One of my carving students has a substantial beard and the shape of face that has potential to become an elder Hebrew father typical of the time when this parable was first told. I took two rolls of film, and settled on these photos because they were in the best position with the best expression. The head covering was also well arranged. The photos were enlarged on a color photocopier in preparation for tracing.
On my light table, I traced the photo, and then "aged" the face so that it was to my liking. The hands come from another photo.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have excellent visual resources for your carving pattern. The best way to obtain these resources, sometimes, is to take the photographs yourself. It was a pleasure to carve the father's face because I had all the detail I needed in the photos.