Do you want to be a forensic artist? This is what I know based on my 18 years as a forensic artist for the FBI:

• Most forensic artists in the United States are law enforcement employees who do composite sketches in addition to their regular job.
• Most are sworn police officers, although some are in other jobs like dispatcher, evidence technician, etc
• The use of hand-drawn composite sketches has nose-dived. 
• On occasion, 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 only about 30 full-time forensic artists in the United States. 
• They are usually employed by the federal government (FBI, CIA, etc) or in large cities like Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles. 
• Getting one of those positions is like winning the lottery. Competition is fierce, and the openings are rarely posted to the public.

Whenever anyone asked me how to become a forensic artist, I always did everything I could to help them. I had a whole step-by-step outline of how to go about it, and answered every question they asked. I told them that historically, doing composite sketches was the “foot-in-the-door” to the field, and how most artists got started: A person would get hired by a law enforcement agency, get some training in composite art, then tell their boss they wanted to go out and do sketches. If they were successful, they might go on to do more advanced work in facial approximation, or even become a full-time artist. That was then, maybe even 10 years ago. But it’s not that way anymore. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, and everybody has a camera in their pocket, so there is little need for composite sketches. I find it hard to encourage someone when I know that there are next to no jobs available.

So how do you become a forensic artist now?

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.

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. 

But, until the government gets its act together and provides enough funding and manpower for genetic genealogy efforts, there is still going to be a need for people to do facial approximation, so maybe that’s where you come in. You’re going to need to have a lot of skill to bring to the table; one or two classes won’t cut it. You should have advanced art and sculpting skills (clay and digital) and in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy. 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. 

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!