Chelsea Newman
2D Emphasis
Within the past year or so while I’ve been back in school,
it has been interesting to see the direction my art has taken. After taking the
introductory printmaking class and the art and architecture of Japan, I have
been influenced by some of the famous Japanese printmakers like Hiroshige and
Hokusai, especially when I’m making woodblock prints. I enjoy using Japanese
paper in conjunction with the woodblocks. As I have been learning more about
different types of prints and printmaking, I have become more and more eager
and excited to experiment with different mediums and methods within the process
of printmaking.
Along with printmaking, I also have been doing a lot of
sketching and drawing not only traditionally but digitally as well. Even within
the past couple years, my style has changed and I feel like I have improved
quite a bit as I have been working at it and practicing. One of the main
influences on the subject matter of my self-directed drawings is a story that I
have been writing cooperatively with one of my cousins and a friend. I often
draw characters and scenes from the story in my free time. With sketching and
drawing, I’ve been working at adding more defining characteristics when it
comes to how I draw different people and characters, like having more variation
in face shapes and facial features, and not just different clothing and
hairstyles.
Another facet of creating artwork that I have enjoyed within
the past year or two is the creation of jewelry and wearable art. Some of my
pieces have been for my small metals and jewelry class, while others have been
self-directed works. Lately I’ve been enjoying looking at all kinds of jewelry
as I try to get ideas for pieces I want to create. I can’t really pinpoint any
specific influence for my jewelry pieces like I can for my printmaking, but I
want to continue to improve the craftsmanship of my pieces.