A childhood obsession with dinosaurs has turned into a highly successful career for Bristol based Andy Council – and no he’s not a palaeontologist. Andy is an illustrator who’s made a name for himself drawing large fantastical objects, often dinosaurs, out of smaller objects; from roosters made out of railroads to triceratops made from spray cans.

I first came across Andy’s illustrations whilst working at Bristol organisation, The Recycling Consortium. Andy worked for our campaigns drawing recyclable objects, culminating in the ‘Scrapzilla’ – a spectacular monster made out of rubbish. This incredibly fun and thought provoking concept came to define his style.

Andy’s illustrations often have environmental or political meanings. Andy imagines cities as living, breathing beasts and often mixes the natural and mechanical. The multitude of objects he uses within an illustration is a nod to consumerism and he often juxtaposes objects to make people think, such as a rabbit made out of tanks. Despite these deeper meanings his work remains playful, colourful and not in any way sombre.

He mainly uses pen and paper to shape his beasts, but as graffiti artist often uses spray paints, and also has branched out into creating window displays and 3D objects.  For a recent RWA show he even created a 3D model dinosaur inspired by Bristol, managing to incorporate the Suspension Bridge within the dinosaur’s neck.

With an exhibition in Orlando this May, Andy is surely on his way to world dino domination. Buy a piece of the action at Weapon or Choice Gallery and Andy’s Big Cartel Site. Also check his website and follow Andy on Facebook and Twitter.