When it came time for the National Geographic to commission art for their upcoming three-hour event series Killing Jesus, the network called upon a man dubbed the "digital DaVinci" to do the job.
"After working with Nat Geo on the Killing Kennedy newsstand billboard illustrations, I think the opportunity to use painted imagery again was put into circulation, and a painting of a biblical scene of Jesus just seemed like a better fit to the execs than one of Wicked Tuna," joked artist Sam Spratt, whose body of work now features everything from Yeezus to Jesus, in a statement.
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After pitching six ideas in all, the network ultimately chose to move forward with a concept titled "Crowning of Thorns," which Spratt then got to work on.
Here's a GIF of the many steps involved, from sketch to final product:
"While I'm not religious or Christian, there are just some pretty universal truths out there, regardless of belief system, one of which being that he's easily one of the most -- if not the most -- influential figures of all time," Spratt added. "Since I was painting him in a very vulnerable scene, making sure that he was portrayed in a strong and sympathetic light, engaging with the viewer while the action happened around him was a no brainer."
Killing Jesus, based on the book by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard, tells the story of Jesus' death beginning in the era of his birth, during a time in which King Herod the Great (played by Kelsey Grammer) was ruling Judea.
Actor Haaz Sleiman plays the title character, and Stephen Moyer (playing Pontius Pilate) also stars.
Killing Jesus premieres on National Geographic Channel on Palm Sunday, March 29 at 8 p.m. ET.