Nativity girls

The Nativity play we're doing looks back at the prophecies of a great King to David and Isaiah.

This exacerbates the problem there always is with Nativity plays - lack of female (biblical) main characters (i.e. not just members of crowds).

Male parts: David, Samuel, Nathan, Isaiah, Gabriel, Joseph; also shepherds & wise men
Female parts: Mary

Fortunately we have more boys than girls, and the play will also have some present day characters, who can be girls.


So I was thinking - how could you do a Bible based nativity play with lots of girl parts?

Aha - the women in Jesus' family tree!

• Bathsheba - tricky, but totally do-able for kids if you're circumspect
• Ruth - definitely
• Rahab - yes, just don't mention her profession
• Tamar - Ah. Maybe not, then :-)

Waste

There's something wrong with a society in which all these perfectly good containers are just rubbish, to be thrown away - or at best, recycled.

Time travel tenses

Writing a nativity play that involves time travel.
Getting terribly mixed up with tenses.

(Though not as much as Douglas Adams in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe)

Simeon & Anna

Well, that was a bit quicker than the last one - done in a week! Here it is.

Doing New Testament always is quicker, because clothes etc. are more boring, and I don't need to research them, as I already know what they're like. Also, I'd already designed baby Jesus, Mary & Joseph for previous PowerPoints. 

My standard temple pic with M&J added :-)

How to draw pigeons: 1) Google photos 2) Trace them

I really like this one

Daniel & the king's food

Finally available - been working on it since June :-o

I think the Daniel stories are important for kids in the 21st century who, like Daniel, are living in a non-Christian society and need wisdom to know when to fit in and when to stand out.

 Click on picture to go to site.

Not often I get to draw ham in Bible pics!

Just as well I'm a cheapskate

This ladle is so cute.

Encouragement

How do we see ourselves?

Forgiven, beloved
Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name

~Jason Gray

Been listening to this song a lot recently. It's not my favourite of his musically, but what it says is great.

The Confrontation (from Les Miserables) - Josiah Brooks

For no reason except it's pretty cool.

This guy is multitalented - the main thing he does is art/cartooning videos.

The best source of advice

If we're Christians, we have instant, personal access to the only wise God, the one who brought forth wisdom as the first of his works and who will give wisdom to those who ask.

Why, then, does it so often not even cross our minds to ask, 'what do you think I should do about this?'?

Finished (probably)

Just had to finish this off B4 I went to bed! (It didn't take all that time, I was cleaning in between).

I did tweak some things from the pencil, like make the boys much taller, and sort the capital on the doorway (and add another)

I may have improvements next time I look at it, of course...

Final pencils

Proper finished pencils. Often I don't bother with these, and then really struggle with the inking. But I'm being sensible this time :-)

One or two wee tangents I'll need to sort.

Pencilling

Well, that was less painful than I anticipated. Hopefully a good omen!

Thumbnails

This is the easy bit of illustrating.

It then gets progressively harder.

Until, finally, I reach the colouring - and that's the easiest bit of all!

Amazing what you can buy on Amazon (2)

A while back, I commented on the confirmation email I got for my "Amazon.co.uk order of Eternal Life"

Now I've got a confirmation email for my "Amazon.co.uk order of Sparrows"