This is Sian Ellis

The portfolio of Illustrator Sian Ellis

Haunted Maps

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Update

The ‘Haunted Maps’ Kickstarter campaign is now LIVE and FULLY FUNDED! It hit it’s funding target in an incredible 33 minutes ????????

More details available at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thisissianellis/haunted-maps-illustrated-maps-of-ghost-stories-and-folklore

New Project

I am super excited to announce a brand new project that I’ve been working on; my Haunted Maps series!

I’ve kept this under my hat for a while now, collecting stories and coming up with the perfect format for this project before sharing it with the world, but it’s finally ready!

The Haunted Maps are a series of illustrated regional maps featuring folklore, hauntings and curious sites. In a nutshell, these maps function as both beautiful wall art and a handy map with which to help you plan your next weird adventure, by showing you which stories and sites are local to eachother. Plus, alongside the release of each illustrated map will be an illustrated zine to tell you a bit more about each story. Think of it as an Alternative Lonely Planet Travel Guide (although each zine will be sure to make for a really interesting folklore read whether you plan to visit the destinations or not!)

The idea for these maps came from my love of folklore and my love of weird days out, bringing them together to create the kind of map that I dream of packing in my suitcase and hanging on my wall. The zines are compendiums of illustrated strange stories, the kind of zine that I’d find impossible to walk past on a shelf in a store. If you also enjoy folklore and visiting weird places, then these maps are totally for you too!

The reason that I’ve chosen to turn to Kickstarter for this project is because the maps will take a lot of work. I know from writing my folklore zine ‘Tell the Bees’ just how much work it takes to research, write and illustrate folklore stories. By launching the project via crowdfunding it will allow me to throw myself into this project and these stories; to pause my commission work and dedicate time to creating these detailed, magical guides. Plus it will generate the funds to print the maps and zines, so that I can send them out to backers and have some to take with me to Christmas markets too. I have two successful previous Kickstarter campaigns under my belt and I just have to have faith that there are enough people out there who would love to see these maps and their accompanying zines come to fruition.

Plus, if you back the zines via Kickstarter there will be all sorts of exclusive goodies up for grabs. Prints based on the map’s stories, stretch goals like bookmarks and stickers, and a chance to have your name forever printed on the map or zine. I’ll also throw in some super limited really special rewards, like the chance to get your hands on a personalised folklore mini map designed just for you.

To be the first to find out when the Kickstarter goes live, join my mailing list (I promise not to spam!) below

I’m really buzzing for you guys to join me in this illustrated journey of the bizarre, and I hope that the idea of holding these maps in your hands is as exciting to you as it is to me!

Stay tuned, wish me luck and tell your most curious friends!

New for Summer 2024; Tell the Bees Patreon Subscriptions

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In July 2024 I’ll be launching a brand new subscription service for the zine ‘Tell the Bees’ via Patreon. Tell the Bees is a catalogue of bizarre stories from folklore, fiction and history. I spend countless hours researching, writing and illustrating every issue. Each issue includes a plethora of interesting and unusual tales such as ghost stories, strange history and local folklore. I include the stories from my research which I find the most interesting, creepy or compelling.

From July you will be able to access the Patreon at patreon.com/tellthebeeszine

After much research and deliberation Patreon seemed to be the best way for me to administrate zine subscriptions going forward. It will also provide a user-friendly interface to share a look behind the scenes into how the zine is made. This includes extra stories, sketches and a look into my library of vintage folklore books. It’ll be a look into the weird world where ‘Tell the Bees’ is made.

Patreon Memberships and Subscriptions

There will be tiers that include physical copies of the zine which will be sent out on a quarterly basis and also a tier that includes access to behind the scenes content only. The latter tier is perfect for those who’d like to support the zine without a physical subscription to the zine. There will also be tiers that include a whole host of extra goodies such as stickers and bonus zines. The zines will still be available for sale individually on my Etsy shop and at Redbrick Market Sheffield.

As the zine is a quarterly release, the monthly Patreon tier charges have been priced in accordance with the monthly membership fee model. This does mean that you will still be charged during the months where a zine is not released. However, these months will still include extra content being posted on Patreon so that you can get a fresh ‘Tell the Bees’ fix every month. 

