Whilst waiting in line for my free cup of Caribou coffee, I happened to glance at the TV monitors they have up. They were doing some kind of piece on Scott Peterson's sentencing. As with all close courts, they had a number of those sketches up that someone does to illustrate a setting in a courtroom without violating the law.

It got me to wonder how one would end up with this job. "Hey, you're pretty good. Have you ever considered drawing criminals in a courtroom setting? You could probably depict Manson pretty well if given the opportunity."

Are there annual awards for this work? "And this year's award for Best Depiction of a Victim's Crying Family Member on the Stand, the nominees are..."

Is there any recognition at all? I can honestly say that I've known quite a few artists but I don't believe I've ever met one who works in a courtroom. And for some reason I don't think that they'd volunteer that kind of information in casual conversation.