Raising Lazarus!

The latest Bible story to be illustrated is 'The raising of Lazarus', (John ch11).
The story includes 8 pictures, and is available either as a Powerpoint,
or in A3 Poster format.
In picture 3, you can see the actual town of Bethany in the background. I used an early engraving for reference.

Indications are that Mary, Martha and Lazarus were reasonably wealthy. For instance, we read that Lazarus was buried in a tomb. Most burials at that time were in 'Shaft' graves, which were 6' deep x 20" wide. Tombs were reserved for the wealthy.
We also read in ch-12 how Mary used very costly oil of spikenard, (worth 300 denarii), to anoint the feet of Jesus.

Picture 5 shows Martha telling Mary that the Lord wanted to see her. This story is taking place during the 'Shiv-ah' period, (the Jewish week long period of grief and mourning for close relatives). Mary is in the 'house of mourning'. Those who have gathered to pay their respects, and comfort the two sisters are seated either on the ground or on low stools, as was the custom. The normal chairs being upturned.

Those present have torn their clothes on the right side. The left side, (over the heart), being reserved for the loss of a parent.

In pictures 7 and 8 you can see the freshly whitened tomb of Lazarus.
Edersheim tells us that a mixture of chalk and water was used to whiten sepulchers. This process had to be repeated over time, as rain water would wash the chalk away.
In picture 8, the chalky mixture can be clearly seen on the clothes and hands of those who moved the stone. (see picture).

The story of Lazarus brings our total Bible picture count to 664!

Posts on other Bible stories
Blind Bartimaeus
The Rich Young Rular
Zacchaeus
Crucifixion part 1
Crucifixion part 2
On the road to Emmaus
The Nativity
Woman taken in Adultery

Latest ICC Competition!

Nate Butler is President of 'International Christian Comics ' in Albuquerque, USA..
He emailed me last week with details of the 'latest ICC competition' which I've pasted below.
If you would like to enter, let Nate know a.s.a.p.

We've launched our 2nd International Christian Comics Competition (ICCC)
Submissions should be original, short comics features (1, 2, 3 or 4 pages maximum) that are evangelistic in nature and/or display an aspect of Christian discipleship. The message of the comic should be appealing and understandable to a non-Christian audience, without compromising the message of the Gospel.
True stories, including Bible adaptations and personal testimonies, are encouraged particularly.
For more information, please visit this page of our web site:
http://www.comix35.org/intcompetition2.html

Nate recently visited Japan, and met with some 'manga Bible artists'. His comments are below.

"I had some meetings with manga artists in Japan just last month where we discussed how to portray Adam & Eve in the only way that would be 100% genetically accurate ... about how artists often draw Goliath and other Philistines with the wrong kind of helmet in spite of a great deal of hieroglyphic evidence clearly displaying the look of Philistine soldiers ... about the look of Noah's Ark ... etc., etc. ... all very interesting stuff that I hope to get down in writing someday!"

I'm looking forward to reading all about that Nate. Many thanks!
Graham

The 'Bible Artist' list

You will probably have noticed the recently added list of 'Bible Artists'.
(Green box, right hand column).

I originally intended this to be a 'Bible Artist blogroll', but I soon found out that there are very few Bible artists with a blog! And the few Bible artists that did have a blog, were not blogging about Bible art!
So, I decided to change it to a list of Bible artist links.

Bible Artists
To be included on this list, you need to have either, illustrated a Bible, or have a website with your own Bible art displayed. If that's you, send me an email with your details.

Christian Artists
I also noticed that there are many good Christian artists that don't necessarily have Bible art displayed on their websites. This list is to include them!

Jewish Bible Art
I thought it would be nice to include some Jewish Bible art, so if you're Jewish, and have your own Bible art displayed on your website, send me an email with your details.

Don't forget to vote in the Poll! (Blue box, right hand column).

Writing in the sand!

