Narritive Project (Part 2)

Head of figure of Jesus

Figure of Jesus before it was added to the cross

While I was trying to make a cross I was happy with I was also working on the figure of Jesus. I started on the torso and worked out from there. I found the hands and feet most difficult and it took a number of attempts before I was happy. Unfortunately when you were happy with one you then had to make the other look as similar as possible.
I decided to change some of the features of the piece from the prototype to the finished piece. I had forgotten the crown of thorns and, as I felt it was an important feature, was sure to remember it the second time. I made the decision to have the eyes closed rather than opened. I found the opened eyes ended up looking as if He was staring. It was also much easier to do .
 The cross I went with wasn't absolutely perfect. The hilt wasn't symmetrical but it was the fourth dagger I had made and I decided that it was as good as it was likely to get. 

Figure attached to cross

For the hair and beard I used clay I had mixed with water until it became sludgy. In small amounts, I added this to where I wanted His hair to go. After letting it dry for a few minutes I used a sharp, pointed tool to carve small lines (pictured beside the figure of Jesus), creating the effect. I decided to have the beard and hair covering his neck to avoid any weaknesses that might allow the head to break off. With the same tool I rearranged the still damp clay into the two twisted strands. I decided that trying to make tiny thorns would be very fiddly and they probably wouldn't be seen from any distance.
I scored and slipped small areas of the dagger which the figure would touch and fixed them together. To insure they were as secure as possible I packed in all the slip I could fit between them. I made sure that this wasn't visible from the front.