A young artist has used a palette of blood, oil and tabloid newsprint to create unsettling portraits of Tony Blair and George Bush.

He has also portrayed Margaret Thatcher using rusty water.

His mother, far from being shocked by the off-the-wall artworks, is so proud she has turned her lounge into a gallery.

Toby Stockdale's latest harrowing images, named Two Crude Men, depict the UK and US leaders in stark Soviet-style red, black and white. Instead of red paint or the Hollywood staple of tomato ketchup, he drew blood from his arm which he mixed with blood from his half-Iranian cousin Parviz Sadigh and his aunt Sue Sadigh.

Sump oil, the dregs drained from engines, gave the black tone and the faces were lightened up with layers of whitewash.

Toby, from Herstmonceux, said: "I used whitewash because that's one of the terms used a lot by the media during the war.

"The blood represents the bloodshed but it's important it stays in the background of the pictures.

"I believe the war was all about oil. I wanted to use crude oil in the painting because that was the priority for Bush and Blair during the war. They were willing to put other people's lives on the line but not their own. The was war whipped up by the tabloids and a lot of innocent blood shed."

Toby, who has a BA in fine art, described how he was inspired to abandon paint for metaphoric materials.

He said: "I was in an empty building and there were a lot of pigeon droppings coming down from the ceiling. I thought pigeons represented London very well and it gave me the idea to paint Tony Blair's face in pigeon pooh. Then that developed into other substances."

A later painting, entitled Faded Lady, is based on a photo of Margaret Thatcher at Ronald Reagan's funeral. It is painted with rusty water from an old spade.

Toby, who works as a decorator in London, said: "I used the rust water because she was known as the Iron Lady but it's now such a faded form. She has still got her bite but it's not so sharp.

"Materials have not been used to great effect in art. Most people settle for using paint, which doesn't add to the picture or add another angle on what can be said."

Toby is not alone in using bizarre substances to create pictures.

Five years ago, a picture by Turner Prize winner Chris Ofili which used elephant dung was shown at the Tate Gallery in London.

Toby's exhibition is slightly less high-profile. His parents have converted the front room of their home in Lewes to show his work.

He is one of nine artists having their work exhibited at the temporary Two Dogs Gallery, named after the family's pets, at 10 Market Street, until Sunday.

Toby's parents, John and Becca, have shown art in their home during the Lewes Festival on two previous years but only the odd landscape.

Mr Stockdale said: "Toby is going through a political phase at the moment and all the painting materials have to be political too. But if you can't be silly in your 20s, when can you be?

"I'm on the same side as him over the war. We all went on the march in London in February last year - my wife and I, Toby and our other three children.

"Although Toby feels very strongly about it, he didn't go over the top in his pictures. Bush and Blair don't have fangs dripping with blood."

Mrs Stockdale said: "I'm very proud of him and support him. I don't mind having the pictures hanging on my wall.

"Toby has varnished them, so we don't have to worry about them being a health and safety risk."