Making the School Nativity Scene

As usual this days i was asked to make nativity scene for the school that i work, (well three of them).
this picture its the final look, but its stated as  a plain sheet of MDF, one projector and  jigsaw. My favorite tool.
so, are you ready to start?

materials:
Some MDf planks ( 6mm)
several sets of hinges and screws
a gallon of white paint
a set of differents sizes of paint rollers
school paints
uv filtered water based varnish
a set of brushes
2 x 1"
joint compound
some string
staples

Tools:
A jigsaw
two jigsaw blades. One narrow for rounding cuts and a wide one for straight cuts
hammer
screwdriver
spatula

EXTRA
images and the projector.
a computer with the images loaded and a vga output.

Use  the differents sized paint rollers to paint  the planks white.
Use your computer and the projector to project the images at the planks of mdf, if you apply the white paints before, it will be easier to draw the outline of the images.
Use a pencil and dont cover the light with your head.

so, while you!re drawing the out and inside of the images, it may take a while, you can check it covering the light with... your head.
The base has to be flat, so draw a staight line from the corners downside, so the figures can stand.
Then, cut the forms using the jigsaw, exchange the blades for curves and straight lines.
take a picture of yourself holding the cutouts...

add joint compound to make the folds of the fabrics or any other details that you want to bulge.

Maybe its hard to make the exact colors of the images, but dont worry, varnish will make it look better!
To make skin color mix: yellow with a little red and less little blue. Make brown.
Then put on a disponsable plate some white paint, and add just a bit of the brown color. Separate the mix in 5 parts and make 5 different skin color. More red for the lips.
Well, make a disordered mixture.
Paint the faces and hands first, then paint the clothes. Add white or black to a clear and a dark color. You can check the color with your computer, also you can listen christmas music.

Then VARNISH IT. after that paint some details with golden paint.

hinges hinges hinges

So, after the figures dryed. Draw a vertical line centered of the backside. With a carpenter!s square, or any that you have near you, make sure that its really vertical on a 90 degrees angle.
Then take a 1 x 2" smaller than the total lenght of the figure. Add some pva glue and place it over or beside the line.

WAit for the glue to dry, flip the figure and nail it through.
MArk and screw the hinges.
For the figure to stand a stick is needed to support it. should be longer than the previous 1x 2".

then i add some string to joint each of the 1x2" using staples.
I made a flat nativity scene for the children. And also you can project sheep or other animals. Or other scene.

The byre or barn was made by the school carpenter. and they added some lights for the night.

Thats all. takes me three weeks to finish the 3 nativity scenes. Working a few hours a day, well not every day.

Thank you for read me.