I am launching this subscription model as so many of you have asked me about this previously, but in doing so this is a huge support to the zine. It allows me to have some foresight as to upcoming zine sales which allows me to dedicate more time to researching, writing and illustrating the zine. 

For me Patreon is also a perfect place for me to share stories that didn’t make it as far as the final edit, as well as showing you some of my resources and photographs from my research trips around the North of England.

A new chapter for ‘Tell the Bees’

‘Tell the Bees’ folklore zine is a real labour of love, and a lot of work goes into making every issue. It’s mind blowing that enough of you have supported the zine since it was first published in July 2023 that one year on a subscription model is something that makes feasible sense. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read my zine and for every single review that’s been left and the wonderful things that readers have said. I hope that by launching a Patreon page and subscription service for ‘Tell the Bees’ it can make getting your quarterly copy easier, share more insight into the background of the zine and the stories it contains and also allow the zine to continue to grow, leading it into bigger, better and weirder territories.

From July you will be able to access the Patreon at patreon.com/tellthebeeszine

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FREE PRINT DOWNLOAD

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This artwork is free to be downloaded, printed and displayed. It can be shared on social media, it can be made into signs for marches. You can stick it in your living room window or on the wall of your business, spread the world, show it off.

It is not to be sold or changed, I am sharing it for free solely so that it is displayed with all of the words included and none amended.

There are two versions available, one that includes Tories and one without for my international friends out there.

Click here to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

Goblins-unite-Download
Goblins-against-war-Download

Weird Crafts Sheffield

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Weird Crafts is a brand new alternative craft night run by myself and Sincerely Louise in Chaucer Yard, Sheffield.

Our workshops are inspired by vintage crafts and alternative aesthetics to create handmade items in a range of crafting techniques that are as wholesome as they are creepy. Our goal with Weird Crafts is to create inclusive events that are affordable, relaxed and suitable for beginners in every craft medium. From pipe cleaner krampuses to creepy vintage valentine collages we’ve enjoyed bringing our sell out monthly craft nights to Sheffield’s weirdos since December 2023 and we have a whole bunch of ideas up our sleeves to grow Weird Crafts throughout 2024 and beyond.

All workshops take place in Louise’s super cosy studio space, a workshop heaven based just next door to Redbrick Sheffield and Kilnfolk Coffee shop.

To find out first about new dates and ticket launches head over to https://instagram.com/weirdcraftssheffield 

“Tell the Bees” Folklore Zine

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Tell the Bees is a 32 page fully illustrated folklore zine launched in 2023. It is a zine born from a love of folklore, grisly tales, strange facts and alternative art. Each issue features a tapas board of illustrated tales, mysteries and traditions. All handpicked along the themes of the supernatural, the macabre and the unexplained.

Telling the Bees

The title of the zine comes from the custom of informing hives of bees of any deaths within the family. This is to ensure that the bees accept their new masters and remain productive. It’s also to let them know that they should produce extra wax for the funerary service.

In Celtic mythology Bees are regarded to be a link between the worlds of the living and the dead. In telling a message to the bees they are then able to pass this message to loved ones beyond the veil. Within the tradition of ‘telling the bees’ the bees themselves are expected to share within the mourning. It is traditional to drape black cloth on the hives, and indeed believed that there are risks to withholding from this practice.

The bees are traditionally told also of more celebratory events such as births and marriages. It is considered bad luck not to tell the bees of a big family event. This risks the death of the colony or their abandonment of the hive.  In some instances bees would be simply told of the news and in others it is asked that the news be sung to them. Each hive is required to be told in turn. In a tradition known as ‘ricking’ upon the death of their master the family’s eldest son must move the hives to show that a change has taken place.

The Zine

I first began researching articles and creating illustrations for the zine in 2021. I knew that I wanted to create something that shared my love of folklore combined with my work as an illustrator. As a lifelong lover of the weird and unusual I knew I also wanted to make sure that the zine always focused on the stories that stood out to me the most. Whether because they are really unusual, they are fascinating stories or they show us something about particular places or people. 

