MARINA DEL REY, Oct. 3 – Bill Lignante is an artist, but says his job isn’t to create any lasting works of art.

As a courtroom illustrator for ABC-TV network news, Lignante must record a scene quickly using sketch pad and pencil.

He has only a brief second or two to fix expressions, gestures and other body movements firmly in his mind before the scene alters.

“The action only lasts a short time,” says the artist.

As soon as Lignante sees something he wants to record, he starts drawing and putting in directional lines.

He has the help of an ABC newscaster who sits behind him. The newscaster watches what Lignante is drawing, makes suggestions and works out the written commentary around the sketches.

“A courtroom artist’s job is to substitute for a camera without giving any impressions or editorializing,” he says. “We’re there to record exactly what we see.”

During the Manson trial, which he says is the only trial he worked on that really stands out in his mind, he made about 300 drawings.

“The Manson trial had all the ingredients to attract everybody and anybody. People came from all over. There were hippies on motorcycles and little old ladies in tennis shoes.”

Lignante says the trial became almost a must on the list of tourist attractions for out-of-town visitors.

“I don’t think a writer could have concocted the circumstances in that trial.

“Manson was great to draw, but he kept lousing us up by changing his appearance. In various stages of the trial, Manson shaved off his beard and his mustache, cut his hair and put an X on his forehead. Later he changed the X to a swastika, and finally he shaved his head.”

The artist says extremely good-looking persons are the hardest to draw.

“There’s nothing to hang your pencil on,” says Lignante. “And I can’t draw little kids. I’m never happy with my drawings of them.”

Lignante, a free-lance artist, also does TV layout work for Hanna-Barbera Productions. He’s working on “Devlin” now.

“It’s kind of an Evel Knievel show with the Waltons thrown in,” he says, as he relaxes in his Marina del Rey studio.

The artist began his career drawing comic strip characters. He is the cartoonist who drew Ozark Ike and also has drawn comic books such as The Phantom, Tarzan and The Man From Uncle.

The walls of his studio are covered with autographed comic strips from other cartoonists.

Lignante’s career as a courtroom illustrator received impetus from the court decision in 1968 which bars photographers and TV cameramen from courtrooms.

The Sirhan trial was his first assignment. He also has illustrated the trials of Angela Davis, Lt. William Calley and Juan Corona.

Now he’s collaborating on a book with reporter Bill Farr which will include Farr’s trial and trials the two men have covered. Lignante will do the illustrations.

He will appear at the Art for Fun(d)’s Sake given by the Palos Verdes Community Arts Association Oct. 12 and 13 at Marineland, Rancho Palos Verdes.

Other courtroom illustrators exhibiting their drawings will be Ruben Lopez, KTTV; David Rose, NBC and Bill Robles and Howard Brodie, CBS.

By CAROLYN COIL