Exercise: Courtroom dramas

Exercise: Courtroom dramas

Franklin McMahon - documenting a courtroom drama - journalism and truth.  American reportage illustrator.

 

I was very amazed and impressed how this American illustrator has managed extremely well to capture the truth of very difficult moments like courtrooms or private conversations.  His way of capturing the moment was characteristic of his way of looking at the situation he was a witness of. The more I was looking at his work the more I was falling in love with his illustrations. They are so captivated and also well crafted done by highly skilled illustrator. I wish to have so much patience and logical thinking while doing my illustrations or paintings. 

 

This is what I understand by a sketch of the moment where people are interacting with each other, where the may be an uncomfortable tension between them.  Where the truth is hidden so the viewer may ask himself who is the cause of that difficult situation.  When you are a witness of some uncomfortable moments you as an illustrator have to make a quick and good decision what you want to capture from that moment.  That demands years of practice and a very mature way of thinking.  This is not a simple task.

 

To capture the truth you have to know which side you want to take and then you can lead the viewers either towards one side or another.  What I mean by that is you become a judge straight away but the pencil lines or colours can make someone look innocent or guilty.  This artist managed to capture so many important moments in American life therefore it is no wonder why they trusted him so much as an illustrator

These are my sketches illustrating the hospital room in which my little one stayed to recover after his surgery.  I have noticed the difference of pencil lines when I was emotionally involved in the situation I wanted to capture.  Everything seems to be more difficult to draw and the line look less relaxed.