My interest in folklore is one that I shared wholeheartedly with my mother. The stories contained within issue 1 are all tales that myself and my mum shared. Stories that she told me like the tales of the fairy folk, or that I told her. It features instances of the bizarre that we discussed together, the tale of the Red Barn Murder.

You can find out more details about the zine and purchase copies over at https://thisissianellis.Etsy.com 

York Nutcracker Trail 2023

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York Nutcracker Trail 2023

I was recently commissioned by York BID to create ten painted 6ft tall nutcracker sculptures for their Nutcracker Trail 2023. The trail runs across York city centre from 16 November 2023 – January 4 2024. The sculpture trail is the first time that a single artist has been commissioned by York BID to create bespoke designs for each of the ten sculptures. It’s also the first time I have ever painted an entire sculpture trail too! York is a magical city at Christmas, famous for it’s cosy cobbled streets and expansive Christmas market, to be asked to design an entire art trail for the city during it’s most enchanting season has been incredible.

The Designs

5 of the designs are based on York at Christmas time, featuring festive iconography such as baubles, gingerbread men and snowmen and highlighting landmarks of the city in Winter.  One design features the transformation of Merchants Hall from a blizzard at night to a snow covered morning, whilst another shows Santa and his reindeer flying over the Shambles. 

A further 5 nutcrackers were designed inspired by drawings from schools and community groups including York Mind, Wigginton Primary School, St Wilfred’s RC Primary School and Changing Lives.

One design inspired by submissions from the charity MySight features an intricate tactile snowflake design that has been devised so that the multi-sensory design can be enjoyed by members of the public with visual impairments. 

This is the first time that I have created a tactile sculpture for public display and I’m really pleased with how it’s come out and it’s role in making the trail more accessible. This is also the first time I’ve painted an entire trail and it was an enjoyable challenge to take the same shape ten times over and come up with something new to paint on each one whilst remaining true to the Christmas in York theme and incorporating the designs from the community groups along the way. 

Maps of the free trail can be collected from the Visit York information centre or viewed online on the York Bid site. 

My Sculpture Painting Journey So Far

Painting the sculptures for this trail now brings the total of sculptures I have painted up to a whopping 29 with the charity amount fundraiser through the sales of my artworks at auction now exceeds £102,000 as of November 2023. 

I absolutely love sculpture painting and seeing how much people love them when they are out in the streets is always a really rewarding feeling. It’s great to see them adding so much festivity to York’s historic streets and it makes me even more excited for the Snooks with Books 2024 trail where 22 other artists will join me in creating bespoke literary themed artworks on the characterful Snook sculpture that Make It York commissioned me to design. 

York Nutcracker Trail 2023 Gingerbread Sculpture

Snooks with Books Sculpture Trail York 2024

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I am delighted to announce that in February 2024 the Snooks with Books sculpture trail will go live in York, featuring my original character design the Snooks with Books. The trail is run by the team at Make it York who have been busy finding sponsors and generating a fantastic buzz about the project.

The Trail

Over 20 sculptures featuring designs inspired by Yorkshire Authors and Yorkshire stories will be painted by artists in York before being displayed around the city throughout Spring 2024. When the trail ends each sculpture will be sold at auction and profits raised from the sales will be split between St Leonards Hospice and a new fund with Make It York to fund upcoming creative projects in the city.

The Snooks

If you aren’t familiar with the Snooks legend has it that they have resided in York longer than any of the historical structures that the city is famous for, but their penchant for reading in dark corners has kept them well hidden (until now).

Recently sightings of Snooks have skyrocketed, and it looks like these friendly folk have been enjoying some sightseeing around the city walls.

Old habits dye hard though and you aren’t likely to spot a Snook without a book in its’ hands. 

It could be a novel, an anthology or a playbook but it might also be a guide to bird spotting, a family photo album, an instruction manual for building a rocket or a travel diary and sketchbook. The Snook is the artists’ canvas and each book is too, each artwork with its own story to tell.

I cannot wait to see the different personalities that each of the Snooks are given once they are paired up with their artist and sponsors, and see what incredible creative talent will be on display. I am absolutely itching to pick up my paintbrush and bring a Snook to life, for the first time painting a sculpture that already feels like an old friend.

