Margot Harrington, a.k.a. CheekyMonkey82, is a freelance graphic designer, the editor of COLOURlovers’ Print Channel, an art junkie, and all-around collaborator captivated by all forms of making and doing. She documents art and design on the Internet at Pitch Design Union and Mint Design Blog.
Of all the glorious sundries available on Etsy, interestingly enough, it’s not the first place I normally look when I’m in the mood for art and design, or prints and posters. Any artist I tend to find on Etsy is usually referred from another source, typically from one of the many design blogs I frequent when I’m on the hunt some inspiration for my own work and blog. That’s not to say that there aren’t fantastic gems to be had; there’s everything from handmade zines, screenprints, bound books, prints, and letterpress goodies galore. I’ve picked out my newer favorite finds and a handful of loves that I’ve been eyeballing for some time. I also put together a few color palettes based off some of the work, feel free to wander over to COLOURlovers and use them in your own work!

Artwork by essimar
I’ve been a big fan of the dreamy vibe in essimar‘s work for a long time, and I just love the particular color palette she employs. Her work is mostly small prints and cards, either screenprinted, collaged or both. Also check out her blog for new work and Flickr for even more product and in-process photos.
Artwork by alyoisiusspyker
Lovely rainbow-hued screenprints are by alyoisisspyker, though I’m partial to these geometric ones and would love to have them in my house. There are still few left of each, snap those babies up!

Artwork by chrispiascik
All acid-pop fun, illustrator Chris Piascik’s hand-lettering is incredibly clever and detailed. See more of his work at chrispiascik.com.
Artwork by slidesideways
Slide Sideways is made up of screenprinters Jaqui and Scott and they are no strangers to Etsy. Their work is adorable and irreverent, but not too cutesy. I especially like how they’ve managed to extend their printing talents to pouches, journal and pillows.

Artwork by leahduncan
Leah Duncan is the brains behind these brilliant illustrations, which have are a unique feel that’s both modern and folksy. Super hot colors too! Loves.
Artwork by annebenjamin
Mok Duk is Anne Benjamin: illustrator, screenprinter, and letterpress maven. She does tons of amazing letterpress wedding invitations too. See more of her work at AnnBenjamin.com.
Artwork by rarrarpress
Typophiles rejoice with the sassy prints by Reba Rakstad of Rar Rar Press. Posters, buttons, small notebooks, cards, and T-shirts are all hand typeset and letterpressed. Reba also has a blog and helps run Chicago-based No Coast, which is a multi-use art space and studio focused on printmaking, and book art and fiber arts.
Thanks to Margot for sharing her COLOURlover palettes inspired by Etsy artists.
Do you have a favorite colorful Etsy artist? Leave their shop name in the comments below.







99 comments
Sign in to add your ownKnockKnocking says:
Um, oh my gosh I love this article so much I may marry it.
2 years ago
opendoorstudio says:
just how wonderful is this!!! LOVE the color inspiration!
2 years ago
VintageTribe says:
LOVE the geometric prints!
2 years ago
Ayca says:
Lovely article! Thanks for sharing :)
2 years ago
paramountvintage says:
i love the color palettes! great aesthetic.
2 years ago
theblackbirdsings says:
A very inspiring article - just what I needed! Thank you. :)
2 years ago
VeraVague says:
hell yes! typophiles of the world unite make sh*t yourself! i love this article and am happy my eyes have layed upon it.
2 years ago
xmoonbloom says:
bookmarking
2 years ago
tomatored says:
great images! thanks!
2 years ago
livingstonandporter says:
love typography...love making letters..So glad there are people out there who like color, type and putting it all together as much as I do!
2 years ago
jillhannah says:
I LOUVE COlOURLovers.com! Such a great idea for an article, and such a great article! Just over a year ago I went through a colourlovers/color-obsessive phase and found more fun color toys, like the color-vision test and and Colourism. Links and commentary can be found here: http://jillhannah.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html
2 years ago
julessabjewelry says:
Margot! This is awesome! LOVE IT!!!!!!!
2 years ago
taylorseclectic says:
I love the color! Great finds.
2 years ago
yaelfran says:
WOWWWWWWW!!!!! Love this article!!!!!!!