The latest Bible picture story to be added is the 'Woman caught in the act of adultery' (John 8). If you need pictures of this story, click here. The story takes place in one of the sandy floored courts adjoining the main Temple. I presume that the flooring was sand, as the Lord Jesus stooped down to write in it, and what He wrote could clearly be read by those who stood around. According to Jewish law, it was unlawful to write even two letters on the sabbath day, but it was acceptable to write in dust! (shabbat 7:2, 12:5)

There's been lots of speculation as to what the Lord Jesus wrote in the sand that day. Some suggest that it was a list of sins, others suggest that it was a list of the names of those stood around. I often wonder if it was something like, "This is a list of the sins committed by......", and then He stopped writing and waited for someone to cast the first stone.... no one dared! For whatever reason, the Bible does not record what was actually written.

In picture 2 the pharisees are pointing with the finger of their left hand, (The hand with the phylactery strapped to it!) emphasizing their confidence that the full weight of the Law supported their accusations. In fact, the Law stated that both the woman, and the man should be stoned, but where was the man?

In picture 3 you can see the accusers starting to leave, beginning with the eldest first. The older we get, the more honest we should become about our sinfulness before God.

This story contains 5 pictures and brings the total picture count to 656!

Posts on other Bible stories
Blind Bartimaeus
The Rich Young Rular
Zacchaeus
Crucifixion part 1
Crucifixion part 2
On the road to Emmaus
The Nativity
Raising Lazarus

Bible pictures: Cartoon Vs Realism

I would be interested to know your views on the above topic. So I've added a poll for you to vote on, at the bottom of the right hand column. Please spare a minute to vote.
(The poll is now closed. The results are below).

Most of the Bible pictures we produce are in a realistic style, apart from the parables, which I tend to do in a cartoon style.
We have found that those involved in presenting the Bible message to children prefer their pictures to be reasonably realistic. Some people are understandably turned off by cartoon depictions of the crucifixion.

I went into my local christian bookshop last week to browse, and I was amazed to find hardly any new children's Bibles containing realistic illustration. Nearly every new Bible on offer was a cartoon version.
Don't get me wrong, there are some excellent cartoon Bibles out there, and I think that there's room for Bibles illustrated in all styles. What bothers me is the lack of choice on offer. I'm not sure that christian publishers have their finger firmly on the pulse on this one.

When we brought out our '3D books', a few years ago, two were in a cartoon style, and two were realistic. The publisher predicted that the cartoon versions would outsell the others.
In fact, the reverse happened! The realistic style outsold the cartoon style by 2 to 1.

What happened to all the artists like J J Tossot, William Hole, Harold Copping, Henry Coller and of course, Frank Hampson?
Great Bible artists who all travelled to the Holy land to gather visual references and produced some of the best realistic Bible illustrations to date.

Let us know your opinion by voting in the poll!

The poll is now closed:
175 voted for Realistic Bible illustration.
15 voted for Cartoon Bible illustration.
3 voted as having no preference.
Many thanks for your votes and interest in the subject.

Covering the Ark

An interesting comment was left a few days ago by Jason from North Carolina, on the 'Day of Atonement' post. Jason pointed out that, in Numbers 4:1-15 the Ark of the Covenant along with the other items of furniture in the Tabernacle were always covered while in transit.

I have drawn the Ark uncovered while in transit at least twice that I can think of! This highlights another problem that Bible illustrators face. We tend to only read the portion of scripture that we're about to illustrate. Numbers 4 is one of those passages that sets a precedent for all the verses that follow concerning the Ark.
Just about every Bible artist I know has missed this one! The fact is, the only time we should show the Ark uncovered, is when it's in the Holy of Holies.

I'm slowly redoing all of our earlier Bible stories in the new (more detailed) style. So, when I redo both the 'Crossing of the Jordan' and 'The walls of Jericho' stories, the ark will be well and truly covered! Thanks Jason.
Another interesting question is, what was the Ark of the Covenant actually covered with?

