. A red and pink alley.
- Koi Attack. Giant koi over a neon street.
See why cyberpunk streets are always wet.
Astronauts and first contact
Stories of one person a long way from home.
- Scanline Spaceman. An astronaut breaking up like a failing transmission.
- Astronaut in the Clouds. A helmet filled with sky.
See astronauts in art: the lone spaceman.
Dystopia and climate fiction
The world gone wrong. Earth Glitched, the planet streaked with interference, suits this shelf.
Retro-futurism and the golden age
Readers of mid-century classics, and of the computer-age fiction of the 1980s. Cyber Wave Escape, a wireframe grid running to the horizon, is that era's idea of the inside of a computer. See CRT and glitch art explained.
The strange and the cosmic
Readers of weird fiction, surreal futures and far-future cities. Starlight City and Cosmic Frosted City Skyline show cities that are not quite on Earth.
Science fantasy
Where the genre shades into fantasy. Lost Forest Magic Portal, or Blue Fox in Space. See portals and doorways in art.
For the reading corner
Most serious readers have a chair, a lamp and a shelf. One picture finishes it.
- A canvas or framed poster on the wall beside or behind the chair. Medium size: 16 × 20 or 18 × 24 inches.
- Dark and deep. A reading corner is used in the evening, under a lamp. Dark pictures with glowing colour look best in that light.
- Above or beside the bookcase. A small piece leaning on a shelf among the books looks very good.
- A tapestry behind the chair for a reader with a big wall.
Canvas has no glass, so the reading lamp won't reflect in it.
For the desk
Many readers also write, game or work at a computer. A desk mat in one of the designs above is a practical present, used daily. See the desk mat size guide.
Small gifts
- Pins, about $6. For the tote bag that carries the library books. See how to style pins.
- A keychain, about $15.
- A small poster, from about $14, to pin up near the shelf.
- A t-shirt, if you know the size. Made-to-order clothing can't be exchanged, but you can return it within 30 days of delivery (you pay the return shipping).
These go well with a book. A paperback and a pin in a matching theme make a thoughtful parcel. See gifts under $20.
A note on what our art is
Everything we sell is original artwork from our studio. It is in the spirit of the genre. It is not official merchandise for any book, film or game, and it doesn't show characters or designs from them. For many readers that is an advantage. It suits the room of someone who loves the genre as a whole, and it won't date when a series ends.
By budget
Approximate prices at the time of writing.
- Under $20: pins, a keychain, a small poster.
- $20 to $45: a desk mat or a larger poster.
- $30 to $90: a tapestry.
- $45 to $125: a small or medium canvas.
- $85 and up: a framed poster.
If you don't know their taste
- Space is the safe choice. Nearly every science fiction reader likes a good picture of the cosmos.
- Avoid guessing a favourite series. Choose a mood.
- Dark colours are safer than bright in a book-lined room.
- Or ask. Readers are usually glad to tell you what they like.
See gifts for someone who has everything.
Timing
Each piece is made to order: 2 to 7 business days for production and 3 to 7 for US delivery. Order about three weeks before the date. For December, see holiday order deadlines.
Browse the canvas art, poster prints and tapestries collections.