Probably not.
Becoming a forensic artist is not easy, but if you’re employed in law enforcement, you’re going to have a much smoother time of it than someone that’s atempting to break in from the outside. Let’s say you’ve taken a class or two (or twelve!) and now you want to use your skills and “freelance” to agencies by doing composites.
“Where do I start? How do I get my foot in the door? Can I just call an agency and offer my services? Send them a brochure or a business card? Will they take me seriously? How much do I charge? I offered to do a job for free and they still haven’t called—why not? What if I get called to testify? How can I do this full-time?”
I want to focus on you right now because most freelancers I talk to have a good heart, you genuinely care about people and want to help victims of crime. I love that. So if you truly want to do this job, and are willing to devote a lot of time and energy in the process, then I am all about helping, because I want more caring, talented, motivated people in the field.
But this may be the deal-breaker: I am going to say over and over again that if you want to be a forensic artist as a career, all roads lead to getting a job in law enforcement. If you absolutely positively refuse to consider working at an agency in order to do this work, then don’t be upset if you have an incredibly hard time getting, and keeping, work.
Sure, you may be able to get a few drawings here and there. But all it’s going to take is one dry spell, where you do drawings and the investigator doesn’t see that it helped the case any (remember, a 30% “hit” rate is considered outstanding) and you start to get on shaky ground. Add into that the money the agency is spending for your services, and things can get really dicey. That’s when the investigatory may turn to the patrol officer that is always drawing on his notepad and realize, “Hey, he’s on salary and can draw, why don’t I have him do composites instead?” Or worse, they’ll buy a composite software program.
Lastly, it should go without saying that all this is my opinion. However, it is an opinion based on close to 10 years of experience in the field, as well as the knowledge I have gained from the many forensic artists that I know. I happily invite constructive comments and input from others that believe otherwise. I forget what movie it came from, but there’s a line: “If you want a different answer, ask a different person!”
Next post: “Why is it so much harder to freelance?”
-
5 comments 
Answers, Blog, Freelancing
April 21, 2010
Posted by Lisa Bailey
Apr 22, 2010
Oh boy, don’t get me started on the plight of unidentifieds! This is my main passion in my job.
Yes, it is easier (but not a given) to get reconstructions in law enforcement, and (preparing to get flamed here…!) I don’t think anyone should be doing recons or post-mortems if they are outside of an agency/university. A reconstruction or post-mortem is the unidentified person’s LAST CHANCE to get identified. I would not be able to sleep at night if my post mortems were not peer reviewed by another trusted forensic artist, or if my recons were not approved and sanctioned by an anthropologist. A freelancer (unless former LE working with their contacts within the agency) just shouldn’t do them on their own. Beleive me, I have posts planned on the subject! :^)
I know many artists in LE will do recons on their own time if they can’t do them at work, but the artists I know still have them reviewed. They just do the actual work on their own time.
As far as not agreeing with a decision to not put out a composite….the investigator in charge wins. Their case, their decision. At least where I live :^)
Apr 22, 2010
As always, you give good solid advice.
A key point is the budget available to law enforcement agencies and what political leanings control the budget.
Someone higher up decides that one skull can be reconstructed while another is left (as are many!)in a drawer.
Is it easier to fight to get that other skull reconstructed as one of law enforcement? Or from within, do you simply have to take the assignments given to you and try not to think about that person in the drawer?
What do you do when you are part of the LE team and you disagree with a decision not to put out a composite?
Any situations like these you are allowed to talk about. Interested in hearing more.
Jan 13, 2011
But what if there is no way I could get in Law Enforcement? I mean… When a girl is 5 feet tall and weight 100 pound…It’s ridiculous to even imagine I could get in Law Enforcement, don’t you think?
I live in Canada and I contacted the GRC not so long ago (before finding your website). They also told me I must be in Law Enforcement before to even hope becoming a forensic artist.
So what should I do? Just give up?
Jan 14, 2011
Don’t give up… have you asked whether or not you HAVE to be a sworn officer? I know plenty of artists in the States that work as administrative personnel, evidence techs, etc, in law enforcement, and do the forensic art as it is needed. They aren’t police officers, they are employed by the agency, and that’s what counts. Of course, it may be different where you are, but it can’t hurt to ask.
This just points out the reality of the field….there is a very small amount of work to go around, and very few people doing it. Full-time jobs are almost non-existent, and when they come up they are highly competitive with artists that have been doing the work as a collateral duty in agencies for years.This is just the truth: not everyone can be a forensic artist. The few artists that are out there must be content doing it as a sideline to their fulltime job in law enforcement.
If all the agencies where you are insist on being a sworn officer to do the work, and your height and weight don’t meet the criteria, then I can’t think of any options other than moving. But boy, it’s outrageously competitive here for forensic art work too…that would really be taking a massive chance. There just aren’t the jobs :^(
Jan 14, 2011
Well thank you!
I’m gonna keep on asking questions and find people who could anwers! ^^’ Opefully someday I’ll find something… Thanks for all the good tips and information about forensic art! :3