Badger skins or Dugong hides?
When I was reading the verses above, (in the amplified Bible), I was very surprised to read that the Ark was covered with 'porpoise or dolphin skins'! (not badger skins). On further inspection, I noticed that the amplified Bible also records that the Tabernacle itself was covered with dolphin or porpoise skins! If you're as confused as I was, then you might find the excert below, (from netbible.org), enlightening.

The word 'Badger' is found in Ex. 25:5; 26:14; 35:7, 23; 36:19; 39:34; Num. 4:6, etc. The tabernacle was covered with badgers' skins; the shoes of women were also made of them (Ezek. 16:10). Our translators seem to have been misled by the similarity in sound of the Hebrew tachash_ and the Latin _taxus, "a badger." The revisers have correctly substituted "seal skins." The Arabs of the Sinaitic peninsula apply the name tucash to the seals and dugongs which are common in the Red Sea, and the skins of which are largely used as leather and for sandals. Though the badger is common in Palestine, and might occur in the wilderness, its small hide would have been useless as a tent covering. The dugong, (pictured above), very plentiful in the shallow waters on the shores of the Red Sea, is a marine animal from 12 to 30 feet long, something between a whale and a seal, never leaving the water, but very easily caught. It grazes on seaweed, and is known by naturalists as Halicore tabernaculi.
(Source: http://netbible.org)

I have only ever seen the covering of the Tabernacle depicted in illustrations, (and on models), as consisting of brown fur. If Dugong hides were used, the covering would have been a bluish-grey in color, and almost leather like. If anyone has any other comments on this, we'd like to hear them!
(Dugong image: www.euratlas.com)

Related posts:
The Day of Atonement
The contents of the Ark

Drawing Angels!

I was asked just before Christmas, if I could draw a large angel for our church youth group, as they were performing a nativity play.
I always feel a little uneasy when drawing angels, mainly because, I'm not too sure what they look like! For the same reason, I also feel uncomfortable drawing anything relating to heaven. I hold to the view that these things are beyond human imagination, therefore, however we try to depict them, we are sure to fail miserably!

Man boasts that he can achieve whatever he can imagine, but God begins where mans imagination ends! There are many instances in the Bible where man, after seeing a heavenly vision, attempts to describe the indescribable! e.g. Isaiah 6, Ezekiel 10, Revelation etc. In Corinthians ch12:2, Paul 'beheld sights and heard unspeakable words which it would not be possible for man to declare'. In the same way that 'words failed' Paul, if the worlds greatest artist were to see those same visions, I believe that he too, would be unable to paint them onto canvas.

The Bible mentions different types of angelic beings, such as 'Cherubim', 'Seraphim', 'Thrones', 'Archangels', 'Angels', 'Principalities and powers. etc. The descriptions given, of both the cherubim in Ezekiel 10, and the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2, fall into the category of the indescribable! There are descriptions given, but they're not easily translated into coherent images.

The craftsmen of Moses' day however, didn't seem to have any problems depicting cherubs. They made two cherubim in solid gold for the 'Ark of the Covenant'. Presumably, Moses was given the visual information about cherubs, which he in turn passed on to the craftsmen. We also read in Ex 26:1 that skilled craftsmen wove images of cherubim into the design of the tabernacle curtain. According to Ezekiel, cherubs have four wings. I've only ever seen two winged cherubs on reconstructed models of the 'Ark of the Covenant'.
The word 'Seraphim' means 'burning ones' which suggests that they have the appearance of fire.
Adolphe Napoleon Didron, (1886), illustrated both cherubim and seraphim based on the literal descriptions given in Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 10. The end results however, were most unusual.

So, going back to angels. How should we draw them? What do they really look like? Most of the 'Angel imagery' that is accepted, is provided by the 'Old masters'. If we are to base our pictures on these images alone, then angels will remain as either 'fat babies with wings', or slightly effeminate looking men with long white robes, wings, and in some cases, a sword. So, how scriptural are these images?

