IAI Forensic Art study plan
IAI Forensic Art · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Forensic Art
Map the full Forensic Art scope into a personal syllabus, listing each subarea (facial reconstruction, age progression, image modification/identification, composite drawing, postmortem depiction) and ranking each by your current confidence on a 1-5 scale
Define and write out the anatomical landmarks and cranial landmarks used in facial reconstruction (brow ridge, nasion, nasal spine, zygomatic arch, gonial angle, mental protuberance) with a one-line definition each
Sketch the skull in frontal and lateral views from reference anatomy, labeling at least 15 landmarks from memory
Build a spaced-repetition deck of 60+ anatomy and terminology cards and set a daily review schedule
Your checkpoint
A one-page syllabus with confidence rankings plus a labeled frontal and lateral skull sketch checked against an anatomy reference, with errors corrected in a different color
Forensic Art
Explain the tissue-depth method of facial reconstruction, including how depth data is organized by sex, age, and ancestry and why population-specific datasets matter
Compare the American and Russian reconstruction methods in terms of underlying assumptions, landmark reliance, and typical output
Describe the role of the clay/3D physical model versus digital (CT-based) reconstruction and list the advantages and limits of each
Practice blocking in a three-quarter-view head from a lateral skull reference, focusing on proportion rather than detail
Your checkpoint
A 400-word written comparison of reconstruction methods plus one proportion study drawing, both self-graded against a rubric you write in week 1
Forensic Art
Distinguish the two branches of forensic imaging: image analysis/identification (comparison, authentication, enhancement) and image modification (age progression, reconstruction, compositing)
Explain the ACE-V framework as applied to facial image comparison and identify what makes a comparison inconclusive
List the facial features commonly used in image comparison (ears, dentition, scars, nevi, hairline, facial proportions) and describe why each is or is not reliable
Analyze two same-person and two different-person face pairs you source yourself, writing a short reasoning note for each conclusion
Your checkpoint
Four written comparison exercises (two same, two different) with explicit feature-by-feature reasoning and a stated confidence level for each
Forensic Art
Explain the principles of age progression: craniofacial growth timelines, when growth stabilizes, and how aging affects soft tissue, hair, and skin
Describe how age regression differs from age progression and the extra uncertainty involved
Identify the reference materials and family photographs needed for a defensible age progression and the questions to ask the requesting agency
Draft a request checklist for an age progression case
Your checkpoint
A completed age progression of a fictional subject from age 8 to age 30, with a written note on assumptions, limitations, and how you would present uncertainty to a jury
Forensic Art
Outline the composite drawing workflow: interview, cognitive interview techniques, feature-by-feature construction, and revision with the witness
Explain why holistic/whole-face recall and feature-by-feature recall produce different results and how a practitioner manages that trade-off
Describe how to phrase questions to a witness without leading or contaminating memory
Practice a witness-style interview with a volunteer using a scripted scenario and record which questions were leading
Your checkpoint
One composite drawing produced from a volunteer's description plus an annotated interview transcript marking every leading or suggestive question you asked
Forensic Art
Describe postmortem depiction: the goals, the constraints of working from morgue photographs, restoration of features, and sensitivity to family viewing
Explain the ethical and consent considerations across all forensic art subareas, including use of images of the deceased and of living minors
Summarize how forensic art products are used in investigations and courts and what an expert must be able to defend about method and error rate
Write a one-page ethics and admissibility summary in your own words
Your checkpoint
A one-page ethics/admissibility summary plus a critique of one of your earlier drawings identifying where method documentation was missing
Forensic Art
Consolidate all subareas into a single comparative table covering purpose, inputs, outputs, key limitations, and typical error sources
Do a timed 60-question self-test you write yourself from your week 1 syllabus, covering every subarea proportionally
Review every missed item and convert each into a new flashcard or a rewritten concept note
Rehearse explaining two forensic art methods aloud in under three minutes each, as if to a non-specialist investigator
Your checkpoint
A scored self-test with a written error log mapping each miss to a subarea and a corrective action
Forensic Art
Re-run the full self-test and compare scores against week 7 to confirm retention rather than recognition
Rewrite your weakest two subarea summaries from memory and then check them against source material
Assemble a portfolio of your best work from weeks 1-7 with a short method note for each piece
Write a final one-page personal gap analysis listing what still needs supervised practice versus what is exam-ready
Your checkpoint
A portfolio of five or more works with method notes, plus a final self-test score and a one-page gap analysis
Milestones
Week 2: You can label 15+ skull landmarks from memory and explain tissue-depth reconstruction without notes
Week 4: You can state the difference between the American and Russian methods, describe ACE-V, and justify a same/different face conclusion in writing
Week 6: You can walk through the composite interview workflow and name the ethical constraints on postmortem and minor-subject imagery
Week 8: Self-test score improves from week 7, portfolio is assembled with method notes, and gap analysis distinguishes exam-ready from practice-needed areas