Artist Behind Courtroom Sketches of Taylor Swift Spoke Out
Now that a verdict has been reached in Mueller v. Swift, known colloquially as the Taylor Swift groping trial, those involved are able to publicly speak about the case, including the courtroom sketch artist. Jeff Kandyba, a native of Boulder, Colorado, sketched Swift throughout the trial, his images the only glimpse most of the public got of inside the courtroom. As some fans noted, the sketches didn’t quite capture the look of one of the most famous women in the world, and now Kandyba explained, in an interview with KDVR, why exactly that is. “A person like Taylor Swift, who is very pretty—has perfectly proportioned dimensions on the face—is actually much harder [to sketch],” he said, adding that, “Some people are just much easier to draw than others… If you give me somebody with a beard and glasses— bingo—got it.”
There’s also the fact that Swift wasn’t posing for a drawing, she was moving while at her seat and talking while on the stand. “I’m always drawing people in my head and they always look way better in my head than they do on paper,” said Kandyba, who is a “go-to” sketch guy in the Denver area.
A Brief History of the 16 Most Memorable Celebrity Courtroom Sketches, from Amy Winehouse to Taylor Swift
Though Denver’s court system somehow managed to assemble a jury who’d maybe never listened to Taylor Swift for her groping trial this past week, the whole world seemed to know that the sketches that emerged from the courtroom bore little to no resemblance to the pop star—other than her preference for Peter Pan collars. Indeed, the real artist behind the sketch was Jeff Kandyba, but some joked that it was likely instead Katheryn Hudson—the birth name of Swift’s nemesis, Katy Perry.
Note that Mona Shafer Edwards took care to capture the red soles of Lindsay Lohan‘s Louboutins when the actress was led away in handcuffs in 2010, to await a hearing on whether she violated her probation (for drunken driving and cocaine possession) by failing a drug test.
This sketch of Martin Shkreli, the “Pharma bro” who’s been widely hated since 2015, was depicted by the same artist responsible for the infamous depiction of Tom Brady. This time around, she seemed to incorporate the public opinion about Shkreli ever since he raised the price of a lifesaving drug by more than 5,000 percent into the sketch—no doubt appreciated by the jury, who’s so far reportedly called him both a “snake” and a “dick.”
After Paris Hilton showed up late to her 2007 Beverly Hills trial in an uncharacteristic pinstripe suit, but before she was convicted of violating her probation, the early 2000s icon actually pulled out her compact and started doing her makeup in court—a moment Edwards benevolently chose not to depict.
In 2009, Amy Winehouse was accused of assaulting a fan and ultimately acquitted—after the singer, just 5’3″ in her ballet flats, stood up to remind the judge of her small stature and stand by her claim that she only could have been defending herself.
Edwards depicted Michael Jackson in court in 1996 for a low-key case (one regarding the Jackson Family Honors show, and his failure to sing alone, without his family, onstage), and she also again captured him in 2005, when he faced charges for molesting a teenager. Though he’d worn a red jacket before, here, the wan singer wisely left his flashy looks at home—though he does sort of resemble an accurate mix of Voldemort and a Gryffindor.
In 2015, Pharrell Williams took part in an eight-day trial with Robin Thicke whose jury ultimately decided that their single “Blurred Lines,” which made $16 million in profits, borrowed just a little too much from Martin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Evidently, he took the trial very, very seriously: It was one of the only time he took care to leave his trademark camo blazers and murses at home.
Edwards was also there at the trial to depict Robin Thicke, and indeed, her sketch of the singer was heralded by some as the only good thing about the entire case. After all, to not have commemorated the moment Thicke pulled out a keyboard on the witness stand and sang a medley of U2’s “With Or Without You,” The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” and Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” would have been a crime in and of itself.
Martha Stewart famously went on trial—and eventually went to prison—in 2004 for obstructing an investigation into her stock sales, but chief in the domestic goddess’s mind throughout the process were also her portraits during the trial; she even courted sketch artists ahead of time, and got the Wall Street Journal to switch out its rendering where she thought she appeared bloated. Though this sketch by alum Rosenberg was apparently passable, another courtroom frequenter, Shirley Shepard, wasn’t so lucky: When Shepard showed up to a taping of her show three years later, Stewart allegedly pointed her out to the audience—and declared her a “bad artist.”
Edwards was also there to capture the original modern-day courtroom celeb, Winona Ryder, when she went on trial for shoplifting $5,560 worth of items from Saks Fifth Avenue in 2002. The $760 cashmere Marc Jacobs sweater she took was nowhere to be found in court, though; a subdued Ryder, who did not testify, kept it mum in the courtroom and also kept her look subdued.
After winning two Emmy Awards for her courtroom sketches, Ida Libby Dengrove went on to depict Sex Pistols frontman Sid Vicious when he was infamously accused of murdering his late girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, who was found stabbed with a knife belonging to Vicious at the Chelsea Hotel in 1978. Whether you’re team Sid or Nancy, the incident clearly took a toll on Vicious: Here, he looks much older than his early twenties.
Even on crutches, Halle Berry still stood out when she showed up to her custody battle with her ex Gabriel Aubry in 2012, in part because of another accessory: a flashy apparent engagement ring from her then-partner Olivier Martinez, whom she ended up marrying the next year.
