Art Magnet junior August Mexico has always wanted to be an immigration attorney, after growing up hearing the Mexican news that his mom watched. When he joined the mock trial class, he learned that he could use his skills and personal experiences as something other than an attorney.

Now he sat in George Allen’s courthouse organizing the sketchbook and pencils in his lap as he drew quick sketches of the trial.

Mexico is the courtroom sketch artist for mock trial this year and advanced to state where he was considered a “wildcard” because he advanced without his team.

Mexico’s job is to draw pivotal moments as quickly as possible to give an accurate representation of the most important parts of the trial. These sketches usually include the other participants of the trial as well a base of the courtroom itself. He has about five minutes per sketch and usually does four to five sketches per trial.

“The first time I sat down in the courtroom and I got all of my little art supplies out, I was actually so excited,” Mexico said.

His first time sketching went really rough because it was a lot harder than he thought it would be. While he does portrait sketches regularly in the art magnet, this was different. He had to figure out what to capture and how to capture it.

To practice for tournaments, Mexico does a lot of portrait work after school to improve his skills.

At the state competition, Mexico made two artworks during his three rounds. Each piece was judged on expressions how well the courtroom was captured and the overall quality of the artwork.

He enjoyed competing because it was an opportunity to use his skills in drawing and his interest with law. Afterwards, he was able to meet other courtroom artists in and see their work at a banquet.

“This is where I want to be,” Mexico said.

Having a sketch artist also helps bring students together as a team after the trial.

“I think it helps with the team’s chemistry and motivation, and it’s important to document it because it happens in real life,” senior Mock Trial Captain Andris Heft said.

The team enjoys seeing how Mexico sketches them at the end of each trial.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Bufkin said. “They sit back, they draw the students and the judge and the kids, all of it. They love to see what they look like as a drawing.”

Participating in mock trial through sketches combines Mexico’s interests and helps him gain experience in both fields.

“My dream is to be a lawyer, but to be a courtroom artist, that combines both of my interests in law and art,” Mexico said.