WorkArt & Culture

Backgammon: Meaty version of one of the world's oldest board games

For her Backgammon redesign, Maria Tiurina chose to take things quite literally with one of the world's oldest board games. Picking out the word "gammon" as inspiration, the London-based illustrator used clay to sculpt meat-themed checkers, which were then painted with acrylics, dried and varnished.

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Overhead view of Maria Tiurina's meat-themed Backgammon board featuring clay-sculpted pork cuts and checkers painted red, alongside art supplies and a palette of paint.

She also created different cuts of pork out of clay, following the same process, and glued them onto the surface of the Backgammon case, a set that she purchased from Jacques London to repurpose. Different varnishes were used to achieve both a wet and dry meat look.

You might be interested to know that the initial layout and colour scheme was designed in Photoshop. "The setup remained the same except the colours of the meats surrounding the leg of pork," says Maria. "The painting process was rather entertaining as it made my desk look like a butcher's workspace."

If you love Maria's take on Backgammon, you can discover more of her arts and crafts at marijatiurina.com. Or you can follow her work on Behance.

Hand holding a cream-coloured tag with handwritten text explaining the history and inspiration behind the Backgammon redesign, with coloured paper and craft supplies visible in the background
Materials and tools laid out for creating the Backgammon redesign, including wooden board, spray paint, brushes, tape, clay and varnish
Wooden backgammon board with triangular playing spaces, white dice, wooden pieces and meat-themed clay pieces painted in shades of brown and tan by Maria Tiurina
Maria Tiurina's Backgammon board redesign featuring a clay pork leg and meat-themed pieces, with red and white triangular playing spaces on a turquoise case
Close-up of clay meat-themed backgammon pieces shaped like cuts of pork, displayed with a wooden roller and packaging on a white surface
Hand holding a white clay meat-shaped checker from Maria Tiurina's redesigned Backgammon set, with grey and beige pieces blurred in the background
Clay meat-themed backgammon pieces and pork cuts arranged on a wooden board alongside design sketches and packaging materials
Hand sanding the wooden backgammon case with fine-grit sandpaper before applying clay meat decorations
Hand holding a pen drawing meat-themed illustrations on paper as part of Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign process
A hand holds a dark varnished clay pork chop over a wooden backgammon board with meat-themed designs, with a paper design sketch visible above
Wooden backgammon board with meat-themed designs carved and drawn across its surface, leather handle, and paint palette visible to the left side
Clay meat-themed pieces and pork cuts arranged on a wooden board for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Hand holding a green paintbrush, detailing clay meat-shaped game pieces on a wooden board for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Flat lay of Maria Tiurina's materials and work-in-progress for her meat-themed Backgammon redesign, including clay pieces, acrylic paints and sculpted pork cuts on wooden board and paper
Maria Tiurina's Backgammon workspace showing clay meat-themed game pieces, paint palettes with red and pink hues, and finished pork cuts drying on paper during creation of the redesigned board game
Clay-sculpted meat-themed checkers and pork cuts in red and pink tones alongside white ceramic pieces on a wooden surface for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Hand holding a brush applying white paint to a turquoise surface with meat-shaped clay pieces for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Red and cream striped bunting with a hand holding pink and white ribbon against a turquoise background
Clay meat-themed backgammon pieces and pork cuts arranged on a light blue board with red and white painted triangles and bunting decoration
Clay meat-themed checkers and pork cuts arranged around a central leg of pork on a turquoise Backgammon board designed by Maria Tiurina
Clay-sculpted meat-themed Backgammon pieces and pork cuts painted with acrylics arranged on a turquoise board
Clay meat-themed game pieces and pork cuts painted with acrylics arranged on a turquoise board for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Clay sculpted and hand-painted meat-themed game pieces and pork cuts arranged on a turquoise surface for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign featuring clay meat-themed checkers and pork cuts arranged on the board, with paint supplies and brushes displayed above
Turquoise backgammon board featuring red and cream triangles, with meat-themed clay checkers and a white dice showing eight, ready for play
Hand holding clay-sculpted and painted meat-themed backgammon checkers with realistic raw pork details
Turquoise backgammon case with meat-themed clay pieces and pork cuts arranged on the surface, including a large leg of pork in the centre and various painted meat-styled checkers and game pieces
Clay-sculpted meat pieces and painted pork cuts arranged around a central leg of pork on a turquoise background for Maria Tiurina's Backgammon redesign
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