Meet the Artist: Blinkin' Imp

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    For our next ‘Meet the Artist’ blog we’re taking a deeper look into the talent behind one of For the Love of the North’s most loved brands, Blinkin’ Imp.

    Northumberland mug
    Lizzie doesn't just create prints, she also has a collection of bone china mugs featuring locations in the North East.

    Since 2013 Lizzie Carins has worked to create breathtaking graphic designs that are inspired by her beautiful home region in the North East, but how did she get to this point? We’re delving deeper into Lizzie’s career and her life before launching her incredible print studio to offer you an exclusive insight into her journey to success.

    Durham A4 Map print
    Lizzie is originally from the North East and she talks of many happy childhood memories exploring the coast, countryside and cities of the region. Her childhood summer holidays were spent in the family caravan by the coast, each day filled with bike-riding, beachcombing, and countryside adventures. So, it's no wonder that she has fell into designing North East-inspired prints!
    During her academic career, Lizzie began to show a keen interest in textiles, eventually chose it as her degree subject. After graduating with a degree in Textile Design in 2003, Lizzie worked as a designer in the Winchester-based surface design company Peagreen for seven years.
    Tyne Valley Map print
    Shortly after this, Lizzie made the brave decision to move across the globe to Vancouver, Canada where she began to reconnect with the screen-printing skills we know and love from her work today. Lizzie spent her time building up a collection of screen-printed artworks of the Canadian scenery and wildlife and soon began selling them at local craft fairs in the city. This makred the beginning of her wonderful brand and kickstarted her Blinkin' Imp adventure.
    On her return to the UK in 2013, Lizzie continued with it and began to build a portfolio of designs and products inspired by her home region, the beautiful North East.

    Nowadays, Lizzie captures the fond memories of her childhood summers and her love for the North East though her designs which feature miniature renditions of iconic landmarks, such as the Angel of the North, Beamish, Northumberlandia, and Cragside. Lizzie's love of travel and exploration is demonstrated through the hand-drawn maps she creates of many of the region’s beautiful towns and cities; there’s something special about seeing a place that means so much to you on a map, reaching out to you and reminding you of home and happy memories.

    Lizzie hand-draws and illustrates using as assortment of pens and pencils, then uses Adobe Illustrator to construct each design. Lizzie sometimes uses pastels and pens to add a different texture to her work. Regardless of the medium, it's not difficult to pick Lizzie's work out in our For the Love of the North shop. One of our absolute favourite designs has to be her Kielder Dark Skies A4 because it captures the magic of Kielder at nightfall. 

    Kielder A3 print

    Kielder A4/A3 Print (£12 / £18)

    Many of our customers are fond of Lizzie's  collection of map prints and we often post them across the world to places like Australia and America to give a fellow Geordie a reminder of home. 

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