Forensic art is used to assist law enforcement with the visual aspects of a case, often using witness descriptions and video footage.
"Freelancing" in forensic art is a difficult career path, as ties to law enforcement are a necessary part of the job, and agencies have limited budgets to pay outside contractors.
The skill of facial approximation is closely associated and related to forensic anthropology in that an artist specializes in the reconstruction of the remains of a human body.
The forensic artist can create a facial approximation in a number of ways to include 2D (drawings), 3D (sculptures) and other methods using new computer technology.
[9] Lois Gibson, the most successful forensic artist leading to identify 750+ criminals, does composite drawings of perpetrators using a witnesses description.
[11] Clothing is usually remembered more than the face, and sometimes unique accessories like glasses or a bright hoodie can lead to a person's arrest.
[11] Some common drawing mistakes made by beginners are the shading of the nose, giving it depth, and the shape of the eyes.
[13] It was started by Richard Neave, who sculpts the facial muscles first, then adds a layer of clay as the skin, while also using tissue depth markers.
[13] The reconstruction is straightforward by replicating the tissue depths using clay, skipping the facial muscles, and is as successful as Mikhail Gerasimov and Richard Neave.
[15] When creating a face model, the forensic artist looks at whether the person is masculine or feminine, as well as their skin tone, age, wrinkles, freckles, the shadow of the beard, and attractiveness.