Forensic Art and Illustration

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Summary: Forensic Odontologist's opinion of Forensic Art
Review: Karen Taylor's book "Forensic Art and Illustration" is a wonderful distillate of many years of experience as a forensic artist. The style is very engaging and easy to read and understand. At no time does the reader feel patronized. There is also no pretention on the part of the author. Much of the wisdom and advice proffered is genuinely "take it leave it" with no insistence that this is the only way forward, merely this is how the author has found methods that have been successful. The book is not a scientific treatise but more a history of forensic art in Karen Taylor's hands. It is profusely illustrated using real casework and not mocked up with highly synthetic examples. In addition to being a wonderful primer in "how to do it", the book is enjoyable and interesting to read even for the lay reader. I regret that more books couldn't be written this way and I suspect that the very simple and straightforward approach conveyed in "Forensic Art and Illustration" only comes from those who feel the masters(or mistresses) of their field of expertise. I consider this book an essential part of every forensic anthropologist's and odontologist's library.

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Summary: Forensic Art and Illustration
Review: I highly recommend Karen Taylor's Forensic Art and Illustration. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in forensic art. As a forensic artist I use Forensic Art and Illustration as a reference book. It is the most comprehensive book available on forensic art.

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Summary: Forensic Art
Review: I recently read the book, "Forensic Art" by Karen T. Taylor as preparation for studying this form of illustration with the author. By way of understatement, this book is itself a work of art. This is complex subject matter which involves many fields of knowledge from facial anatomy, cognative interviewing techniques and drawing skills to a reliance on one's life experience in order to identify a suspect or the deceased.

This book accurately reflects the groundbreaking efforts of Karen Taylor to further the accuracy and credibility of this form of facial identification. For anyone who is interested in this field of Forensic Art, this book is an absolutely invaluable addition to your library.

Ms. Taylor''s ability to see and to translate is remarkable. The specific techniques described in this publication will allow the reader insight into the logic and manner in which the unknown are identified. The concepts offered are concise and clear.

I consider this book to be a prize possession and it no doubt will, as Ms. Taylor hoped, be dog-earred and worn from frequent use. It is truly an amazing and highly successful effort, one that cannot help but to insure the use of this art in the world of Forensic Facial Identification.

I only wish the rating system allowed me to give this book 10 stars!

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Summary: This is the definitive work on forensic art
Review: Most of us have seen composite sketches that police artists render from witness statements, but forensic art encompasses so much more. Karen Taylor has done a thorough and painstaking job to make this technical arena both fascinating and accessible. It's the only book of its kind, but even if it weren't, it would probably be the best. Taylor's impressive experience and expertise can't help but have an impact on readers, and no one will come away without having learned an immense amount about how art aids criminal investigation.

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Summary: The Ultimate Book for Forensic Artists
Review: Anyone who is involved with forensic art at any level MUST read this book. For years forensic artists have operated without an "industry standard", often doing this important work with no direction at all. Karen Taylor has written a thorough and very informative text that will help every forensic artist regardless of experience. Whether the artist does only composite sketches or is involved in every aspect from age-progression drawing to post-mortem drawing to two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional facial reconstruction, this book is required reading.

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Summary: A LONG AWAITED FORENSIC TOOL
Review: With over thirty-eight years in law enforcement, four with the..., over thirty-four with the ...., and over twenty-five years ofself-taught police composite drawing; I have come to realized thevalue of forensic art and composite drawings as investigative tools.I have searched for training in FORENSIC ART AND ILLUSTRATION. Now, Ihave found it in Karen Taylor's book, Forensic Art andIllustration. Having participated in a Michigan State Police ForensicArt Workshop with Karen T. Taylor, I have found her book as down toearth and as dedicated to Forensic Art as Karen Taylor is. She hascovered all of the aspects of facial forensic art with her informationon the art/drawing of faces coupled with the other needs in forensicart. She has stressed the importance of the interview and the noneart needs of the forensic artist. Forensic Art and Illustration is anecessary tool for the beginner through experienced forensic artistand anyone involved with human face visualization, composite drawing,facial aging, and reconstruction.

