This is Sian Ellis

The portfolio of Illustrator Sian Ellis

Tag: T shirt design

New Collaboration: Girl Gang Sheffield T-shirt Release

Posted on by sian


I’ve been lucky enough to work on some fab collaborations during lockdown. Some I’ve announced and some still hidden under my hat. All will be revealed later! Today though I’m revealing my collab with Girl Gang Sheffield. GGS put a call out on their socials for artists to work with them on designing some merch. They have a fantastic crowdfunded scheme to support artists. They commission artists to create designs and make sure that they get fair pay for doing so. Importantly they don’t ask artists to send finished designs up front that might not get used and they commit to commissioning underrepresented artists. They are all round good gals! It is important to have folk like them who are committed to supporting the arts and to accessibility. I was super chuffed to have been picked to be the T-shirt designer of this round.

And It Gets Even Better!

If that all wasn’t great enough, the sales of the tees and totes that they commissioned this round will all go back into the seed fund. Meaning that they can support even more artists in future rounds of funding. Great right? So you can get some fab garb, locally made AND support a brand new artist with each purchase. I’LL TAKE FIVE PLEASE!

The Design

The design needed to be in keeping with the values of GGS. I wanted to create something that would look great on a T-shirt and that I think will sell well. I also wanted to create something super happy! 2020 has been tough as heck. Finally I wanted it to represent the values of GGS but also be well and truly Sian Ellis style. And so this is how the ‘In High Spirits’ design was born. Look familiar? I was so pleased with the design, I amended it afterwards to become the basis of my new logo!

Where to Purchase

You can purchase the ‘In High Sprits’ tees now alongside tote bags by Jodie from Dolly Pepper Studio. You just need to paypal friends and family with your size and address to girlgangsheffield@gmail.com or visit our pals at Girl Gang Sheffield for details 🙂

New Collaboration; The Yorkshire Collective

Posted on by sian

The Yorkshire Collective is a new apparel brand celebrating God’s own county of Yorkshire. Showcasing talented Yorkshire artists, there’s a local tint to all the products available. I have recently joined the collective in designing some T-shirt’s for them.

 

It’s fashion, darling. Look it up

 

The designs I have gone for are influenced by Yorkshire sayings, Yorkshire history and reworking my regular characters into exclusive designs. Designs range from fun to funny. My ghosts make a technicolour appearance. As does a Yorkshire take in a Frankie Goes to Hollywood favourite. It’s been fun to be able to play with apparel designs inspired locally.

 

Although I have been based in Sheffield for the last four years I have also lived in Leeds for five years too. One of the designs features the famous Armley hippo. I have been fascinated by it since I saw it in the Leeds City Museum. The design features an illustration of the skull that’s on display. The hippo dates back to Pangea when hippos would have been wild to the Armley region. It’s an incredible piece of history!

 

I have been their featured artist for TYC and interviewed on their blog. Excitingly I have received a few notifications of people having bought my designs too. I am excited to see more photos on social media of people in my tee designs, All of my designs with the Yorkshire collective are apparel exclusives.

 

Hopefully I will have more designs joining soon too. The YC brand is young, cool and alternative. Dreamt up by a tattoo artist. The style works well with my brand too. I really enjoy seeing my designs being worn by people and it inspires me to explore this area further past my patch designs and threadless shop covered in cobwebs. Perhaps it’s time to dust them off?