If you were disappointed by the courtroom sketches of Taylor Swift that emerged from her butt-groping trial last week, you weren’t alone.
But listen, the guy who drew them has an explanation for all the haters.
Sketch artist Jeff Kandyba spoke to Denver station KDVR on Monday and offered an explanation that seemed tailor-made to appease angry Swifties — the “Shake it Off” singer is so attractive that she’s more difficult to sketch than the average person.
“A person like Taylor Swift, who is very pretty — has perfectly proportioned dimensions on the face — is actually much harder [to sketch],” Kandyba told the station.
Kandyba, who’s been plying his trade in the Colorado court system since the 1980s, added, “It’s hard. Some people are just much easier to draw than others,” he said. “If you give me somebody with a beard and glasses — bingo — got it.”
“Everybody’s got little idiosyncrasies about them that you want to pick up on,” the artist also noted.
The courtroom sketches of Swift, which emerged as the singer underwent a trial to determine if Denver radio DJ David Mueller had groped her rear-end during a 2013 meet-and-greet at Denver’s Pepsi center, were widely criticized by Swift fans on social media.
“This courtroom sketch of taylor swift is terrible and I’m crying,” wrote one disappointed Swiftie.
“Important question prompted by this courtroom sketch of Taylor Swift: Has the illustrator EVER SEEN Taylor Swift?” wrote another observer.
“Courtroom sketch of Taylor Swift looks like my evil twin, down to the exact same dress,” mused another Twitter wag.
“This courtroom sketch of Taylor Swift looks… absolutely nothing like her,” another critic weighed in.
“If #TaylorSwift is pissed at ass-grabbing DJ imagine how she feels about an inept courtroom sketch artist,” pondered another commenter.
“How long before Taylor Swift sues this courtroom sketch artist?” asked one critic.
“I think it’s safe to say the courtroom sketch artist is a Katy Perry fan,” one Twitter user wrote, referencing Swift’s headline-grabbing feud with Perry.
Perhaps-unflattering renditions of Swift aside, the trial worked out in the singer’s favor, with a judge tossing Mueller’s claims against her, and a jury siding with Swift in her claim against Mueller on Monday, awarding her a a symbolic $1 for groping her during the meet-and-greet.