Andrew Council
I found Andy´s work quite original,colorful and with a "childish" spirit.Dinosaurs posted in many surfaces and crafted in many techniques,this is the style and job of Andrew Council,direct from the UK.
(Interview by Kams)
1-Hallo from UL Andy,who are u?
Hello UL, I'm Andy Council. I'm an illustrator who lives and works in
the city of Bristol, UK
. 
2-How did u get started in ur works?
Since I was little I have always enjoyed drawing. Art was the main
thing I put my effort into studying at school and I always knew that I
wanted to do something creative as my job.
I went to art college and then on to study Animation at Bournemouth.
I learnt alot of traditional drawing based skills there and hoped to
find work in the animation industry upon graduating. I never did
managed to get into that field of work and spent a long time in dead
end jobs and not being creative. Eventually I started using my
drawing skills to do illustrations for a few local companies and it
all slowly grew from there.
Some of my first illustration opportunities in Bristol came from The
Recycling Consortium and required me to draw lots of tiny rubbish and
recyclable items. The project that I was given by them that really
helped shape my style was when I was asked to draw a monster made out
of rubbish called 'Scrapzilla'. From there I started drawing more
dinosaurs and beasties made out of other elements
3-I see different kinds of stuff made by u,why the diversity in materials
and surfaces?
I like to try and mix it up and experiment with different ways of
working. I am really used to using pencil and paper doing drawings,
but have done it so much that it gets a bit boring and I need to move
my work forward by using different techniques. Although it is still
drawing work, working on windows has got me thinking in a different
way due to the scale and the surface type. It's interesting having
public interaction with myself and the work while working too.
I am currently trying to work more using paints/spraypaint on canvas
and wall. I want to break out of working in such a linear way and get
more painterly. I think my most successful spraypaint wall pieces
have been the ones where I have avoided line work and a graphic style.
This could also have alot to do with me needing to practice more too!
4-Whats ur favourite surface/material?
I feel most comfortable using pen and pencil on paper, but I find it
more exciting using a combination of acrylic and spray paint on a
decent sized smooth wall surface.
5-Ive seen a lot of dinosaurs/dino-like works...why dinos?
The same as many people I was really into them as a kid and have
continued to be fascinated by them. The size of these creatures was
really awesome and the fact that they were around millions of years
before us. It's interesting that what is known about them is based on
the few remains that have been dug up. There is only so much we can
work out as to how they looked and behaved. There is a lot of scope
for using your imagination as to how they were.
I really like the interesting shapes of them. It makes them
interesting to draw. They are very symboloic and instantly
recognisable - the horns of Triceratops, plates on the back of a
Stegosaurus etc.
They also turn up alot in pop culture - Zoids, Dinobots, Godzilla and
jurassic park. I like all those things! Robot dinosaurs, Dino
monsters destroying cities, Raptors hunting humans...
Dinosaurs returning to take back the world from planet destroying mankind!
6-Do ur stuff have any kind of message?
There are messages in alot of my works. Some of them have juxtaposing
images of war machines with cute/love images (tank hearts, tank
bunnies etc). These are meant as a kind of anti war messages.
Environmental issues feature heavily in my work too. Consumerism is
also touched on also with all the multiples of objects that feature in
alot of my creatures.
The main thing for me in my work is to take everyday things that
surround me such as the contents of my living room and the landscape
and landmarks of Bristol and twist them into the shape of something
fantastic. It's about making the mundane and the ordinary fantastic.
I like to make creatures up out of things that interest me giving
those items or pass times a personality of sorts. I think people can
relate to a lot of these things - drinking, painting graff pieces,
carnival soundsystems etc.
I like the concept of living, breathing cities and our relationships
with where we live. This is another reason for the use of animal and
dinosaur forms. I am genuinely interested in Paleontology too.
My work has been described before as 'a sideways examination of urban
life' which sums it up quite nicely.
7-Whats better for u,simplicity or complex-made?
I like to create complicated forms and use detail, but alot of the
forms featured within these often have to be simplified so that they
are easily recognisable and don't confuse the viewer.
I've always been a fan of detailed drawings in kids books by people
like Richard Scary to graphic novel art by artists such as Geoff
Darrow. Taking influence from these sources and others my drawings
have long had a high level of intricacy to them.
8-Do u like thinking? I mean...to make philosophy and ur very own way to see
things and life,even if others say u are wrong.
Yes, I think very deeply (sounds like KRS1...).
9-Tell us more about you,but in a more literal way.What are ur pros/cons?
What do u like/dislike? What do u love/hate? Feel free to express.
I like - Urban Myths, Cryptozoology, loud exciting music, Jungle, Dub
Step, Street Art, Big Cats in the UK, pubs, drinking good beers,
drinking large amounts of tea, Victoria Sponge, Taxidermy, eating
cheese that makes my face go tingly.
I dislike - Bus travel in Bristol, my local food shop, the sound of
other people cleaning their teeth, lame winghy music, heights, loud
stupid people with too much to say about nothing.
10-Thanx for ur time Andy,any last words or greets?
Lots of love to my partner Liz and little boy Felix. Shouts out to
the Gunby, Rowdy, Boys Dept crew, Them Lot, all Bristol Writer and
illustrator pals and all my other friends around the world.
*Links from Andy Council:
www.andycouncil.co.uk
http://andycouncil.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andycouncil/
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