Sunday, December 20, 2009
From the Newsroom: Artist brought courtroom to life on paper
From the newsroom
Michael Stowe, managing editor
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Graphics director Rob Lunsford has tackled plenty of tough jobs during his 32 years in our newsroom.
Sketching scenes during the federal trial of Roanoke neo-Nazi Bill White ranks among his most high-pressure -- and invigorating -- assignments.
What's the biggest challenge?
"No question, it's that the characters [lawyers and witnesses] just won't hold still," he told me.
Courtroom artists have a long history in journalism, dating to the days when cameras were barred from all courthouses. That's changed over the past 20 years. Now, photographers and videographers are allowed in state courtrooms with prior permission from the judge.
The federal court system still prohibits photographers. So a courtroom artist was our only option for showing readers the action from White's trial.
That's one of the many reasons we're fortunate to have Lunsford. Many newsrooms our size don't have a graphic artist with the illustration skills and journalism experience needed to pull off courtroom drawings on deadline.
Lunsford wasn't in court for every minute of White's trial, which ended Friday evening in four convictions and three acquittals, but he was there most days.
Rob Lunsford
See his work from the William White trial.
Lunsford pointed out that the main players -- White and the defense and prosecuting attorneys -- worked with their back to his seat in the courtroom. The ones who face him -- the judge and witnesses on the stand -- sit in "flat light" at the other end of a large room.
"It's tough to get any details for a good likeness," Lunsford said. "No zoom lens."
Lunsford got an unexpected assist the day he was drawing prosecution witness and Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts.
"I got to stand next to Mr. Pitts in the men's room and check out his glasses and beard," Lunsford said.
Once court starts, Lunsford has to draw quick, multiple sketches.
He brings those back to the newsroom where he polishes and adds details. Then he scans the drawings onto his computer and uses Photoshop to edit and add color.
"It's high pressure until I get enough information on paper that I feel like I have a least one usable picture," Lunsford said. "Then it starts to be fun, improving what I have and making more pictures."
White's trial is the second high-profile one Lunsford has illustrated. He covered the Roanoke County Circuit Court trial of Earl Bramblett, who was convicted and later executed for the 1994 slayings of a Vinton family. The judge in that case denied our request to have a photographer in the courtroom.
Illustrating Bramblett's trial was easier, Lunsford said, because the courtroom was smaller and the witnesses and lawyers sat close to the spectators' gallery. There was also a lot of physical evidence -- gas cans, buckets and boxes of papers -- that provided interesting backgrounds.
Lunsford, 58, is a local. Born and raised in Roanoke, he graduated from Patrick Henry High School.
His illustrations have brought life to our pages since he joined the paper in 1977, a few years after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University. He and his wife, Kathleen, have long been an integral part of the valley's arts community.
Drawing is Rob Lunsford's passion but it's only a small part of his job. Most of his time is devoted to less glamorous demands of a daily newspaper and a Web site. He makes maps and charts that help readers quickly digest and better understand the stories we tell.
He ranks second on the newsroom's tenure list -- behind only sportswriter Doug Doughty's 35 years of experience.
I've known him for 17 years and I've long-admired the enthusiasm and passion he brings to his work.
"From bar charts to the courtroom, after 30 years I still love it," Lunsford said. "Now it isn't like getting paid to watch ball games or go fishing, but it's in the running."
Lunsford is also known for bluntness, a trait that can make him seem a bit surly when you first meet him. Get to know him, though, and your opinion will change.
In 2007, he won our Rugaber Award (named after former publisher Walter Rugaber), which is presented annually to a newsroom staffer who "has displayed, day in and day out, an intense curiosity, a depth of understanding, and an enterprising drive to discover unique and significant stories."
That's him.
Breaking it down
Rob Lunsford explains his process for creating a courtroom illustration.
1. Before the trial, I get a list of key players in the case. I then look up their photos from the newspaper’s archive and on the Internet. In this case, I went to a preliminary hearing and sketched faces to get comfortable drawing them.
2. Once court starts, I plan a drawing and choose an angle that gives me the best chance of capturing facial expressions. While I’m waiting, I’ll draw the background details and rough in the characters.
3. As the action picks up, I focus on the characters. While facial likenesses are important, the figures and postures all carry a lot of information. Defense attorneys David Damico and Ray Ferris are great examples of postures with personality.
4. Once I’m comfortable with the overall drawing, I try to sketch some alternative likenesses. It’s useful to change my seating angle to accomplish this. Yes, I use an eraser. If I’m not pleased with the likeness, I’ll redraw from other sketches.
5. I make color notes. That’s easy in court with so much black and grey in suits and white shirts. I just note the ties and blouses.
6. Back at the office, I scan the drawing into a computer and use Photoshop to make basic edits and add color from my notes.
