Impasto

Impasto comes from the Italian word for dough. The idea behind impasto involves using very thick layers of paint. Thick layers are usually painted using a knife and when dried the paint should appear as if popping out due to the dents used.

The idea on its conception was that the painting should have a reality of its own rather than a flat view of what the artist intended. It's also effectively a form of handwriting for the painter to show their own emotion and reaction to the subject.

The technique is first seen in Venetian renaissance paintings by the likes of Titan and Tintoretto and has been a common technique ever since. The artist Jean Dubuffet is a more modern renowned impasto painter; he used different combinations of tar, sand and straw, which he developed as his own bitumen to add heavy texture to his Brut style of art. 

Impasto is another inexpensive technique to consider experimenting with for A-level projects. It requires just a few more materials such as paint knives and acrylic paint, however the possibilities for creating your own bitumen are endless; some may not work out, this shows good progression and development in a portfolio, so rather than getting rid of failed projects, take snippets from the canvas and annotate them critically to evidence your progress.