ABSTRACT

Digital Forensic Art Techniques: A Professional’s Guide to Corel PainterTM illustrates hands-on techniques to digitally create forensic art for police and investigative purposes.  Coverage focuses specifically on how to utilize the software to create realistic human likenesses, including composites of suspects and drawings of persons in unidentified remains cases.

Drawing digitally is like using any tool in art: a pencil, a charcoal stick, a conte’ crayon. A stylus is just another tool to master. Digital work is easier for artists to send to the case detective, and the work always reproduces exactly as it was completed.  Another benefit to working digitally is that one can use video conferencing with a witness online to provide services remotely world-wide. This enables police departments who have never had access to a forensic artist to have a sketch done within hours of the crime.

Chapters address the more basic functions to serve as a primer for those transitioning to working digitally. There is also instruction on light and shadow, and bones and muscles of the skull. All of the discussion is intended to make the reader see things as an artist to improve drawing skills and overall digital techniques.

In short, Digital Forensic Art Techniques is a practical, easy-to-follow manual for working forensic artists that will give readers a solid base from which to start.  It serves as an essential resource to greater skill and comfort with the hardware and software, thus furthering current best practices and technological advances in the field.

chapter 1|21 pages

The Workspace

chapter 2|17 pages

Setting Up Your Workspace for a Composite

chapter 3|19 pages

Composite Drawing

chapter 4|16 pages

Step-by-Step Composite Case 1

chapter 5|11 pages

Step-by-Step Composite Case 2

chapter 6|5 pages

Filing System, Case Log, and Court

chapter 7|14 pages

Skull and Muscle Anatomy

chapter 8|6 pages

Light on the Face

chapter 9|26 pages

Adding Tone

chapter 10|19 pages

Adding Photographic Elements to a Composite

chapter 11|20 pages

Postmortem Drawing

chapter 12|22 pages

2-D Reconstruction

chapter 13|27 pages

Customizing Painter

chapter 14|6 pages

Conclusion