Forensic Art Essentials: A Manual For Law Enforcement Artists

No other art is like forensic art. Other professional artists try to create something
that is either fresh, beautiful, moving, virtuous, or inspiring. Simply put,
throughout history art needed to be desirable to survive. Forensic art is the only
artistic profession where the image can be poorly done, sketchy, unfinished,
and otherwise flawed yet become perfect if it generates a successful outcome.
No matter how poorly a sketch from a witness comes out, if it helps identify the
perpetrator depicted, it becomes a perfect work.

The highest degree of difficulty in forensic art is the elusive task of pulling
a face from a witness’s memory. However, this is the artistic duty most frequently
needed by investigators of crimes against persons. In robberies, aggravated
assaults, and homicides where someone lives through the scene who saw the
face of the perpetrator, a sketch yielding a vision of the attacker’s face from the
witness’s memory can enhance investigative efforts.