What do you get if you mix lockdown with over 1,200 gallons of paint and more than 1,000 brushes? British artist Sacha Jafri shows the result.

The artist has created a piece covering close to 2,000 square meters. It's expected to be crowned the world's largest art canvas when officially measured.

Called the "Journey of Humanity," it all began in February as Sacha found himself in Dubai amid tightening COVID-19 restrictions. Whilst some spent lockdown on seamlessly endless Zoom calls, he spent up to 18 hours a day, painting. 

"We gutted a ballroom," Sacha told me from the Atlantis The Palm hotel in Dubai where he began his creation, "we put a big black carpet over the top and I started laying down canvas and it got bigger and bigger."

It might have cost more than just time. Sacha said he's "done a bit of damage" to his spine owing to all the hours spent bent over a canvas. In some sections, there's up to 300 layers of paint covering the piece. 

Hopefully all the efforts will pay off as he's aiming to raise 30 million U.S. dollars for charity. The canvas is destined to be cut into over 60 pieces and auctioned. It's a project that has involved the likes of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Global Gift Foundation, with charities also drawing on celebrity endorsements to help raise the profile of the artwork before it goes on sale.  

Maria Bravo, a founder of NGO the Global Gift Foundation, said of the fundraising that "at this moment anything helps for us." Amid the impact of the pandemic, she said they had to cancel all their galas this year, normally a key source of funding, adding "we have to create new ways to fundraise."

Before it's sold, the finished creation will tour iconic UAE landmarks. In December, it's set to go under the hammer in a charity auction.