I am a HUGE fan of people who can draw and paint, and come up with a final piece that doesn’t look like a preschooler made it. I’m not one of those people. (My husband is, though, and you can check out some of his past work at Southwestern Voodoo.)

Having also spent many, many hours working on becoming a better photographer (and a long way to go to get where I’d like to be), I’m also in awe every time I see a really gorgeous photo. It doesn’t even matter to me if it’s been digitally altered or not – the skills some people have with photoshop and similar programs is an art in itself!

So, for my final gift guide, I’d just like to point out a few talented artists and photographers I’ve become a fan of since I got involved with selling on etsy. If your taste differs from mine, all you have to do is browse the art and photography categories there to find something that would be perfect to hang in your living room.

Photo by Lorissa Longfellow

Lorissa Longfellow takes beautiful photographs and has spent a lot of time on Route 66 – in her shop you can find images of flowers as well as Americana from her travels, and more.

Abstract by Bobbi Chukran

Bobi Chukran is a multi-talented artist who paints and does hand-pulled linocut prints. I own a couple of her small abstract pieces and I love them.

Photo from Designs by Victoria

Victoria, jewelry maker behind Designs by Victoria, makes some beautiful digitally altered photos.

Photo from Allie Art for Children

Allie of Allie Art for Children takes fantastic photos, and I think the way she alters them is genius.

Look what Marisa Hopkins of Elegant Snobbery does with colored pencils. Her shop is closed for the moment, but you can see lots of her artwork on her blog. I had no idea colored pencils could be blended, and her prints make perfect decorations for a nursery or kid room – I should know, being the proud owner of two of her sock monkey prints!

Those are just a few of my favorites. Here’s a little list of links to some other great etsy shops if you feel like more browsing….

Apple Loves Orange
McIsaac Art
The Dreamy Giraffe
Echos Art
Jennifer Dennis Potter
Natural Artist
Madrin Photography

Know another great etsy artist I should check out? Tell me in the comments, I’ll update the list!