Another police sketch artist whose artwork is criminal...

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:40 am

Kris X wrote:This guy isn't drawing realism, because if he did then he'd never be able to, why? Because people see different things when they look at a face... The police doesn't have the imagination, the victim does... So... The fault really lies with the communication between police sketchist and victim.

So, you're suggesting that it is beyond the capabilities of a reasonable artist to draw someone else's vision realistically? I don't buy that for a moment.

Again, you're missing my point. I did say that for me, this would be a heck of a good piece of work. For a skilled artist, trained to communicate with witnesses to get the information needed to produce the artwork, whose day to day job is to draw people realistically from another's recollection... this just is not an example of good artwork.

Legendary wrote:Geez, rkolter, who put fiberglass in your underwear?

Just for that, you get no chocolate.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 11:46 am

Because people who could actually draw photorealism wouldn't waste their times being a police sketch-artist and instead opt for a career that is less pointless and harder and harder to justify in modern times since people don't trust eye-witnesses anymore?

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:14 pm

The Neko wrote:Because people who could actually draw photorealism wouldn't waste their times being a police sketch-artist and instead opt for a career that is less pointless and harder and harder to justify in modern times since people don't trust eye-witnesses anymore?

Starting wages for a police sketch artist is $45,000 dollars and median wages are $55,000. I don't want a photorealistic artist. I just want a darn good one. And the sketches aren't used to nail someone to a charge; they're used to find suspects - mostly used by police, and pretty often too.

I do wonder about their career path as software with remarkably easy to use GUIs are becoming more popular though.

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:18 pm

I feel like the point is to get a general impression, not create a photorealistic work. Capture main features but leave room for error. But I guess I don't really know what standards are.

Kris X · Post by **Kris X** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 1:34 pm

The Neko wrote:Because people who could actually draw photorealism wouldn't waste their times being a police sketch-artist and instead opt for a career that is less pointless and harder and harder to justify in modern times since people don't trust eye-witnesses anymore?

I second Neko, there may be good artists out there, but how many evision being the best police sketch-artist EVER... Sorry, not many that I know of...

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:11 pm

yeahduff wrote:I feel like the point is to get a general impression, not create a photorealistic work. Capture main features but leave room for error. But I guess I don't really know what standards are.

That's the other reason. If you make it look more and more like a specific individual, you exacerbate the problems a witness might have in remembering the details correctly. You have to leave a little margin of error by giving a general idea of particular features. Otherwise, you'll either create a non-existent person, or finger the wrong guy. A lot of the artists apparently have books of photos of people's faces so people can say "he had this face type, these kinds of eyes," etc. So it's a lot easier for them.

But the main issue is that eye-witnesses are not considered to be as reliable as before. So making a sketch from what they're telling you isn't always the best way to find a suspect, or at least not enough to arrest or get a warrant. CCTV is the future of it, really.

Jesusabdullah · Post by **Jesusabdullah** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 5:44 pm

Killbert-Robby wrote:
Kris X wrote:
rock_dash wrote: I second or third this.
And I fourth it.
Right, I'll go thread it.

Well?! Where is it?

Edit: NVM I FOUND IT GUYS

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:46 am

Doesn't the witness have the final word on whether the sketch looks like the criminal or not?

Leperdoctor · Post by **Leperdoctor** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:34 am

A girl was raped and murdered in my city a year or three ago, and the sketch they released for it was UGLY. Seriously, it was a face covered with huge sunglasses, and the shading...I didin't realize they got paid that much, though! Where do I sign up?!

I don't think I've ever heard of a case where someone's been caught from a police sketch. It's always photographs or identifying features (tattoos or piercings, whatever). But I could be wrong. Don't quote me. <.<

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:42 am

I've seen it in a movie though.

Black Sparrow · Post by **Black Sparrow** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:07 am

mcDuffies wrote:I've seen it in a movie though.

Aha! If it was in a movie, it must be true!

Rkolter · Post by **Rkolter** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:10 am

I'm pretty sure if it didn't help, they wouldn't do it.

Warren · Post by **Warren** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:36 am

$55,000 is more than most artists make in a year.

Hell, it's more than I make.

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:16 am

It's more than I spend.