An Ottawa-based illustrator is getting a lot of attention for courtroom sketches of the Mike Duffy trial, so detailed they even capture the suspended senator’s cufflinks.
Greg Banning said he’s enjoying the spotlight as his sketches appear daily on newscasts, websites, and in newspapers across the country.
“I guess it’s true, everybody has their 15 minutes of fame,” he told CTV’s Canada AM on Tuesday.
“I don’t know how much longer I have, but I’m enjoying it.”
Banning, whose illustrations and designs have appeared on Royal Canadian Mint coins, magazine covers, children’s books and ad campaigns, said he was more nervous about his sketches being seen nationally than he was about covering the high-profile Duffy trial.
“I’m usually flying underneath the radar here in Ottawa, so this is a bigger stage for me,” he said.
While some sketch artists can leave people guessing who’s being portrayed, Banning has been praised for his use of colour to recreate vivid scenes from the courtroom. Duffy, his lawyer and the Crown prosecutors seem to come alive in Banning’s sketches. He pays close attention to details too, such as Duffy’s cufflinks or a witness’s earrings.
Banning said he’s figured out how to add depth to courtroom sketches with “lots of practice.”
He sketches out the scene first and then adds colour to capture the mood.
“Overall, I try to make it interesting to the viewer,” he said.
Banning said there’s another benefit to illustrating the Duffy trial. He’s learned more about the Senate than history classes ever taught him, he said.
