A sixth former is hoping his playing cards art project will be played around the world after launching a crowd funding campaign.

Ben Sinclair, 17, who attends Norton Knatchbull School has designed and illustrated a pack of animal playing cards.

The drawings are based on the Gaia hypothesis, a theory by James Lovelock, which holds that all animals in their environments keep the earth stable.

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In the first five days, the project on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter had already been pledged nearly $5000 in sponsorship from teachers, friends and strangers around the world.

Ben said: “It was mainly a personal project.

“I was inspired by an illustrator called Wylie Beckert who illustrated a deck of cards - completely custom made.

“I’ve always had an interest in drawing animals and wildlife. Every different suit of the deck is a different biome environment of the world.”

The four suits are the biomes rainforest, savanna, alpine and tundra.

The Year 12 student is working with Matt Preuss from company Forge Arts, which is teaming up with artists to create their own card packs.

The goal is to raise $12,000 to manufacture the cards in the USA to distribute around the world, which if successful, is expected to be complete by September.

Head of art at Norton Knatchbull, Sandie Rowland, said: “Ben is an amazing artist. He becomes completely engrossed in everything he is doing.

“We just said he had to get this made and make it a reality.”

Ben was also awarded a scholarship at for the Royal Society of British Artists last year for his oil painting of an elephant. The scholarship allows him to compete in competitions and exhibitions.

He also hopes to study art at The University of Oxford or University College London (UCL).

Ben said: “It’s really exciting. The more support we get, the more chance it has to become a reality.”

The Kickstarter campaign ends on Friday, June 16. You can either purchase a pack or just pledge to the cause.

To sponsor Ben’s work, visit the Kickstarter.