Firstly, it's important to mention that, out of the list of angelic beings mentioned above, it's angels that interact with men, and they appear in human form. Notice also, that angels always appear in adult form, (not as fat babies!)
Most of the time they are male, although female ones seem to be mentioned in Zechariah 5:9.
In most Bible passages about angels, Wings are not mentioned! In Genesis chapters 18 & 19 for instance, the angels had no wings. At least not visible ones.
Seraphim, cherubim and thrones however, do have wings , but Seraphs only use two of their six wings to fly!
Angels are recorded as wearing white robes, which in some cases radiate dazzling light. (Matt 28:3), but, angels also appear in normal clothing, (Gen:18).
If Pauls comments about 'entertaining angels unawares' in Hebrews 13:1-2, is applicable today, then it would suggest that angels keep up-to-date with fashion too!
It seems that angels either appear as men, (so as not to cause alarm), or in their natural state, which is both awesome and terrifying. (Luke 24:5).
In Psalm 78:25, angels food is mentioned which suggests that angels may also eat!

If anyone has done a study of angels, (from the Bible), and would like to share their thoughts, particularly on the physical appearance of angels, please leave a comment.

Related posts:
Drawing Cherubs
Drawing the Devil

Bible pictures on the net!

Searching for Bible pictures on the internet can be very frustrating!
When you search Google for 'Bible pictures', it's possible to get to page 80, and still not find what you're looking for! In fact, by the time you get to page 80, you won't find anything biblical at all!

Google is apparently working on 'new search technology' that will only show 'very relevant' web pages that match the search term used. in other words, when you search for 'Bible pictures', you will get a list of sites that actually have Bible pictures! Isn't that what's supposed to happen? Anyway, for those of you who can't wait for Googles new technology to arrive, and for those of you who still haven't found 'The Bible picture website', read on!

Older collections
There are a few sites out there that do contain Bible pictures. These can range from nineteenth century engravings by Gustave Dore, to Flash-cards produced in the sixties! Good as these pictures are, it's very difficult to hold the attention of todays 'Cartoon Network' loving children, (whose attention span has been reduced to two seconds), with black & white engravings by Gustave Dore!
The Bible picture website produces 'new artwork' with todays kids in mind.

Continuity
Many sites boast 'large collections' of Bible pictures which are usually scans taken from old Bible story books, children's Bibles or very old paintings.
Again these are very good, but there's a problem with continuity, as most of the stories are made up from pictures done by several artists, which means that the main character, whether it be Moses or Jesus, can change several times during one story! The Bible picture website uses one artist per story!

Private collections
Many children's workers know an amateur or semi professional artist who produces Bible pictures for them. Some of these collections are starting to appear on the web. The only problem here is that because the artist, more often than not, has produced the pictures as a favor, or at very low cost. they tend not to have the time to do the proper research required for each story. When I was a professional illustrator producing Bible pictures in my spare time, I had the same problem.

I've added a list of all the Bible picture resource sites that I can find on the web. It's at the bottom of the right hand column. If I find any more, I'll add them too!

Related posts:
Need Bible pictures?
How to use our Bible pictures
Can you help?

Feeding the 5,000

For those of you who think that the 'picture counter' on the right has been stuck on 641, It's not!
It's just that I've been illustrating the 'feeding of the 5,000' in John ch 6, and it's taken longer than usual.

If you need pictures of the 'Feeding of the 5,000 story', click here.

To start with, I wanted to get the scenery reasonably accurate, so I started by looking at maps and photos of the area as well as studying old paintings and wood engravings that were actually done in the Holy land.
The supposed area where this event took place is known today as the 'Golan Heights'

In picture one, you are looking from the high ground, westward across the sea of Galilee. On the opposite shore, some 5 miles away, you can see Capernaum, where the Lord Jesus travelled to the following day.
In pictures three, and four, you are looking northwest, and the River Jordan can be seen in the distance, close to where it flows into the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida.
If you look at a contoured map of the area, you will see that the slopes rise gently from the Sea of Galilee at this point. This was a large area of grassland, (v10) making it ideal for grazing.