Hidden from Edwards’s depiction of an at-ease Dolly Parton at her 1985 trial for charges she’d copied much of her hit “9 to 5” is not only the fact that the singer was wearing stilettos, but also that she told Edwards she loved her drawings in the bathroom—and even wrote her a check to purchase one before heading into the stall.
Like his newfound buddy, Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg has also spent time in the courtroom, though back in 1996, when he was known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, it was hardly a laughing matter: Along with his bodyguard, he was charged—and ultimately acquitted—of murder, after the shooting death of a gang member, hence his uncharacteristically subdued demeanor.
Thanks to her abusive ex Chris Brown, Rihanna has also found herself spending time in the courtroom. Brown had purple hair at the time that he pleaded guilty to his felony assaults against the singer in 2009, while Rihanna remained stony-faced—and dressed in head-to-toe black.
Because of the high-profile nature of the case, Kandyba admits, “I did practice sketches ahead of time.”
Great, thanks.
More memorable and far more important than the sketches were the quotes, from Swift’s mother Andrea Swift’s emotional testimony to Swift defiantly defending herself on the stand.
On Monday, August 14, Swift won her case and was awarded the full amount in the damages she sought ($1). She released a statement thanking her judge and lawyers and pledging to donate money to programs that help victims of sexual assault. The case was a counter-suit against DJ and radio personality David Mueller, who groped Swift under her skirt after a concert in 2013, and then sued the singer and her mother after he lost his job (all of his cases were thrown out).
See What’s Trending in W Video:
From Jackie O to Taylor Swift, a Look Back At What Celebrities Have Worn For Their Day In Court
Jackie Onassis at the Federal Courthouse for trial Jackie Onassis vs. Photographer Ron Galella for Harassment.
Jackie Onassis during Jackie Onassis vs Ron Galella, Photographer for Harassment Trial at Federal Courthouse in New York City on March 8, 1972.
Jackie Onassis during Jackie Onassis vs Ron Galella, Photographer for Harassment Trial at Federal Courthouse in New York City on March 8, 1972.
Winona Ryder attends her trial wearing a matching sweater and skirt set.
Winona Ryder enters the Beverly Hills Municipal Court for the reading of the verdict on the eighth day of her shoplifting trial on November 6, 2002 in Beverly Hills, California.
Winona Ryder leaves Santa Monica County Building after reporting to the probation office on December 11, 2002 in Santa Monica, California.
Courtney Love leaves the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on November 10, 2004.
Courtney Love leaves court after giving a judge a progress report on her assault charge at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on November 18, 2005.
Courtney Love arrives at Los Angeles Superior Court on July 27, 2004 in Los Angeles.
Naomi Campbell leaves Manhattan Criminal June 27, 2006 in New York City after being charged with second-degree assault on her housekeeper, Ana Scolavino, after allegedly throwing a mobile phone at her.
Naomi Campbell was charged with second-degree assault Thursday following the alleged assult on her housekeeper in her Park Avenue apartment on March 30, 2006 in New York City. If convicted, she could face 7 years in Prison. Her trial date has been set for June 27th 2006 in New York Criminal Court. (Photo by Jemal Countess/WireImage)
Linda Evangelista appears at Manhattan Family Court on May 4, 2012 in New York City.
Linda Evangelista appears at Manhattan Family Court on May 8, 2012 in New York City.
Linda Evangelista appears at Manhattan Family Court on May 7, 2012 in New York City.
Paris Hilton arrives at the Metropolitan Branch Courthouse on May 4, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. L
Paris Hilton arrives at a Miami court where she is involved a breach of contract suit. on July 9, 2009 in Miami, Florida.
Paris Hilton sighting at the Ferguson U.S. Courthouse for her civil trial on allegations she failed to adequately promote the 2006 film National Lampoon’s Pledge This! on July 10, 2009 in Miami, Florida.
Britney Spears arrives at a custody hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse on October 26, 2007 in Los Angeles, California.
Lil’ Kim departs the Federal Court House in New York City on March 15, 2005.
Nicole Richie and boyfriend Joel Madden leave court in Glendale, California, on July 2007 after Richie pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs.
Sienna Miller is pictured at the High Court on November 24, 2011 in London, England.
Lindsay Lohan arrrives for her arraingment at the Airport Courthouse on February 9, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Lindsay Lohan arrives for the afternoon session of the probation revocation hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse on July 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
Lindsay Lohan leaves court after her latest probation hearing on February 22, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Lindsay Lohan leaves court after her latest probation hearing at the Airport Courthouse on March 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
Lindsay Lohan leaves Airport Branch Courthouse of Los Angeles Superior Court March 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
Amanda Bynes attends an appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on July 9, 2013 in New York City.
Stephanie Seymour is seen leaving Stamford Superior Court where she faced charges of Driving Under the Influence on February 2, 2016 in Stamford, CT.
Kim Kardashian surrounded by Los Angeles County Sheriff Deputies leaves the Stanley Mosk Courthouse after attending her divorce hearing from Kris Humphries on April 12, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
Amal Clooney attends a press conference at Doughty Street Chambers on October 5, 2015 in London, England.
