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- 3 Standard Hourly Pay Rates for VFX Artists
- 4 Become a Crime Scene Sketch Artist
From courtroom trials to police sketches to amusement parks, a sketch artist has a variety of opportunities to put their skills to good use. No matter which industry you pursue a career in drawing and sketching, becoming a sketch artist requires a lot of creativity, skill and imagination. And, for those with a passion for capturing expression and emotion, it can be extremely worthwhile.
Job Description
A sketch artist typically uses pencils and charcoals to create likenesses of people or scenes. To be a successful sketch artist, you need the ability to apply perspective, contrast, shadows and light to draw a realistic, three-dimensional facial image in different media. Familiarity with computer graphic and video editing software to digitally create images and prepare age progression likenesses has become more important as law enforcement agencies turn to time- and money-saving technology.
In addition to creative talent, a sketch artist must have a good eye for capturing emotion and expressions, the ability to be precise and accurate, and be able to work quickly to create likenesses. Sketch artists also need a knack for interviewing witnesses, as well as strong listening and communication skills.
Education Requirements
There is no formal education needed to become a sketch artist. However, many people who enter a career in drawing and sketching take classes or get a degree in fine arts. Because they tend to focus on drawing people, a sketch artist would do well to focus any classes or internships on human anatomy so they become more comfortable quickly capturing expressions and movement.
For those who do pursue a degree, which is often important when seeking a career with a federal or state agency, good areas of study are criminal justice, psychology, fine art or biology, with coursework in behavioral science, anatomy and sculpting.
Industry
While the image of a _police sketch i_s often the first thing you imagine when you think of a sketch artist, they do work in a variety of industries. In addition to being hired by police departments to help create a police sketch of suspects, they also work in courtrooms to create sketches of witnesses and amusement parks to create sketches of characters or people.
Depending on where sketch artists work, they may work under very emotional and sensitive conditions. For instance, sketch artists may depict a scene of abuse survivors testifying in court against their perpetrator, or they may get a description of a burglar from someone whose house was just robbed. On the other hand, a sketch artist who works at an amusement park captures happier expressions and scenes.
Years of Experience and Sketch Artist Salary
The average wage for all craft and fine artists, including sketch artists, is $37,690 as of May 2017. That means that half earn more than this, while the other half earns less. The top 10 percent of sketch artists earns more than $100,000, while the bottom 10 percent earn less than $23,000.
As your skills as a sketch artist improve over time, you are likely to earn more money. Your salary also varies, depending on whether you work in-house or on a contract basis.
Job Growth Trend
Job opportunities for all craft and fine artists - including sketch artists - are expected to increase 6 percent over the next decade. A career in drawing and sketching can be competitive, especially in the relatively small field of police sketch drawing. Although hand drawings are still the preferred method for sketching, knowing how to create likenesses digitally will be important in the future, and knowing how to do them may give you a leg up on the competition.
References (2)
Resources (4)
About the Author
Leslie Bloom is a Los Angeles native who has worked everywhere from new start-ups to established corporate settings. In addition to years of business and management experience, she has more than 20 years of experience writing for a variety of online and print publications. She holds degrees in both journalism and law.
Photo Credits
- Chris McGrath/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
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