Meet the Artist: Sian Ellis
Sheffield-based illustrator Sian Ellis brought her signature style to the very first Pride of Yorkshire cub sculpture.
Meet Sian Ellis! Sheffield-based illustrator and muralist known for her signature black and white doodles, and creator of the first Pride of Yorkshire cub.
During the Pride of Yorkshire launch event held at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, it was revealed that Sian had been working with children and young people and their families at Sheffield Children’s Hospital to create the very first cub for the sculpture trail.
“We ran a workshop at the hospital, asking two simple questions: What do you love to do? Where do you love to go?” said Sian. “And we sketched together, we doodled and had amazing conversations which left me with pages and pages of drawings to work with. It was then my job to bring them together into a cohesive design to appear on the sculpture, and it’s been lovely to see a representation of all the special moments had by the children and their families.“
“Some of the images that appear on the cub are directly taken from the children’s drawings, and I tried to capture something from everybody who was in the workshop. It’s a real community piece – a mix of the children’s ideas and my interpretation of their stories.”
This cub will be one of 150 adorable sculptures on display across South Yorkshire during the Pride of Yorkshire trail. Each cub will be fundraised for, designed and painted by schools & community groups from the region, and you can find out more about adopting a cub here.
Sian & the Bears of Sheffield
Eagle-eyed art fans might recognise Sian’s style from her entry into the Bears of Sheffield sculpture trail in 2021. Whilst she might be best known for her signature black-and-white doodles, her bear – Sheffield Folk – was anything but monochrome.
She said: “It was covered in bright pink, yellow and blue ghosties – totally different to my usual work and so much fun!”
Sheffield Folk was proudly positioned on The Moor during lockdown, and offered a burst of colour and joy during a challenging time: “I saw it every day on my commute and constantly had people sending me photos of their families with it. That was really special.”
Anything But a Blank Canvas
Sian’s background in murals and illustration gave her a strong foundation, but sculpture painting introduced new challenges. She said: “It’s like mural painting, but on a 3D canvas with all these strange shapes. You find yourself ending up in all these weird positions to get the angles.”
She designs digitally over photos of the sculpture to help visualise tricky angles, knowing things will shift slightly once the brush hits the real surface: “The hardest part is the first mark, but don’t be scared! You can paint over it, sand it back and start again. It’s all part of the process.”
Call for Artists!
We’re on the lookout for talented Artists to design and paint these spectacular sculptures. The deadline to submit a design is Friday 25 July 2025 and you can register your interest using the form here.
Sian’s advice to artists is to “just go for it!”, saying: “These sculpture trails are addictive and people love them. You don’t need loads of experience. Be bold, be playful and have fun with it!”
Find out more about Sian Ellis and her work by following her on Instagram and checking out her website.
Pride of Yorkshire will run from June 2026 – September 2026 across South Yorkshire. Watch this space for more information, how to get involved and support and for artists announcements on our website.
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