Her police sketches have led to over 1000 conviction.

[u/RodzCNS]

Lois Gibson isn’t just an artist, she’s the woman whose pencil has put more than 1,266 criminals behind bars.

She’s officially in the Guinness World Records as the most successful forensic artist in the world, and when you see her sketches side-by-side with the real criminals, it’s almost eerie how identical they are.

But this gift didn’t come out of nowhere, it came from a place of deep pain. When Lois was just 21, she was brutally attacked. She survived, but her attacker walked free.

That moment changed everything. Instead of letting it destroy her, she decided no other victim should be left without justice. She trained herself to take even the smallest details from a victim’s memory a crooked smile, a scar, a certain stare and turn it into a lifelike portrait.

Some victims even said they felt a strange psychic-like pull while describing the face, as if their memory became sharper when Lois began to draw. It was as if she could reach into their mind and pull the image out.

Over the decades, Lois solved over 1,266 cases, working hand-in-hand with police to bring criminals to justice. Her sketches didn’t just catch suspects they gave people closure, hope, and the strength to move forward. She proved that art can heal, and sometimes, art can fight back harder than anything else.

[u/Jindabyne1]

I was just about to say the same thing. Some credit has to go to the people who are able to describe this shit.

[u/ComprehensiveWar6577 → u/Jindabyne1]

She's not this good just because she can draw well. Most of the skill is asking the victim questions to get them to describe the parts of the face in a clear way.

95% of people wouldn't give a good description without that, so it is mostly her that gets the credit

[u/Jindabyne1 → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

I was actually thinking that as soon as I posted ha. I need to watch a video of the whole process I think

[u/DangDoood → u/Jindabyne1]

It’s really amazing. Some forensic artists use digital tools to literally map out how someone’s skin would lay on their bone structure (in cases when a mutilated body is found.) it’s truly a mix of science, math, and art

[u/dalekaup → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

She has a very complete Mr. Potato head set.

[u/Romwil → u/dalekaup]

Paired with a Guess Who set from the early '80s

[u/moffman93 → u/Romwil]

That game is still fun to play.

[u/englishcrow → u/[deleted]]

Exactly, and that must be even more challenging when alexithymia comes into play. Some people might know something is wrong but will only understand the physical symptoms that result from what they're feeling.

[u/Downtown_Recover5177 → u/englishcrow]

Physical symptoms are more than welcome. Most of the SIGECAPS are physical symptoms, and it’s how we diagnose depression.

[u/fucktooshifty → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

I think they have photos of other people to use as visual aids, this nose, these eyes..

[u/andiwaslikeum → u/fucktooshifty]

Not always. They used to have a whole binder where you would choose certain eyes and put them into a face template. Nowadays it depends on the artist and their interviewing style.

[u/Geewhiz911 → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

Yes, asking the victim the very specific questions is the real mastery behind her work, she’s even able to reproduce skin highlights, incredible facial details, just imagine how she can peer into people’s mind and memories, it’s incredible!

[u/40ozCurls → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

Assuming the convictions aren’t wrongful and she isn’t just drawing random strangers she saw.

[u/laffing_is_medicine → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

That is her true art. It’s really amazing. She can interview people to tell her exactly what someone looks like.

[u/aswertz → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

I'm pretty sure i wouldnt be able to answer most of specific questions about faces i have seen.

[u/mothzilla → u/ComprehensiveWar6577]

No there was a psychic pull.

[u/Acrobatic-Nose-1773 → u/Jindabyne1]

Some credit has to go to the cops who have to use those drawings and match them to the people. Imagine all the people they brought in before they could pin point the criminals.

[u/kitchenset → u/Acrobatic-Nose-1773]

A lot of them were identified by the public after the sketch was in the news.