The nation has been gripped by the twists and turns of the Wagatha Christie libel trial between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney over the past week.
From shocking revelations to catty exchanges and floods of tears, the battle between the two women has dominated the headlines and taken over social media.
Yet one of the most popular talking points of the trial has nothing to do with what the two women have said – but instead how they have been depicted by the court sketch artists covering proceedings.
From comparisons to potatoes, boxing stars and art from the 1400s, social media has been awash with hilarious commentary on the sketches.
Some of the depictions of Wayne Rooney have led to the ex-Manchester United star being compared to Henry VIII, boxer Tyson Fury and even a potato.
Rebekah Vardy has been described as looking like Michael Jackson while Coleen was described as ‘Norman Bates’ mother’.
Now, the three women have revealed just how difficult it is to be a court sketch artist.
PRISCILLA COLEMAN: ‘Wayne’s got really pretty eyes and eyelashes… he’s a very unique looking man’
Priscilla Coleman told MailOnline that it is a ‘weird thing’ she does and it’s ‘getting weirder every day’.
The artist explained how she isn’t allowed to make sketches while sitting in court and has to pick the best moment when to leave to draw.
She covered Rose and Fred West’s trial, cases involving Amy Winehouse and Jeffrey Archer and the James Bulger murder.
She said: ‘I’m like a human camera that has flaws. It comes out in my material. I’m not a snapper, I can take notes but if I try to do a drawing in a court room I’d be arrested and fined.
‘I sometimes wait for a moment for paper to be passed around. That’s a good time to go out. You have to go with the flow.
Priscilla Coleman is one of the court sketch artists covering the Wagatha Christie libel trial
A court artist’s sketch by Priscilla Coleman of Coleen Rooney on the witness stand at the High Court
Priscilla Coleman’s court sketch of Coleen Rooney with Rebekah and Jamie Vardy at the trial
Coleen Rooney sits next to her husband Wayne Rooney on May 12 in this court sketch by Priscilla Coleman
A sketch by artist Elizabeth Cook of Coleen and Wayne Rooney (left) and Rebekah Vardy (right) on May 10
‘A deadline can be so fast. Sometimes you have to just accept it and say ‘Yes, I know it’s a bit pale’, but there’s just no time.’
She also previously wrote: ‘Sometimes, during a big moment I will leave court to draw a picture while it’s fresh in my head. For example, Rebekah Vardy got very emotional on Wednesday – she had her head down in the dock crying so I left immediately to sketch.’
Priscilla also explained how famous people can look very different in person and highlighted the difficulties of covering the Wagatha Christie trial as a sketch artist.
She wrote: ‘People in court can be very emotional. Vardy is usually photographed when she’s confident and bubbly, but in court on Wednesday she was like a kid getting in trouble with her teacher.
She added: ‘It’s really popular so at the start it was pretty tough to get a seat in the court. I’ve got a great position now, really close. I can almost touch Wayne Rooney if I reach out.
‘My drawings are getting better every day the better I get to know them.
‘It’s like studying for a test. What do they look like, what are they wearing, what great bags do they have? What great jewellery? What expressions do they have? What expressions are going to be needed for the story?’
Priscilla said she was aware of some of the criticism of sketch artists covering the trial.
She admitted some court artists can ‘massacre faces’ but stressed trolls ‘just want attention’ and every drawing could be ‘picked on’.
Priscilla said: ‘I have a troll up north and she has a nice looking face and she works with the NHS. Her Twitter is full of people telling her she’s so sweet and nice. But then she’s trolling sketch artists. The trolls want attention. They love attention.
A sketch by court artist Priscilla Coleman of Rebekah Vardy giving evidence on May 12 after taking the stand
An artist’s impression by Priscilla Coleman of Rebekah Vardy crying at the court in London on May 11
Rebekah Vardy is depicted giving evidence in this sketch by court artist Priscilla Coleman on May 10
An artist’s impression by Priscilla Coleman of Rebekah Vardy crying at the court in London on May 11
‘You can probably pick on every drawing. I went to see a Rembrandt drawing and my friend was picking on Rembrandt.’
However, she admitted it could be difficult to deal with some of the criticisms.
She explained: ‘It really hurts. It really crushes you. It’s like being attacked, having your mind attacked.