I have drawn both sheep and lambs amongst the crowds, as this was at the time of 'Passover', so there would have been lambs in abundance. In picture four, I show a small child sat with a lamb at her side, like a pet. This is a reminder of how jewish families at 'Passover' were to take the lamb into their home, on the 10th of Nisan, 4 days before it was sacrificed. I'm sure that any children in the family would have grown attached to the lamb during this time, making the eventual slaughter of the animal that much more painful! A stark reminder to them of both the consequences of sin, and how their ancestors were saved only by the shedding of the blood of an innocent lamb!

When I was drawing the crowds of people, I started to think about the logistics of how the food would have been distributed. There could well have been over 10,000 people present as the 5,000 mentioned didn't include the women and children.
Whenever there are plates of biscuits to be given out at our church following a family service, you can guarantee that all the volunteers for the job are the children! I would imagine that children were the same then. So in picture four, I show, alongside the disciples, eager children distributing the baskets of bread and fish.

For more about the Sea of Galilee, click here.

Pictures of the Nativity

If you are looking for pictures of the 'Nativity', click on one of the links below:

New pictures of the Nativity: Part one.
New pictures of the Nativity: Part two.
Christmas Jigsaw Powerpoint.
Wisemen powerpoint.
Nativity powerpoint.
Nativity in 3D powerpoint.

As I write this post it's early December, so I thought I'd add a post with a Christmas theme! below are a few interesting facts and thoughts about the 'Christmas story' that might be helpful to all you Bible illustrators, or maybe those preparing a Christmas sermon.

Why Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh?
Gold was a royal gift given to kings, or in this case the 'King of Kings'.
Frankincense was used by priests, reminding us that the Lord Jesus was to become our 'Great High Priest'. Like Melchisedic, He was to be both a Priest and king.
Myrrh was an embalming spice used in the burial of the dead, reminding us that Jesus came for a purpose, to die as a 'sacrificial lamb' for the sins of the world.

Mary
Most modern scholars agree that Mary was only around 14 years old when she gave birth to the Lord Jesus. This would have made her around 47 years old at the time of the crucifixion. Both the 'Jesus of Nazareth' series, and the new film, 'The Nativity Story' , correctly show Mary as a young teen.

Swaddling clothes
This was an eastern custom whereby a baby was bound with long strips of cloth, in the same manner as an Egyptian mummy! The arms and legs of a baby bound in this way were quite rigid!
Strips of cloth were also wrapped across the babies chin and forehead, so that only his face could be seen.

We three kings?
Actually, the wise men were not kings, and there were probably more than three of them!
Some experts believe they were of Persian origin.The wise men were members of the 'Magi' which was an ancient religious order that worshiped the elements, (fire, water, air etc). It is possible that the wise men attributed deity to the star which they were following. If this is true, this would not be the first time that God used a lifeless object of worship to point men back to Himself! I'm thinking of the image of Dagon that fell prostrate before the Ark of the Lord. (1st Samuel ch5).

Bethlehem star
I once read an article in the 'Readers Digest' by the famous Astronomer Patrick Moore, concerning 'The Star of Bethlehem'. He studied each Bible verse that mentioned the star, and compared them with the very latest information we have about the stars, to see if the behavior of this star could be explained.
The interesting thing was that even though there are only a few verses that mention the star, these few verses showed that this star behaved like no other!
He concluded the article with the words, " The Star of Bethlehem remains a mystery!"

Related posts:
New pictures of the Nativity
Nazareth or Egypt?
Drawing Angels

Need Bible pictures?

