During this project we will explore paint, composition and image.

Afghan Tour is an artwork from the Jig Map series. The series explores themes and concepts around contested territories and attempts to navigate the complexity of the contemporary theatre of war, as battlefield expands to battlespace in the information age.

I use imagery from lots of different sources such as art history, TV, media, newspapers, National Geographic, surveillance, maps, archaeology and ancient civilization. As the title Jigmap suggests, I piece these together, like a jigsaw map to create a narrative through painting. Like a Renaissance painting—everything is happening in the same time and place.

Materials needed:

• Paints (poster/ acrylic/ gouache)
• Brushes
• Card
• Heavy paper
• Palette
• Plastic knife
• Kitchen roll
• Rags
• PVA glue

Let’s get creative:

• Create texture using thick paint and a palette/ plastic knife or thick brushes.
• Leave to dry.
• Spend some time sourcing images for inspiration (magazines/ newspaper/ postcards/ print).
• Paint or rub in a wash (watered-down paint) of a different colour to create a landscape composition or setting for your painting.
• If you have access to images that you can print or cut up, you can apply them directly onto the painting. You can then paint over these to seal them or you can also use PVA glue. Alternatively, you can trace/ copy the images and draw / paint them in directly.
• The painting is built-up in layers and a story or narrative begins to emerge as you place the different images down and develop the composition.
• Explore mixing up the size of the images to create a different narrative or relation between the figures and objects in your painting.

Finally, please share your artworks with us using the hashtag #IMMAArtTeens