Welcome to the website of Siân (aka Tai_Sian), an illustrator & designer from the UK.

Last update: 29/07/2026
Please note I recently changed hosting provider. Some old links may now be broken but if you look around the site these should still be manually discoverable!Site best viewed on desktop/tablet

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About

My name is Siân. I’m an illustrator & designer from the U.K.After completing a degree in Illustration and Animation in 2016, I worked for two years in the print industry as an Artworker, which was a position that sparked my passion about everything publishing. This led me to serve as the Design Editor to the Society of Young Publishers’ (SYP) quarterly magazine, InPrint, in 2022.In my spare time along with reading, writing, and drawing, I enjoy learning as much about the things in life that intrigue me such as history, the paranormal, spirituality and Japanese culture.I can be reached at [email protected] or follow me on social media for regular updates.

So, you want to learn about UTAU? (2026)

A self-published, educational zine about the vocal-synth program UTAU which informs readers on how to use the software, how to make a voice bank, and other handy-to-know tips.The zine is 36-pages long, fully illustrated, and was written, designed and typeset by myself in Adobe InDesign.This publication was inspired by the recent resurgence of vocal synth characters such as Teto Kasane and Miku Hatsune and their related software such as SynthV and Vocaloid.

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Cult Children Fanzine (2024)

A self-published fanzine dedicated to collating stories, photos and artwork from fans of The Cult for the band's 40th anniversary.This project was entirely arranged by myself. Issue 01 is 48 pages long featuring contributions from 31 individuals.Intended to be a digital publication only, demand for physical issues became apparent so I crowdfunded 50 copies and shipped them globally to those who pre-ordered. I also sold promotional sticker sheets to those who wanted to donate to the project and receive something in return.The zine was designed and typeset in Adobe InDesign and features an original cover illustration of Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy by myself. My personal copy of the fanzine was signed by the band.

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Distant Early Warning (2023)

(Currently in the process of publishing)Distant Early Warning is a novel I wrote from 2020-21. It lends heavily from my experiences growing up as an undiagnosed autistic teenager and is inspired by both local and Irish folklore. It is written in Northern Voice.An outcast girl is haunted by a banshee the week her only friend is due to move away: she fights to make new connections and keep what’s left of her estranged family together.

Changeling mini mag (2023)

In 2023, I contributed to Changeling Mini Mag, a publication ran by and featuring the work of neurodiverse creatives.My original character and concept illustration The Weavers Mill was featured.

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InPrint (2022)

In 2022, I served as design editor for the Society of Young Publishers quarterly magazine InPrint.Working closely with the editorial team, I designed and typeset four issues using Adobe InDesign.During my time with SYP I learnt about publishing first-hand from other professionals working within the industry.

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The Bolton Review (2021)

In 2021, my original illustration Earthshine was featured in The Bolton Review, a student-led creative magazine published by The University Of Bolton.

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• Email: [email protected]

• Visit my commissions page over on VGen

As of July 2026, I now take the majority of my commissions over on VGen.If you'd like to directly contact me regarding a commission request, please contact me via email: [email protected]

Name: Madeline BrodyTagline: “That’s not scientifically sound.”Age: 14Star sign: VirgoSkills: Straight A Biology student, True Crime Expert, professional sausage dog briberLikes: Collecting things, wet specimens, PokémonDislikes: P.E, being wrong, pseudoscienceDream: To become a forensic scientistChallenges: Conversing with new people, panic attacks, being of a certain banshee-attached familial descent.Maddy is from the small, rural town of Moorkpike in Northern England. Growing up surrounded by grey skies, green hills and ancient standing stones, she (unlike her best friend,) has no time for the mysterious or mystical. She is scientific, witty and down to earth. Although a bit of a pessimist, she shines at research, always digging deep for answers in the unlikeliest of places…

Name: Robbie SharplesTagline: “S.P.I.T? Is that a punk band?”Age: 15 (20/07/1960 – 04/06/1976)Star sign: CancerSkills: Teleportation, being able to befriend almost anyone, self-procalimed ‘weird’ theraputic abilities to counsel the troubled kids.Likes: Glam rock, punk rock, spooking students (occasionally)Dislikes: Thinking about the unknownDream: To move on to the next realmChallenges: Being involuntarily tethered to St Annes until he chooses to accept the unknown. Running away from corporal punishment. Teachers. Steep quarry mines.Absent-minded but loyal. Maddy’s invisible friend. Robbie is the spirit of a student who died in 1976 whilst attending St Annes. He now haunts the school, visible only to those who want (or need) to see him.

Name: Darcy Brody (Maddy’s Gran)Tagline: “Who’s been feeding Ruthie digestives again?”Age: 65Star sign: AquariusSkills: Unrivalled hotpot chef, seamstress of 30+ yearsLikes: Sausage dogs, fashion design, watching CountdownDislikes: Her protective charms being disturbed, those who play chicken with phenomena they don’t understandDream: To go back and stop her best friend on that fateful dayChallenges: Regret, over protectivenessDarcy Brody, née Murphy, is Sybil’s best friend and later Maddy’s gran. She leads a quiet life, though a guarded one, based on her previous encounters with strange phenomena. Horseshoes and crucifixes are her favourite wards. For many years, Darcy was a seamstress working in a local mill. She owns a black and tan sausage dog called Ruthie.