Don't forget to check out the 'Bible picture site'
We now have a new domain name 'www.biblepicturewebsite.com'. This will be the web address of our 'new U.S. site' based in Philadelphia. This site will be in U.S. dollars and should provide an even better service to all our customers in the U.S. At the moment this address will connect to the main 'Visual Impact Resources' site, until the new site is complete.

We have already completed over 100 stories from the Old and New Testaments! They include over 640 pictures so far.
Each picture is hand drawn with brush and ink and digitally rendered.
All our picture sets are available as immediate downloads, for when you need those Bible pictures quickly!
Alternatively, you can order each picture set in A3 poster form. For those of you who are outside the U.K. A3 is 420mm x 297mm or 11 1/2x16 1/2 inches. The posters can be mounted onto a flipchart pad or laminated and used as flashcards.

We also have a range of 'Amazing 3D Bible pictures' available as Powerpoints or posters, for use with 3D glasses! Why not buy all the kids in your Sunday school/kids club a 3D viewer from 'here'. Then download a 'Bible story in Amazing 3D' from our 3D PowerPoints!
Our childrens 3D Bible storybooks make great Christmas presents too. There are 4 titles, and each book comes with a free 3D viewer!


Related posts:
How to use our Bible pictures
Bible pictures on the net!
Can you help?

Being Roofless!

I Found a couple of interesting things out recently to do with synagogues that might be helpful to other Bible artists also.

1). Synagogues in the days of Jesus were often built without roofs!
Coming from Manchester, which is famous for it's rainfall, the concept of a roofless building is a strange one! I don't think I've ever yet seen a Bible illustration that depicts an open-air synagogue, so watch this space!

Speaking of roofs, (or lack of them), Paul Beck left some helpful comments about them on my 'No more Domes'. post. Check it out! (Thanks Paul).

2). Synagogues were built on high ground
Whenever possible, synagogues were built at the highest point of a town or city. So, If you happen to be showing an external view of one, remember to illustrate the buildings around at a lower level.

It was also the practice of those involved in 'Idol worship' to build their temples on high ground, the idea being that they were closer to the false deities that they worshiped, (Sun Gods, Moon gods, etc). These are referred to in the Old Testament as 'The high places'.

Related posts:
What did Herod's Temple look like?
Houses in Bible times
No more Domes!

Bible Research

Continued from the 'Gathering Bible references' post./

Once you have gathered together references for figures, buildings and landscape etc, It's time to start some serious research!

The basic tools for this are, the Bible, (obviously), Bible Atlas, a good commentary, Concordance, Bible dictionary and a parallel New Testament. But even then, there are sometimes questions left unanswered. So, It's also helpful to have a book on 'Bible customs' to hand. The one I use is 'Manners and Customs of the Bible' by James M. Freeman.
If you have to illustrate a custom such as 'Casting lots', books like this can help you to understand how it was actually done.

Much of my research is now done on the internet.
Websites like BiblePlaces.com are a mine of information! If you are serious about Bible illustration, I would highly recommend this site to you. Todd Bolen's blog will also keep you up to date with all the latest news in Bible archeology. I could spend hours on this site!

When illustrating 'The healing at the pool of Bethesda' in John ch 5, (sample above). I was informed by Professor Bolen, who's based at the university in Jerusalem, that most of the pools in Jerusalem at that time were open air.
Many children's Bible artists, and some of the 'Old Masters' (see Carl Bloch), show this as an enclosed pool. Information like this cannot always be gleaned from the study aids mentioned above.

When you're happy with your references and research, It's time to start drawing!
At the end of the day, a lot of what we draw will be guesswork. But, if we use all the research tools available to us, at least we will be making an educated guess!

Related posts:
Illustrating a Bible Story
More Biblical costume reference!
Which Bible clothing colors should I use?
Easy mistakes to make!
Bible study aids
Gathering Bible References

Noah's Ark?

