Careers for Artists: Court Artist
Tuesday April 18, 2006
In courtrooms where cameras are not allowed, such as the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui for the attacks of September 11th, the media relies on a court artist to portray scenes from the trial. The way the artist presents someone will impact how the public judges them. Dana Verkouteren, the artist for Moussaoui's trial, has been a court artist for more than 20 years. According to a report in CBS Verkouteren "sees him as a complex subject of art ... 'When he’s relaxed, he strokes his beard. He has very soft lines for eyes, but he scrunches them down a lot'."
In the US, court artists are allowed to take art materials in with them, but in the UK artists have to draw from memory outside the courtroom. To get an idea of what being a court artist is like, read this interview with Glenda Brigham, a court artist in Australia, and this one with Julia Quenzler in the UK. Or take a look at the websites of court artists Elizabeth Cook and Vicki Behringer.
In the US, court artists are allowed to take art materials in with them, but in the UK artists have to draw from memory outside the courtroom. To get an idea of what being a court artist is like, read this interview with Glenda Brigham, a court artist in Australia, and this one with Julia Quenzler in the UK. Or take a look at the websites of court artists Elizabeth Cook and Vicki Behringer.
Comments
I wrote several times to judges in the state of Rhode Island asking permission to draw scenes at court to practice and learn but never received answers. What is the procedure to be allowed and/or accepted in courts in the United States?
You’ll probably have more luck getting a response from a judges’ or courtroom assistant. Or maybe just turning up at your local courtroom with a sketchbook and seeing if anyone says anything?
How does one go about being a court artist, I live in Spain.
Why not start by asking at a local court?
How much money does a court artist make per year? Are they paid by the individual drawings or are they paid by the newspaper or television station that uses the image?
I would imagine court artists get paid by whoever commissions the materials, possibly by retainer during a long-running, high-profile case rather than individual drawings.
I worke as court artist in the Netherlands. If you want to see some of my work go to http://www.willemswereld.nl (go to MISDAAD at EXTRA)
kindly regards