Name: MonaTagline: “What is this Girlboss you mention? I am simply performing my duties.”Species: BansheeSkills: Ear-splitting screaming, caring for the Murphy family descendantsLikes: A balanced mind, keeping everything under control, pushing Agnes to do better, watching over MaddyDislikes: Noumenon, her sister’s curseDream: To free her sister of her curse, to look after the descendants of the Murphy family treeChallenges:Mona is Agnes’ older sister and primary carer. When Agnes was cursed, Mona took it upon herself to never let her younger sister go down without a fight– pushing her sibling to improve, even on the days where hope seemed lost. Mona is determined, confident and contained. Keeping the existence of the Otherworld secret is at the top of her priority list.

(Polaroid illustration coming soon!)Name: Shiori (栞) (しおり)Name Meaning: GuideSpecies: Ghost/YūreiLocation: The OtherworldLikes: Tea and nibbles, collecting curios, rich food, gossiping with the local banshees!Dislikes: A cluttered mindDied: Sometime during the Meiji era, JapanShiori is a ghost who resides in the Otherworld. Unnative to the land, she emigrated to the foreign dimension after many years inflicting vengeful hauntings at home in Japan. Shiori found peace by accepting her untimely demise and learning mindfulness. In the middle of her white hitaieboshi headcovering, characters appear to show her mood. Due to her past of unstable behaviour, she was allowed to emigrate to the Otherworld on one condition: that she be accompanied by two chaperones: spirit foxes (kitsune) called Kit and Jun.

Shiori lives in a Japanese house on the edge of lake Cailte. It came with her as part of her emigration to the Otherworld and has a real life equivalent. Her house is seen as peculiar to native Otherworld denizens, who are used only to western style buildings. Shiori collects a variety of worldly curios which she proudly puts on display both inside and outside of the house. Rumour has it that she quite likes the attention it brings!

Name: Kayn StarubyTagline: “Befriend your local cryptids – join S.P.I.T! Snowy Peak Investigation Team!”Age: 14Star sign: TaurusSkills: Easygoing, calm under pressure, athleticLikes: Conspiracy theories, researching local cryptids, footie, drawing, horror games, gothic rock musicDislikes: Skeptics, small-minded folk, conformistsDream: To uncover the truth about Area 51Challenges: Focusing on the fine detailsMaddy’s best friend is a rich-kid minus the snobbiness – all thanks to an insistance on his Dad’s part. His son was to have a ‘normal’ upbringing, so the old state-school St Annes was first choice. Kayn is a chameleon socially, owning a wide net of interests. He can chat about the weekend’s footie results, or the newest evidence of aliens. The latter, is a topic he can only broach with certain people, of course…

Name: Crystal SinghTagline: “You should, like, read my blog!”Age: 13Star sign: AquariusSkills: Psychometry, journalism, painting, art and clay modellingLikes: Clay crafts, blogging, writing her zine/blog about local oddities, alternative therapiesDislikes: Mainstream media, scientistsDream: To become a journalistChallenges: Being called a hipster. Irony. Cafes that don’t serve matcha lattes.St Annes’ biggest hipster. Crystal is the daughter of a Reiki healer, growing up with alternative healing and spirituality since day one. She has the ability to ‘read’ objects, picking up on the history of a particular item, memories associated with it, and even emotions– things that clue her into what she ‘shouldn’t’ know.

Name: AgnesTagline: NoneSpecies: BansheeSkills: Ear-splitting screamingLikes: Staying inside the cottage, letting her older sister look after herDream: Has none– the ability to dream was taken from her by her curseChallenges: Dealing with Noumenon, the ram’s skull atop her head, the manifestation of her curseMona’s little sister is scarcely seen outside due to her emotionally volatile nature. The skull on her head is a physical manifestation of her curse– a sentient ram named Noumenon. This curse occurred when Agnes was still a child and her hopes were stolen by a dream-eater (Baku) which came to the Otherworld during Shiori’s migration. Still, with Mona’s guidance and perseverance, she tries to do her best at her job– looking out for the Murphy descendants.

(Polaroid illustration coming soon!)Name: Sybil RadfordTagline: “Crikey. I blacked out again, didn’t I?”Age: 15Star sign: PiscesSkills: Horse riding, divining, dowsing, (accidental) time-travel, singing (doesn’t practice though).Likes: Daydreaming, reading, collecting magazines, making secret ‘dream boards’ for her and Darcy’s ‘future life’Dislikes: Reality, being looped into her parent’s researchDream: To see her best friend againChallenges: Amnesia, deciphering what’s real, being gullible, being a PiscesSybil arrived in Moorpike in early 1965. She is originally from Oxford, but after her parent’s archeologist research demanded a move up North, she found herself isolated in an old, decrepit school, being teased for her accent and class. There, she met Darcy Murphy and the two struck up a friendship – her first real ‘best friend’ besides her horse Lucky. Sybil soon eased into the girl’s rowdy yet homely family life and decided she never wanted to leave. But one out-of-town-amnesiac in a primeval, magical and ultimately unknowable village meant fate spelt out something entirely different.

(Polaroid illustration coming soon!)Name: UTAUloid Aqua Akiasu (アクワ・アキアス)Species: HumanoidGender: FemaleEthnicity: BritishVoicebank Languages: English (native), JapaneseVoicebank formats: CV, VCV, S-CVVCLikes: Playing bassDislikes: Those who judge her before getting to know herAqua Akiasu is an UTAUloid made by Siân. She was first released in 2010 and has three main designs: Act 1, Act 3 and Act 4, with minor outfit changes for her append banks. Aqua's first act design has a gothic '80s theme and Act 4 has a more mainstream retro feel. All designs listed can be used to represent her voice.Aqua is a fairly reserved UTAU who can seem stand offish at first, but is bubbly and goofy once she trusts you enough. She's from Manchester in the UK.