‘You can’t work properly because it makes you think your work will be attacked. It slows you down, it gets you out of the workflow. It makes it difficult.
‘You just really have to put it out of your mind. You can talk to people about it but there’s people who don’t want to discuss it or give interviews about it.
‘Everyone has good and bad days. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw.’
The artist also described how the celebrities look different in court, sharing the things she’d noticed in her time covering the trial.
She said: ‘When Wayne sits next to Coleen, I have a great view of him. He’s got really pretty eyes and eyelashes and he looks up at the clock every now and then.
‘He’s a very unique looking man. Coleen is very sporty. She has a sporty and healthy face.
‘Rebekah is luscious, she’s like an hourglass figure type from the 1950s movies. She has gorgeous braids.
‘Their make-up is great, their hair is amazing. They’re both beautiful but very different.’
ELIZABETH COOK: ‘I rely on my memory. As I’m looking, I divide the face into three’
Elizabeth Cook is another sketch artist who is covering the Wagatha Christie trial.
Ms Cook has not commented on the furor around the blockbuster trial – but was pictured drawing outside last week.
She has previously explained how difficult of a job it can be for sketch artists to cover a case.
Ms Cook says she has attended hundreds of trials over the years, ranging from the Stephen Lawrence case to the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? fraud case with Charles Ingram.
She told the Guardian: ‘I don’t spend a great deal of time in court because I need to go and draw – you are not allowed to draw in court.
LAST THURSDAY: Court artist Elizabeth Cook draws a picture outside the Royal Courts Of Justice in London on May 12
A sketch by court artist Elizabeth Cook of Coleen Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne (centre back) questioning Rebekah Vardy (left) as she gives evidence, as Coleen (right) and Wayne (second right) Rooney watch on May 12
A sketch by court artist Elizabeth Cook of Coleen Rooney, watched by husband Wayne, as she gives evidence
A sketch by court artist Elizabeth Cook of Coleen Rooney, watched by Rebekah Vardy, being re examined by her barrister David Sherborne , as she gives evidence at the Royal Courts Of Justice in London during the libel battle
‘I rely on my memory. As I’m looking, I divide the face into three. I take the first third as the shape of the head and the hair. The hair is very important. Then I note what shape the brows are and whether the eyes are deep-set or lined.
‘The next third is what I would call the muzzle – the tip of the nose, the mouth and the chin. That contains a lot of the expression and identifying features.’
She also said she ‘makes notes’ on the clothing of the people she draws.
Ms Cook added that her job can be even more difficult when there are multiple defendants – forcing her to rely even more on written notes.
Like Priscilla, she highlighted time pressures they can face because everything has to be done ‘as quickly as possible’.
JULIA QUENZLER: ‘It’s all done from memory – I rarely refer to the notes’
Like Ms Cook, Julia Quenzler has yet to comment on the specifics of covering the Wagatha Christie trial.
However, like the other two artists, she has several years of experience in her role and covered a string of high-profile cases.
She worked as the BBC’s court illustrator for more than two decades and has also spoken about not being able to draw in court.
Ms Quenzler explained how she writes notes to herself about the hair, facial features, clothing and body language of the people in the trial before picking her moment to draw them.
She told the BBC: ‘It’s all done from memory; I rarely refer to the notes unless there are many defendants in the dock and I need to remind myself if Number Three had a blue or white shirt on.’
Ms Quenzler said she’s not allowed to represent jurors in her drawings – but everyone else is fair game.
The artist said she likes to watch a defendant’s reaction to the verdict and tries to capture that in her sketches.
Demeanour, posture and body language can also be very revealing, she explained
Julia Quenzler has yet to comment on the specifics of covering the Wagatha Christie trial
An artist’s impression by Julia Quenzler of Rebekah Vardy giving evidence (left) with Wayne and Coleen Rooney looking on (right) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on May 10
An artist’s impression by Julia Quenzler of Rebekah Vardy crying at the court in London on May 11
An artist’s impression by Julia Quenzler of Rebekah Vardy (right) and Wayne and Coleen Rooney (left) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on May 10
An artist’s impression by Julia Quenzler of Coleen and Wayne Rooney at the Royal Courts of Justice on May 13
An artist’s impression by Julia Quenzler of Rebekah Vardy giving evidence to Barrister David Sherborne (right) with Wayne and Coleen Rooney looking on (centre) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on May 11
