American Illustration 45 Winners

The LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Laboratory ((LSU FACES Lab) was commissioned by the DeWitt Family Historical Society for a forensic facial approximation of their ancestor Tjerck Claessen De Witt (c.1628-February 17th, 1700). After centuries beneath the soil of Kingston, NY, Tjerck’s skeletal remains were exhumed from the cemetery of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston. The exhumed skull was used as the basis for the image. From more humble origins as a dairy farmer, Tjerck rose to become a magistrate judge of Ulster County. He had eight sons and ten daughters with Barbara Andriessen between 1657 and 1686. He died on February 17, 1700, in Kingston, New York, having lived a long life of 80 years. The facial approximation depicts him at, or around the age he lived to be using age progression techniques in accordance with guidelines on aging derived from forensic art and the medical sciences. The scientific phase of the portrait was created using the scientific guidelines, methods and principles of forensic facial reconstruction that have been developed in the field of forensic anthropology. I approximated the soft tissue of the face by placing scientifically derived tissue depth markers at specific landmarks on the skull for the race and sex of the decedent. Facial features were located and delimited using research driven formulas. The artistic phase of the image was rendered using a combination of digital photo montage and techniques of the Old Masters adapted to the digital environment. Images were evaluated for appropriateness to the parameters of the project and then successively layered and manipulated to achieve the level of richness I was seeking. Lastly, the image was further enhanced to achieve the general look of the Northern Dutch masters, as requested by the client.