2 years ago
StudioCherie says:
ooh, found some new favorites here. Thanks for a fun post
2 years ago
TheMerchantMariner says:
I love the color combos! So fresh!
2 years ago
love4rocks says:
Great article. I love the colors.
2 years ago
victoriousyouth says:
I took a color class a few years back and it reminds me of this. Glad to come across a refresher and a new perspective on color!
2 years ago
SeasationalShells says:
That was great, thank you!
2 years ago
martice says:
I get a lot of customers asking a sleeve from a color lover palette :)))) so love it :)
2 years ago
undermyfeet says:
Thank you for sharing these great pieces. I'm clicking on the links now.
2 years ago
dreamyvintage says:
Thank you for sharing! I visited some of the websites and was not disappointed at all :) Lovely!
2 years ago
Slowshirts says:
What amazing printmakers you have collected here. New people i've never seen, thanks! We include process photo's in almost all of our listings since our beginning in 1997. I think it's such an important story to document and show potential customers how many steps went into the final product they buy. We like to call it "layers in process."
2 years ago
CarlaLovato says:
As a "lover" of color. . . excellent article!
2 years ago
pineappleaisle says:
I'm all for colors!
2 years ago
ohbabydotcom says:
great article : )
2 years ago
BeadedTreasurebySue says:
Love the great colors and images. Thank you.
2 years ago
jikits says:
super lovely fly colour palettes! i <3 all these picks!
2 years ago
CheekyMonkey82 says:
Wow, I can't get over this community, it's so supportive! Glad to be a part of it and thanks for sharing the love.
2 years ago
goingplaces2 says:
I LOvE tHE c o l ors aNd thE TYp o gRApHy.
2 years ago
AnniesWearableArt says:
My Mom always told people that I was colorblind. I adamantly disagreed, and still maintain I am not because I can see and LOVE these color combinations.
2 years ago
mucar says:
Great finds.....
2 years ago
manvsgeorge says:
Ooh, I *love* COLOURlovers! Such a fun place to explore and find inspiration. Thanks for this article -- and the great collection of items shown here!
2 years ago
WeeBindery says:
Great colors and great designs! Very nice!
2 years ago
wagtail says:
beautiful picks!
2 years ago
mimmaart says:
COLOURlover´s palette look great!! I like the color combinations of helendardik http://www.etsy.com/shop/helendardik
2 years ago
bedbuggs says:
Great Finds, and great Article! Thanks for sharing!
2 years ago
lovelygifts says:
Very nice!
2 years ago
candacejean says:
Love this collection! Great, great stuff.
2 years ago
fastsoftpress says:
Great prints-so inspiring! Can't wait to check out the Print channel and the Colorlovers palette.
2 years ago
thewheatfield says:
Awesome!
2 years ago
louloudo says:
loved all these finds so so much!!! thanks
2 years ago
janellelile says:
I love Leah Duncan's color palette - it's amazing. Her work is gorgeous in so many ways :)
2 years ago
monkeyminddesign09 says:
Very fun! Love all the creativity!
2 years ago
lindasmartstudio says:
What a great colorful selection! Almost as colorful as my shop and I am terminal.
2 years ago
rawartletterpress says:
great article!
2 years ago
rubypaperco says:
Great colors! Wonderful, thanks!
2 years ago
swimswim says:
love the colors and the "make shit yourself" poster is so great!
2 years ago
akcArt says:
I love the colors and the items! Very unique!
2 years ago
HornCatCreations says:
Oooh! this was a fun read!
2 years ago
RomanceCatsAndWhimsy says:
Inspiring article and love the colors!!
2 years ago
blueskyclouds says:
Yes, I love the color palettes...makes me want to experiment a bit. And the artwork, oh my!
2 years ago
DPKministat says:
I dig it!
2 years ago
hankietankie says:
LOVE the groovy colors, my mom used to have these kind of fun signs around the house when i was a kid, nice to see them re-emerge! XO
2 years ago
CositasSeriasVintage says:
I loved this article. Tons of new favorites here!
2 years ago
TheWhirlwind says:
I always use Colour Lovers to search for cool palettes. It's really awesome!
2 years ago
baconsquarefarm says:
Thanks enjoyed my read and finds above. :)
2 years ago
adrienneaudrey says:
Love the high 5 poster!
2 years ago
designlab443 says:
great colors & fun!
