This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bucknell chapter.
You’re sitting in 7th Street, desperately searching for anything to distract you from writing that paper due tomorrow. Notice all the other booth-dwellers? Yup, they’re doing the same thing. You scan the cafe and suddenly feast your eyes upon the large blackboard above the coffee counter. Looking closer, you notice the artwork is incredibly good! Well Bucknellians, you have senior Christina Huang to thank for this artistic distraction; she is the talent behind 7th Street’s chalk artwork that always seems to brighten up our days as we grab our morning coffee and head off to class.
This is a pretty cool campus job– how did you get started?
I only started working at the 7th Street Cafe at the end of spring semester my junior year. I love the drinks at 7th Street Cafe and wanted to learn how to make them, so I decided to apply for a job. I later learned during my interview that the senior doing the display board in the cafe would be graduating and that they would need someone else to design the boards each month. So there I was, at the right place, at the right time.
What’s your favorite drawing for 7th street you’ve done so far?
To be honest, I’ve never drawn a large-scale picture using chalk before and this is only my second drawing. I am getting more comfortable working with the chalk and drawing on a ladder, so I think my favorite drawing will be my next one. I already have an idea in mind, maybe a calm autumn scene with lots of warm colors or something Thanksgiving-related.
How do you even start a drawing like this?
Sketching. I always sketch out my ideas in a notebook first with colored pencils. I draw a mini long rectangular shape to represent the display board and then I create an image to go in the box. I draw inspirations from the seasons, holidays and events happening during a particular month. When I get up on the ladder, it’s a whole new ball game. I like to do a rough line drawing to get the placement and proportions down and then I like to step down and take a look at the drawing from afar. It’s easy to get wrapped up in little details, but if I step back I can see the picture begin to come together.
Do you want to pursue art after graduation?
It’s nice the way you framed this question. I usually have people say,” Oh you’re an art major…so what are you going to do with your life?” I think a lot of people don’t realize that there are many creative careers out there and that not all people who pursue art careers will end up being starving artists. I see myself working in a museum, theater or film setting. I’m interested in going into exhibitions design or scenic design. Basically, I’m going to try and get a feel for these different environments and the types of work I will be doing before I really narrow down and go to graduate school to specialize in a specific field of art.
Do you get free 7th street milkshakes for making the board so beautiful?
I wish! I can’t get a milkshake, but I can get any other beverage.
Favorites
Class at Bucknell: Italian
7th Street Drink: Hot Chai Tea Latte with a shot of vanilla syrup (when it’s cold), Castle on a Cloud Milkshake (when I need a pick-me-up)
Place to Hangout on Campus: studios in the Art Barn (hmm… do you even know where that is?)
Food at Bucknell: Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard
Freez flavor: Strawberry and Banana Freez
Random facts
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Likes to play Scrabble
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Enjoys learning new languages
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Secretly wants to be a pasticcere in another life
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A fan of witty jokes