The Best Shops On Etsy To Buy Digital Download Artwork

I’m sharing all my favorite Etsy shops to buy digital download artwork from and how I incorporate them in my home!

The Slow Game

Raise your hand if you’re so sick of seeing the same décor style absolutely everywhere 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻

For the most part I’m satisfied with how the house is styled. Since the Great P*ndemic, I’ve come to realize that putting some personal style into our home is so so important. I kind of always decorated to impress people but now I really just want to love everything. (Which, weirdly enough, the people I have over seem to love even more. Go figure 🙃) I spend the vast majority of my time at home with my 2 daughters and I need pretty things to look at while I dissociate from reality during tantrums, etc.

One area I’ve always struggled with though is art! Growing up I covered my walls in posters and pictures and silly things. In college my walls were plastered with mood boards and inspiration for my fashion design classes. But when we moved into this house…. nothing. I think I got so caught up in potentially hating whatever I hung that I just… hung nothing.

Enter: Etsy

I’ve been an Etsy shop owner since 2014 and an Etsy shopper even longer. I love the idea of supporting small businesses and also getting things that aren’t available everywhere. It was only recently, though, that I discovered the world of digital download artwork.

I was doom scrolling on Instagram when I saw the funkiest piece of art in an influencer’s home. I lightly stalked her page and found the source. Surprise, it was Etsy. The colors weren’t right for my style but I loved the vibe, so I started searching for similar pieces and that’s when I unlocked a whole new corner of the Etsy-verse. There are dozens of shops that sell every kind of art you can think of as a digital download! I was shook to my core.

How It Works

Like I mentioned you can find just about anything in the form of digital download artwork, so its best to start with a general idea of what you’re looking for.

For example, I wanted to make a gallery wall in my office filled with portraits of women being badass. Kind of niche, but surprisingly attainable. You can see how it turned out here! I used search terms like “vintage female portraits” and “altered vintage art”. From there I’d find shops that had multiple pieces and favorite the ones I liked most.

Once my “favorites” list was substantial, I went through and narrowed it down to however many I needed for my gallery wall. Sometimes, a shop will offer bundle discounts if you buy multiple pieces, so check to see before you buy! I managed to save a nice chunk of change by bundling.

Why Buy Digital?

If you’re wondering why digital download artwork is the route I took instead of prints… its for several reasons. First – budget. Its significantly cheaper to buy digital download artwork than a physical copy which affords me more room in my budget for other things/more pieces. Second – flexibility. I can piece together a really unique look with framing and sizing. Each artwork file comes with multiple size ratios which lets me choose how big/small I want it. I can fit it to a frame I already own or shop for a frame to fit the size I want. Third – style. My taste in décor changes pretty regularly. If I decide the art I purchased no longer suits me, it will less difficult (emotionally, financially) to swap pieces out. In fact, I have a small gallery wall in my kitchen that I swap out seasonally! Its fun and keeps things fresh.

How To Print

Depending on the size prints you want, you can use a home printer. That is obviously the easiest and most affordable option as long as the print is 8×10 or smaller. I find that having all of mine printed at Staples is better for me. The color is more consistent and I can have larger sizes printed pretty cheaply in as little as a few hours.

I use Canva to get the sizing right for each print, then save them as a .png. Next, I go to the staples website and under same day services I choose document printing. If I’m getting multiple pieces printed, I’ll try to fit them on as few prints as possible. Three 4×6’s will fit on one sheet of paper, two 5×7’s, or a combination of those. I’ve also gotten obscure sizes printed together on posters to save money. I needed a 5×12 printed which forced me into poster territory, so to justify the cost I had a few other pieces printed on the same sheet.

Make sure you pre-size everything before you import into Staples. Because it is considered document printing, you can’t crop/resize in their software. It will also skew artwork to fit a sheet of paper which is not good.

Final Touches

This is where I really take advantage of my digital download artwork. I wrote a whole tutorial on how I make my prints look like original pieces of art, which you can read here. And because you saved so much money by going digital, you can invest in really nice frames! Or more art! Its a win-win.

My Favorite Shops

Below I’ve compiled a list of my favorite shops for all different kinds of digital download artwork. I’ll also link my actual “favorites” list which is filled with amazing pieces I’m probably going to/already did buy.

Thebonafidesa – I think I got most of my gallery wall prints here. Excellent selection of vintage art!

VistaViewPrints – lovely landscapes and tons of Samsung Frame TV backgrounds.

NorthPrints – more beautiful landscapes and scenery with great prices.

KIKIANDNIM – obsessed with their gallery wall sets. So cheeky! I have 2… soon to be many more for my kitchen walls

88Prints – really cool gallery sets and unique pieces. Offers color changes and sizing!

PrismaticPrintables – specializes in altered art. Very cool crops and alterations of vintage art!

My “Favorites” List – Browse my personal favorite digital download artwork from these and other shops.

I hope this brought you tons of inspiration to print your own digital download artwork! Tell me your favorite shops in the comments or better yet, show me what you bought!!