I hope that you can all share some of my excitement in meeting the very first of the Snooks and that you are all, as I am, looking forward to seeing these friendly faces on the streets of York in 2024.

Find out more about the Snooks with Books trail here

“Dinos on the Loose” Immersive Illustrated Storybook Trail comes to Lincoln this Easter Holiday

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I am so excited to be bringing his train to Lincoln for 2 weeks in April 2023! This is in collaboration with my friends at Lincoln BIG as part of their ‘Lincoln Creates’ programme of events.

This immersive storybook trail follows a motley crew of cheeky dinos as they get up to mischief around Lincoln’s Cornhill Quarter. Can you catch all of the escaped Dino babies in Sharpe’s Sweets? Have you got what it takes to join the Dino band over in HMV? Or could you possible help out a fashion challenged friend with a makeover over in the Joules store? There are lots of activities to do and laughs to be had as you follow our escapees escapades!

The trail comprises of original artwork and illustrations, story and concept all designed by myself. You can follow the progress of the trails design and installation over on Instagram

Each of the 8 locations can be discovered using the official trail map. Which also gives you more details about sister events happening simultaneously across the quarter. This includes the epic Dino Dig complete with animatronic life size t-Rex. Plus, the chance to make your own comforter Dino bar with our friends at Lush.

A huge thank you to Lincoln BIG and all 8 participating businesses for helping to bring the trail to life.
This includes Joules, Sharpe’s Sweets, Burnett’s Sandwiches, HMV Lincoln, Lush, Doughnotts, Tortilla and The Card Factory.

Download your official trail map for free over at the Lincoln BIG website or to find out more about how we can work together to host your own illustrated storybook trail just get in touch!

Make Your Own Krampus

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Today’s Coutndown to Christmas is a free downloadable craft to make and get in the creepy festive mood.

For best results you should print him in A5 size, but if you want a bigger (albeit skinnier) Krampus you can print him in A4 and put two toilet rolls together to stick him on. I made mine to go on top of my studio Christmas tree but he makes a good shelf sitter too (just give his legs and tale a little bend).

Krampus is a Christmas character in Central Europe who comes to punish naughty children. A horned goat like creature he might hit you with a switch or carry you off to his lair in the underworld if you have been particularly badly behaved. Basically the anti-Santa, his name derives from the German word ‘Krampen’ meaning ‘claw’.

Follow the download link to access the file

1F143B44-3F80-460B-A930-A5708248E4B9Download

This download is available for personal use only, so just a quick reminder not to reproduce it or use the design for anything other than creepying up your Christmassy homes and personal spaces. Thanks!

31 Spooky Stories Collab with Notebook of Ghosts

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I am super stoked and excited to share these spooky story record sheets with you as part of a collaboration with Ash from Notebook of Ghosts!

I first took part in one of her Spooky Stories reading challenges last year when she ran her #25spookystories festive reading challenge. Now we all know how much I love a Ghost Story at Christmas and last year I read 25 under the challenge and got myself into a suitably spooky Christmas mood! So much so that I started buying more festive collections in January, ready for this year!

This October launches the #31spookystories challenge where participants can read 13 or 31 short stories during the month of October. If you head over to https://notebookofghosts.com you can find info on the background to the challenge and a whole host of free resources to find your spooky reads without spending a penny. Plus lots of amazing ghostly tales on the blog too!

I’ve downloaded these progress sheets as an accompaniment to the challenge. Just pick whether you’d like the 13 stories or 31 stories sheet and use them as a place to jot down each spooky story you read so that you can see your challenge progress and revisit the stories at a future date. Last year I tracked my progress on the notes app on my phone, but I couldn’t help but think that there must be a much funner way to do it, and so the progress sheets were born!


You can download copies here as well as on the https://notebookofghosts.com website. And remember to use the #31spookystories to share your Halloween reads! I’ll be sharing mine too over at https://instagram.com/thisissianellis so head over and give me and @notebookofghosts a follow to follow the challenge.

31-Spooky-Stories- Progress SheetDownload
13-Spooky-Stories- Progress SheetDownload