In many courtroom settings, photo captures and video recordings are not allowed. However, artists can draw sketches to create convincing and credible presentations of the courtroom. Sketches are excellent visual aids and they can be created by artists who have immense creative juices. Today, many sketches are computer generated, but in courtroom, artists need to do it by hand. Experienced artists could slap together impressive results without overcomplicating everything. Animations and graphics should flow properly with the presentations and they should be able to enhance the understanding of the audience. There should be no missing details. Pictures could speak volumes about what’s going on in the courtroom.
Here are things that you should consider when attempting to create perfect courtroom sketches.
- Define purposes and adjectives: You should define the purposes of your courtroom sketches. It’s much more than just about the ‘wow’ factor. There should be goals that you want to achieve behind the graphical representations. By understanding your objectives, you can represent your visual interpretations in a more organized manner. Artists may need to create multiple sketches to represent sequence of events in a chronological manner. If artists are well organized in their methods, sketches can become the best means of delivering information. Planning is essential if you want to establish objectives and find the best strategy for your visual representations.
- Determine your audience: You should know who will check and use your sketches. The visual representation and the information within it should fit the expectations and needs of the audience. If you understand the nature of your audience, you will know how to present the information properly. Artists need to determine the appropriate level of visual detail, points of emphasis and the appropriate visual aids.
- Keep it simple: Your graphical representations should be conveyed in an appealing and simple manner. A sketch is simply a moment that’s frozen in time and you shouldn’t try to cram too much information. Courtrooms sketches shouldn’t be cluttered and the audience should be able to quickly decipher the necessary information. You should focus on the big picture and break down any complex matter into simpler parts. Make sure that your “big picture” is quite clear.
- Use unique styles and themes: If you don’t have a common theme, it is the same with randomly throwing all the puzzle pieces and hoping they will create a meaningful visual. Artists should determine what style that is appropriate for their works. As an example, you could choose to use the same type of font for your sketches, so people could determine that these sketches are your works. Themes should be highly identifiable and people can recognize them right away. Having a unique style and theme as a courtroom artists is equal to setting up a brand that stands out.
- Use proper colors: Often, courtroom sketches are just black and white. However, you can use colors to enhance the comprehension. Colors also add another layer of information, so the audience could find out more about what’s going on in the courtroom.