police/court sketch artists

[joko]

do they still use hand drawn images or is it all digital now...?

and does anyone know how you would get into this line of work?

thanks

[ponjee]

not sure, ive never been in court. but i hope they still do, it looks better drawn.
um i guess you would have to get some kind of degree (i think),

[joko]

a degree to draw? mmm..

well i have one anyway, plus various other qualifications on art based subjects

[joko]

im wondering where you would look for vacancies or who you could approach etc...and is there some sort of training etc

[ponjee]

not a degree to draw, but if you want to draw in court, do you have to have a degree to keep the case confidential.
see i dont really knw, im 14, justv trying to help out.
xxx

[ponjee]

what would you call that job anyways? (drawing in court)

[joko]

a degree to agree to keep your mouth shut? ...ummm ok...

lol

thanks anyway...

[ponjee]

lol... pretty much.
on the net this is what some of the qualifications are:

120 hours of education: 80 hours of composite art from an approved school and 40 hours in related courses
A minimum of five years with a bona fide law enforcement agency
Five successful composite drawings (hits), including written description of case specifics and how the drawings were completed
Three letters of recommendation, one from a supervisor certifying the submitted drawing samples
A written, practical, and verbal exam including an "on the spot" composite sketch based on a pre-selected photographed "suspect"

on this website it gives you instruction, try it if you want.

http://www.ehow.com/h...courtroom-artist.html
good luck. xxx

[Answerprancer]

I've just had this offbeat image of an official court sketch artist, bored with proceedings of a really serious rape/murder case drawing a huge Mexican-style moustache on one of the witnesses, adding a few trees, a river ..perhaps a low-flying osprey with a rainbow trout in its talons and a thunder storm on the horizon (or the northern lights).
Sorry it's late and I am now irrational.
(I wonder what materials they use, I bet it's real top notch stuff : Conte pastilles, Windsor and Newton textured paper etc.)

[ABerrant]

That US website is hardly appropriate - it mentions in-court news cameras and in-court sketching, both of which are illegal in British courtrooms. A good memory is a major requirement since sketches must be made outside of court.

Court sketch artists are retained by the larger media outlets for higher profile cases, so if you allow for BBC, ITN, Sky and a few newspaper groups you can see that only a handful of freelancers are required, such as Priscilla Coleman, Julia Quenzler and Elizabeth Cook.

There has been a decline in usage on TV; alternatives are video footage external to the courtroom and re-enactments from transcripts in more notable cases.

[hc4361]

You might find this interesting - not court artist, but forensic artist.

http://www.lifesci.du...c.uk/MSc_Forensic_Art