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Summary: The Definitive Forensic Art Guide
Review: Karen Taylor has compiled the single greatest contribution to the field of forensic art. Forensic Art and Illustration provides the most comprehensive, detailed, methodical, insightful and visual presentation of the profession. Karen Taylor has chronicled her many years of experience as forensic artist, student and teacher, along with the collaborative efforts of other well-respected multi-disciplinary forensic professionals. The book is an absolute must for not only the novice or veteran forensic artist, but also members of the legal and scientific community.

Forensic Art and Illustration provides more than a solid foundation of the varied skills demanded by the discipline. Technical, historical, philosophical and pragmatic considerations are thoroughly documented. This book is THE definitive forensic art guide by providing "how to" step-by-step instruction, identifying specific tools of the trade, presenting numerous case studies, serving as a reference manual for future works, presenting a detailed balance between art and science, offering candid advise and imparting lessons learned from the author's and others' vast and varied forensic art experience. Forensic Art and Illustration sets the artistic and technical standard for those considering the specialty. Within days of receiving the publication, I was able to apply information from the "Age Progression: Aging" chapter on a fugitive update case. The book is an invaluable resource.

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Summary: Great for Televsion Writers
Review: Forensic Art and Illustration is a must read for anyone interested in forensics. The book succeeds as both a useful research tool for the experienced analyst as well as being a fascinating, entertaining, easy to follow text for the anyone who is new to the field of forensic art. Taylor treats every subject, from the history of forensic art, to drawing the human face to the exciting world of skull recreation, with depth, enthusiasm and a complete mastery of the subject. The book is chock full of vivid illustrations and high quality photographs. We cannot say enough good things about this book.

Josh Berman Co-Producer of C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation

David Berman Researcher C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation

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Summary: Must have for all law enforcement, and criminal attorneys.
Review: Karen Taylor has written the definitive book on artists who use their talents to help law enforcement catch criminals. I have been working in this field for 19 years and this volume finally puts it all together. This is a must have for any law enforcement personnel involved in investigating crimes. Also, all criminal court attorneys, be they defense or prosecutors, must have this book. The reason is, sketch artists working with law enforcement are here to stay. This is the only book that gives a overview of the profession. Taylor has been exhaustive in her research and documentation of studies to back up her conclusions. Since more artists are learning this profession and entering the field, any serious Captain, Lieutenant, Seargent, Detective, or Officer involved in investiation needs to familiarize themselves with this book to understand how using a forensic artist can help them solve their cases. Thousands of crimes have been solved with the help of artists like Karen Taylor, yet vast areas of the country are not served, or are underserved by forensic artists, simply because law enforcement personnel are unfamiliar with the profession. Hopefully this long-awaited volume will spread the word to investigators, and because of increased use of forensic artists, more criminals will be caught. Finally, the public in general assumes, incorrectly, that it is a rare occasion, or it takes some super-natural skill to sketch a recognizable face from a witness' memory. The fact is, we artists routinely accomplish this task, I personally have helped catch 957 criminals with my sketches. Karen Taylor tells how this is done! It's interesting that some artists will play on the general misconception that it is such an impossible task by claiming they have some super-natural abilitiy (they use the word "uncanny" a lot) to gain publicity when they make a sketch that looks like the witness' attacker. One aritist in particular has claimed for years to have caught a highly publicized criminal with a sketch, when the truth is, their sketch failed to identify the perpetrator, they were caught by other means. In an added desperate attempt at self aggrandization, this aritst claims that all other artists but them are completely incapable, which is an outrageous untruth. All this false bragging was just to get publicity for an artist who did a sketch that did look similar, but failed to help authorities. It also showed that the artist was perfectly willing to denigrate the entire profession just to bolster their own image. On the other hand, Karen Taylor has toiled for years to show other artists the way, legitimize forensic artists, and give authorities in the field a complete view of the profession. Forensic artists aiding law enforcement in finding criminals are here to stay, and Karen Taylor's book is showing the way. Lois Gibson, Forensic Artist, Houston Police Department

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Summary: Forensic Art and Illustration
Review: I for one, being a forensic artist, recommend this book to anyone interested in effective visual identification procedures and techniques. In the past, many people have asked me for information on forensic art and where to start. I have had to tried to answer these requests and carefully refer these people to other experts in the forensic art field like Karen Taylor, and now I am very pleased to see this truly informative, functional and practical reference now available to everyone. I consider it a must for all forensic artists.