The court artist whose Erin Patterson sketches went around the world: I definitely need to get some therapy'

"Lester, a courtroom artist, had just two minutes to sketch the triple murderer during her brief pre-trial hearing and spent it trying to perfectly illustrate a little head behind a glass screen in Morwell. What she later realised is that it's more important to capture the mood of the accused than the exact lines of their face. What makes a good courtroom artist is being able to bring the public into the courtroom to witness the emotion of the person on trial, she says."

"For her next drawing of Patterson, Lester instead focused on distilling the essence of someone she perceived to be so consistently sad, sketching a dark, moody portrait of the mushroom killer in the witness box, her mouth downturned and misery palpable. It went global, used in news reports around the world to illustrate the particular pitiability of Australia's most newly infamous murderer."

"The Patterson trial is not the first high-profile case Lester has sketched. The Melbourne-based artist has been in court to draw everyone from the convicted sex abuser Malka Leifer to underworld figure Tony Mokbel. Her images have developed their own distinct style; murky, morbid and bleak, reminiscent of the Australian artist John Brack or Edvard Munch's The Scream, with a dash of the exaggerated 10 caricatures done outside the Eiffel Tower."

Anita Lester is a Melbourne-based courtroom artist who learned to prioritize mood over exact likeness when sketching defendants after an initial overly literal drawing of Erin Patterson. Courtroom sketches convey emotion and atmosphere within brief time limits, often two minutes, and can shape public perception when media use them worldwide. Lester's moody, murky style evokes artists like John Brack and Edvard Munch while adding exaggerated caricature elements. Her work has depicted high-profile figures including Malka Leifer and Tony Mokbel. Australian courts ban cameras, making artist recreations the primary visual record of accused persons on the stand.

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