sheffield artist commission Archives

A Guide to Arts Trails I have Painted for in 2021

Posted on May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 by sian

Last Friday I put my paintbrushes down after a solid two months of sculpture painting for public art trails. After the year we’ve had it was an absolute dream! I’ve been working sculpture painting commissions back to back. I am knackered but as a mural artist I wouldn’t have it any other way! So today I’m going to share with you a little bit about the trails where you can find my work on display this year.

Moor Otters

The first trail to launch this Summer is the Moor Otters trail this Friday. My Sir David Ottenborough design has already been revealed. Inspired by the great man himself and the lifelong love of learning about the animal kingdom that he inspires. This sculpture was painted back in March 2020 so the trail has been a long time coming. He’ll be on display in Dartmoor at the pannier market in Tavistock from May 28th 2021.

Cows About Cambridge

Now this sculpture has been under wraps the longest. I finished painting my cambridge Cow in November 2019. Although I do know where this one will be displayed I suspect it’s top secret currently but you can find out this Summer. The Cambridge Cows will be raising money for the charity Break and their work with young people. They will be displayed around the beautiful green belt city, inspired by the cows that roam free there. I’ve also teamed up with Thameslink and Mind to paint a second mini sculpture for the trail too.

Bears of Sheffield

As a Sheffield Based artist I am absolutely buzzing to have a sculpture in this trail! Last time there was a trail in Sheffield was before I knew anything about Wild in Art and the amazing trails they run. To work along other talented local illustrators from Sheffield, South Yorkshire and beyond has been a dream. The sculpture itself is a familiar design based on the bronze one that lives in the bear pit in the Botanical Gardens. The trail is raising money for Sheffield Childrens’ Hospital. I am very excited that I’ll be able to see my bright bold design stand out on my local streets soon.

Worcester’s Big Parade

This design is still under wraps but I will say that this design is going to look right at home in the monochromatic tudor architecture that the city is famous for. The elephant I have painted is sponsored by Worcester News and certainly bound to make an impact. Seeing this particular design hit the streets of such a beautiful historic city is going to make my spooky little heart very happy this summer.

Big Trunk Trail Luton

The first of my double trouble parades is the Big Trunk Trail. I’ll have 2 colourful elephants hitting the streets there this year. That’s 3 elephant sculptures total that I’ve painted these last 2 months. They couldn’t all look more different though!

Stockport’s Giant Leap

These frog sculptures were bursting with character before they ever had a lick of paint! The designs are secret but I will say that they are bursting with charm. I’ve painted two sculptures for this trail and it always amazes me how different the same sculpture can look with a different paint job.

So that’s a whopping 9 sculptures I’ve painted to be on display this summer around the UK. I can’t wait to share with you what I’ll be working on next. Keep an eye on my social media for the full sculpture design reveals and auction details later on in the year.

Collaborators Wanted!

Posted on July 16, 2020July 16, 2020 by sian

One of my goals for 2020 was to work on more collaborations this year. Although 2020 is not the year I expected it to be, a lot of my goals still ring true. Happily, this has been an excellent year so far for collaborations. From creating illustration designs, joint giveaways all the way through to tshirt and merch designs I have been involved in some brilliant collaborative projects this year. Some I have highlighted in this blog already and the rest I will do so soon.

I want you!

Collaborations are my bag and I am still looking for more! I want to find likeminded artists and brands to work with. There is so much scope for working together to! If done right collaborations are a brilliant way to support the growth of each others business. It can also be an opportunity for us to sell together and create much needed revenue. If you are a business looking to collaborate with an artists you can have the knowledge of supporting an independent artists and getting some great quality designs and cross promotion.

Artists

There are tonnes of ways we can work together as artists and create something beautiful. Joining up for giveaways is definitely something I love to do. We can reward our social media followers and grow our accounts at the same time. There’s also scope for creating something together too. That can be a product, a campaign, anything! If you have an idea how we can work together, get in touch!

Businesses

I have collaborated with businesses of all shapes and sizes during my time as an illustrator. From creating promotional assets, to designing merch for sale and even creating one off pieces of art for competition prizes. As lockdown continues to ease and with social distancing measures in mind I am picking up painting projects again, and painting murals in office and commercial spaces as well as temporary window painting designs are all back on the cards. If you have an idea where you’d like to work with a vibrant local Sheffield artist then drop me a line and lets chat about it.

Other Organisations

I am always open to a chat about working together if you have an idea in mind. Community arts projects and workshops are just some examples of working with community groups and the third sector. All I ask is please not to be asked for financial support and donations. I get a lot of requests and it is unsuistanable for me to support them all. The reality I that I am a sole trader whose trying to build a small business and I am under as much pressure as the rest of us at the moment. I continue to support charitable causes such as with my Post Snail Press postcard sales and my recent Mercht tshirt campaign, but I do so only at a rate I can afford to (which isn’t much I’m afraid!) I do offer preferential rates to charitable organisations looking for illustration and design work.

HMU

I’m not scary and I don’t bite. If you’ve got an idea please do get in touch! It could be the start of something beautiful! You can find my contact form on the ‘contact’ tab at the top of the page. Alternatively you can email me on sianellis@hotmail.co.uk

Witches in the Woods: Film Poster Designs for Whirlow Hall Farm Trust

Posted on October 21, 2018January 7, 2019 by sian

I absolutely adore designing film and event posters. I’d say it is one of my top things as an illustrator I love to do. Ask me to provide an illustration for a horror film event and you may even hear me attempt to suppress a squeal of joy. So it was pretty awesome when I got the opportunity to design two posters for some Halloween film screenings at Whirlow Hall Farm in Sheffield.

Now, I am not talking about enjoying designing a poster that is scary. Just a poster for a genre that features all the things I love to draw. Dark woods, nefarious characters, spirits, ghosts, monsters, ghouls and goblins, yetis, vampires…. I’m guessing you’ve got the point.

But why not scary?

It’s a deliberate choice not to draw them scary, even for adults only events. Firstly, a practical one. Is it ever really a good idea to draw a poster that is genuinely scary? Think about who will see it and where it goes. If you know it’s going to be printed onto a flyer that could potentially end up in cafes, shops and libraries then I’d say absolutely not. Yes we are in the business of representing something through our art, but would any of us feel very good about spooking out some poor kiddywinks who stumble up on our designs and nightmares ensue? It’s not just kids either. It runs the risk of putting people off your event and just a few comments to the event organiser from people who really don’t like being freaked out and there’s a good chance they won’t ask for your help again.

The main reason though is that it just isn’t me. I love the supernatural, dark and creepy but everything I do has a bright and playful happy edge to it too. It might sound contradictory but I’d like to think that those who look at my designs, and particular the posters I have done here for Whirlow Hall Farm’s upcoming immersive woodland cinema events, will agree that my work exhibits both of these things. I think it just goes to show that having your event scare people’s socks off is enough in itself without your marketing trying to do the same too.