How to Become a Forensic Artist

first, you need to understand what types of forensic art exists. There are two: identifying the living (composite sketches and age progressions) and identifying the dead (post-mortem imagery and facial approximation from the skull).

Most forensic artists in the United States are law enforcement employees.

These are usually sworn police officers, although some are in other jobs like dispatcher, evidence technician, etc.

They do composite sketches in addition to their regular job, however the use (and need) of hand-drawn composite sketches has nose-dived. 

At times, the artist might be tasked with a facial approximation from the skull or age progression, but most often those assignments go to full-time artists.

There are possibly 30 full-time forensic artists in the United States. Nobody knows for sure because there is no recognized organization that governs the field.

They are usually employed by the federal government (FBI, CIA, etc) or in large cities like Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles. These positions generally require a degree in art.

Competition is fierce, and the openings are rarely posted to the public, so getting one of those positions is like winning the lottery.

If you want to do composite sketches…honestly, I would say choose another field. You could pay a lot of money to take a class, but it’s not going to help you when there simply aren’t enough jobs to go around.

If you want to be a full-time forensic artist at the FBI (or other federal agency), you are going to need a bachelor’s degree, drawing and design skill, a clearance (or the ability to qualify for one) and computer graphics experience. You will also need some luck, because these positions don’t open very often, and when they do there will be intense competition. 

When I saw the FBI listing in the Washington Post, I pounced. I had a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Art, a Top-Secret clearance, and years of graphic design experience under my belt. I was lucky that I saw that listing when I did, but it was everything else that helped me land the job. So, work on your skills, scour the government job postings, and be patient. It could take years for a spot to open.

here is a bit more opportunity if you want to do facial approximation, but you’re going to need a lot of skill to bring to the table. You should have advanced art and sculpting skills (clay and digital) and in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy.

There’s a bit better news if you only want to do facial approximation from the skull, just be aware that the need for that has dropped significantly too. Many more agencies are turning to genetic genealogy for their unidentified cases because it is a much more direct path to identification than facial approximation is. Yes, that means less need for forensic artists, but identifying a victim as quickly as possible is more important. It’s better for the victim, their family, and law enforcement’s ability to find the person’s killer. 

First, you must have solid skills. If you’re not already at least an intermediate-level artist in both drawing and sculpting, don’t pursue this. The work demands it.

Next, look at NamUs.gov and check how many unidentified cases exist in your area. If your state or city has very few, there’s probably no real demand for this skill where you live. If you’re serious about the career, relocation might be unavoidable.

Your next hurdle is access. You must work inside a law-enforcement agency or medical examiner’s office, or have a strong connection to someone with the authority to vouch for you and assign cases. There’s no clean shortcut here. Networking is everything.

You need to have some sort of tie to the law enforcement and/or medical examiner community. And you will need credibility. Working in pathology, medical illustration, maybe victim services could be a way in. Working in academia can do that too. Instructors in art, anthropology and criminal justice have done facial approximations for their community. Were they paid? I don’t know for sure, but I would hazard a guess they did it pro-bono or for a nominal fee. This is not a job you do for the money. 

Understand this reality: a skull is evidence. Agencies will not release it to outsiders. A tiny handful of artists are exceptions because they built decades of trust. If you’re just starting out, skulls will not be handed to you.

Learn how your agency operates. Even if you take a facial reconstruction course, will they actually let you do a case? Many agencies don’t believe in facial approximation at all, and the answer is a firm “no.” Plenty of capable artists have hit that wall and will never get to do the work unless they move—or the leadership blocking them leaves or retires.

If your supervisor says “yes,” you’re on your way. Take classes with instructors who use contemporary, science-supported methods and modern MRI-based tissue-depth data—not outdated pin-stick cadaver studies. They should be transparent about their methodology.

If you land real work, expect it to be a side responsibility on top of your main job. There are fewer than 50 full-time forensic artists in the country, and they cover everything—not just facial reconstruction. No one does 40 hours a week of facial approximation as their sole paying career.

Facial approximation needs to be handled by well-trained artists working alongside anthropologists and other specialists. Do not volunteer for this role unless you are truly qualified.

Let go of your ego and desires. They don’t matter. Only the victims matter in this line of work.  If any artist forgets that, they are doing a disservice to the victims, and to the field as a whole.

Lots of worthwhile opportunities (in any field) can come in from word of mouth. Knowing somebody, or knowing somebody who knows somebody else. It’s how the world works, so get out there and start meeting people. Make contacts. Network.

If you have other questions I will do my best to answer. I hope this helps, and best of luck!