A new, eye-catching work of art, inspired by Dippy the Dinosaur’s stay in Coventry, is set to go on display in the city – but it won’t last very long!

Dippy the Dinosaur has captured the imagination of thousands of Coventry residents in the first six months of its three-year stay on loan from the Natural History Museum.

And now, an acclaimed illustrator and street artist has paid tribute to its popularity with an original work that reimagines the city’s skyline in the form of a mighty prehistoric creature.

Bristol-based artist Andy Council has been painting three of the walls at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, spending upwards of 50 hours adorning them with a seven metre wide spray-paint rendering of Coventry city centre, spread across the shape of a diplodocus.

His Coventry work, which is available to view until 3 September, incorporates the likes of the old and new cathedrals and the elephant building, as well as a host of other recognisable landmarks that Coventrians of all ages will be able to spot.

The Coventry Dinosaur is part of the Herbert’s Work on Walls project, which has seen some of the walls in the gallery transformed by contemporary artists in response to the Herbert’s own collections.

There are various links between the modern city and the prehistoric creature, from fossil fuels created over millions of years supporting our way of life to the raw materials used in the creation of the city, to the skyline once dominated by creatures that roamed the earth now busy with buildings.

Andy said that he hoped the work would be an accessible way for people to experience art – with hours of meticulous planning and careful delivery going into the work, which maintains a colourful, engaging appearance.

He uses a combination of digital drawings and images to develop his creations, starting with a grid and building up layers, using certain focal points across the piece as anchors to help manage large canvases.

The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum supported Andy with an expert tour of the city centre, pointing out notable features to help him develop his Dippy-inspired artwork, with Andy taking hundreds of photos of key architecture to ensure accuracy in his designs.

For more information visit: theherbert.org