We all know what Noah's Ark looked like, don't we?
It was a big wooden boat with a big house on top! .......Wasn't it?

We've all gotten so used to seeing images of Noah's Ark in children's Bibles, (with all the animals waving through the leaded glass windows to Noah, who is busy watering all the hanging baskets of flowers), that we seldom question if those images actually resembled the ark at all!

The nearest Ark I've seen, (to the Biblical description),appeared in John Cross's book, 'The Stranger on the road to Emmaus'. It was basically, a long black box floating on the water! I know it's not as pretty as the traditional version, but our job's not about illustrating fairy tales!

Remember that the Ark was probably black in color as it was coated in pitch! When you look at the actual dimensions, (I built a small scale model in wood), It's surprisingly long and slim! In-fact, in black, it almost looks futuristic! Remember also that the Ark was HUGE! To see some models of Noah's Ark, click here.

So if we know what the ark looked like, why do we keep going back to the fairy tale version? Well, tradition is hard to break! I think that's the problem. Tradition! (It's the fault of Bible artists, yet again!)
So, full marks to all the artists like Nestor Redondo and others, who spent the time to research the subject, and had the guts to draw what they saw!

Easy mistakes to make!

#1 The writing on the wall
When illustrating 'Belshazzars Feast' in the book of Daniel, remember to position the hand to the left of the finished writing on the wall.
Not the right, as shown in most children's Bibles. Remember, Hebrew is written from right to left!

#2 Crossing the Jordan
When illustrating the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua ch3-4. Remember that if you were stood on the banks of the Jordan facing Jericho, the flow of the water would be from right to left. This means that when the water banked up allowing the children of Israel to cross, it would bank up on the right side of them. Not the left as shown in some Bibles.

The Bible says that the Jordan actually receded a few miles upstream, To the city of Adam,(v16) where the waters heaped up. Therefore no wall of water would have been in view as the israelites crossed the Jordan. It is more dramatic though when you can see the wall of water! Although, the waters receding back many miles in both directions, (when the priests feet touched the water), must have been a fairly awesome sight too!

Interestingly, this is almost the same spot where the 'Baptism of Jesus' took place many years later. How much more would the waters of the Jordan have wanted to recede back at that event!

#3 The Star of David
Many Bible artists use the 'Star of David' as a Jewish symbol in their Bible pictures. For instance on decorative panels in synagogues etc. This symbol wasn't used till much later. Images of the 'Menorah' have been around for a lot longer, so perhaps a menorah would be a more suitable image. Any other suggestions?

#4 The High Priests Breastplate.
If you've gone to the trouble of researching the colors of all twelve of the precious stones on the breastplate of the High Priest, (which you should). Remember that, as Hebrew is written from right to left, It's probable that the first stone mentioned would appear top right, and the last stone mentioned would appear bottom left.
Many years ago, I illustrated a life size 'High priest' in oils on canvas, for an evangelist friend of ours. One mistake I made, which I later changed, was to illustrate the two chains that attach the top corners of the Breastplate to the two shoulder settings, as link chains. They should have been 'wreathen' or 'braided' chains, which are more like ropes, and much stronger.

#5 Cover the Ark.
Remember to illustrate the Ark of the Covenant under cover when in transit. (See the 'Covering the Ark' post).
Also remember that the Cherubs over the Ark had four wings, not two. (See the 'Drawing Angels' post).

Related posts:
Covering the Ark
Drawing Angels
Drawing Cherubs

How old were the disciples?

I recently heard someone say that all the disciples, except Peter, were under 20 years old.

The reason given was the story of the 'coin in the fishes mouth' (Matthew ch17 v24-27) The coin in the story was enough to pay the taxes for Jesus and Peter only, even though the other disciples were present. Men under 20 were not required to pay the roman taxes, which led to the suggestion that the other disciples were all under 20!

I'm not sure if this merits a 'Back to the drawing board' award, like the 'No more domes' post.
I need to do more research. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?