Bringing the public inside the courtroom — through sketches

What it’s like being a court sketch artist at a high-profile trial

You’ve likely seen the work of Alexandra Newbould if you’ve been following the Hockey Canada sex assault trial underway in London, Ont. As the courtroom sketch artist, she’s one of the members of the public documenting key moments in one of Canada’s most high-profile criminal cases.

Cameras aren't allowed in courts, so it falls to sketch artists like Alexandra Newbould to capture moments in this trial and try to visually convey what is happening.

Newbould was trained traditionally using pencils, watercolours and oil painting but now works on an iPad.

Newbould estimates she’s done more than 100 sketches over the last six weeks of the London hockey trial.

“It's been definitely the most work I've done in any trial ever,” Newbould said. ”I think it has to do with the high-profileness of it and the fact that there's so many people in the actual trial. A lot of accused, a lot of lawyers, and the Crown.”

There were also two juries, before it became a judge-alone trial.

Newbould said she tries to capture the dramatic moments, like whenever there is a heated exchange, a controversial decision being made or when lawyers introduce physical evidence. In this trial, that has included lawyers holding stilettos and shot glasses before the court.

“I do like to look at the little details, what people are wearing, their hairstyles, anything that I can capture to just add some more information and more interest to the drawing.”

Newbould has also had the delicate task of capturing the complainant, E.M., whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban.

“You have to be very, very careful not to show anything about a complainant in that situation,” she said. “I don't even really put skin color. I sort of put a line that suggests there's hair, but I don't even put the hairstyle. I just more try to capture the gesture — the overall gesture — of the body and the mood. But I leave any features out completely.”

She instead tries to include items near her, like a glass of water and a box of Kleenex.

“Sometimes I think those little details maybe give some humanity to the person since we can't see your face, at least like you see, like there's a person there.”

Newbould takes seriously the responsibility of bringing the public inside the courtroom through her art.

“I am very honoured to do it.”