THE ARTIST behind a popular graffiti drawing in Colwyn Bay returned to restore his work.

Dad-of-two Andy Birch, who paints under the name Dime One, created the ballerina on the wall of Step One Performing Arts School off Penrhyn Road in 2008.

When he visited to redo the drawing and add new art to the inner walls of of the dance and drama school, 42-year-old Mr Birch said he has been surprised how the town had embraced the artwork.

He said: “We're just having a revamp - the interior walls will have a bit more of a street dance theme inside.  I've always loved art and drawing and comic books, it is a highly visual art form.

Picture: Andy Birch

“It weathers, so it's not always permanent but it is amazing when I come back years later and people go ‘I remember that’ – people walk past it but everyone knows this spot.”

Mr Birch – who lives in Old Colwyn with his wife Fran and daughters Jasmine, 18, and Melissa, 15 – also spoke of how attitudes towards graffiti art have changed.

He added: “It's not as bad as when I was a kid. It was harder to try and make it acceptable as an art form whereas now its much more refined, there's more people understand it because of various ones in the news like Banksy so in some ways its not as bad.”

The finished artwork inside (Picture: Andy Birch)