2 years ago
thenewblackmarket says:
i love everything featured in this post...<3
2 years ago
recycledwares says:
some fun color combinations
2 years ago
gretchenmist says:
some favourite artists and beautiful finds ~ love leah and essimar's work. thanks for this great article :)
2 years ago
CaliforniaCraft says:
What a great post! These color combination are so cool.
2 years ago
ZZsROCKnRECYCLABLES says:
SO MUCH FUN SO MUCH FUN SO MUCH FUN so much fun !!!!!!!!!!!
2 years ago
Thestorybookcottage says:
Your color combos are awesome! Thanks for sharing...
2 years ago
papersquid says:
You can never have to much color inspiration. I love playing & experimenting with different color. Lovely.
2 years ago
accentonvintage says:
Great article! Love the geometric designs!
2 years ago
ArtsyCraftsy2 says:
WOW-- LOVE LOVE LOVE these colors! So awesome, rock on! =]
2 years ago
ziazia says:
Great article!! Love the palettes!
2 years ago
LavenderField says:
Colors are my no. 1 inspiration. I feel alive when I see beautifully combined colors, and I feel all warm and fuzzy inside me :0)
2 years ago
RePairer says:
super super.. fun I love this article so much
2 years ago
artangel says:
Gorgeous colours - I could look at this all day!
2 years ago
trulyvera says:
Great color references and a great article.
2 years ago
sunmeower says:
LOVING them! I love the wee woodland bits too, the hoof high five and the black bear really stood out : )
2 years ago
LittleWrenPottery says:
Beautiful colour picks, I really enjoyed this all the art in here is fabulous : D
2 years ago
2treasurehunt says:
Great color palettes!
2 years ago
thingsSHEcarried says:
You have jumped into a whole new color world - where none such existed. Exciting fun. this influences my working palette to no end!
2 years ago
Beaddles says:
What a timely article, just as I had started some research of my own looking for different color palettes. I especially loved the one used for Harry Had a Bad Feeling. Thanks, Margot!
2 years ago
artl8dy says:
This is my kind of goods!
2 years ago
sarahknightdesign says:
Love this! Thanks:) The work of Reba Rakstad cracks me up-- amazingly talented & witty!
2 years ago
craftpile says:
Margot, beautiful...love it!!
2 years ago
aromaticbodyoils says:
Great colors. I decided yesterday that I needed a little more color in my life, and packaging. So I am off to Michaels to make it happen!
2 years ago
GenevieveWoodford says:
I love this - thank you so much for posting! I love the collection of artists you've highlighted too... just off to have a look at their work!
2 years ago
poppycottage says:
Great color!
2 years ago
meoneil says:
Decolorful and delightful!
2 years ago
Yvonne4eyes says:
leah duncan's moose, jack rabbit & owl I love!
2 years ago
kristimcmurry says:
hand-lettering is so wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
2 years ago
JoshUrsoDesign says:
Ha ha! "Talk nerdy to me" card is hilarious! Nice piece highlighting the 2D selection on Etsy. Color choices can sometimes be mystifying. Thanks for giving us some pointers!
2 years ago
jargonhead says:
Leah Duncan's work is excellent! Glad to know there are other color junkies out there :)
2 years ago
BeesAndTrees says:
Yay COLOURlovers!
2 years ago
slidesideways says:
We are lovers of all things colors! Great post! And thank you for the shop mention too!
2 years ago
AKjapan says:
Strange, I started reading a book on colour last night.
2 years ago
DevineDesignStudios says:
I love Harry Had aBad Feeling print by LeahDuncan!!! Thanks, great article on color, beautiful picks!!!
2 years ago
VintageScriptPress says:
Very cool colors great art
2 years ago
toutourouge says:
love love colours
2 years ago
EvenAndy says:
Great collection:) I am an new to typography and graphic design. Love the work highlighted in this piece:)
2 years ago
redyellowandblueink says:
Excellent post-I am so glad to see alyoisiusspyker here. I always loved this work. As for color, well you can tell what I love by my shop name and my avatar, and the colors in this post do not disappoint. To name only one favorite color etsy artist is very difficult but here's mine. http://www.etsy.com/shop/joedive
2 years ago
cristinapires says:
AWESOME....love this!
2 years ago
pasin says:
Lovely article
2 years ago