This project helps to advance composition skills. Students are asked to create a painting of two animals in battle with a circular composition. In my example, the wheat plant helps with the circular composition.

The inspiration is from illustrations inspired from Japanese Tattoo designs. As in the technique it starts with:

1. Painting the background with acrylic paint and showing a gradation.

2. Then paint in the plants for the midground.

3. Next, use colored pencils to show gradations in the plants and finish with sharpie outlines. The same method is used for the foreground with the animals. The gradations and the sharpie outlines help with the Japanese tattoo style.