Jesus on the Cross With Mourners and Soldiers

Jesus hangs on a large wooden cross at the center of the page, arms stretched wide, head bowed with a crown of thorns and a halo behind it. A cloth is wrapped around his waist, and a small sign is fixed at the top of the cross. Around the base, a crowd of mourners kneels and stands with hands pressed together or raised in grief, including a woman with a halo in the middle right and a figure resting their head on their arm at the lower left. Roman soldiers with plumed helmets and tall spears stand on both sides in the background, and soft clouds fill the sky. For Good Friday, try muted blues, browns, and grays for the sky and robes, then talk about how the different people in the crowd are reacting. The large open areas are easy for younger kids, while the faces and folded robes give older kids more detail to color.