Prolific CatlinSpeak Artists | Humans of Catlin Gabel

By Tia Chakrapani ‘27

When you take the occasional scroll through the CatlinSpeak website (and if you don't, you really should), you might notice some of the fabulous artwork of seniors Eva Vu-Stern and Angie Nguyen!

Vu-Stern and Nguyen are gifted artists. They have enhanced CatlinSpeak by creating graphics that accompany many of the articles. Their art makes the paper more attractive and provides a visual anchor that can give any story that extra punch. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Eva Vu-Stern:

Vu-Stern has been an artist for as long as she can remember and her creativity was always nurtured. Her mother has an art background and art supplies were always accessible.

Elementary and middle school experiences further cultivated her art skills. “My friends in elementary school did art as well, so I was always kind of around that as a hobby,” said Vu-Stern.

Vu-Stern mentioned the huge impact of Catlin Gabel School's (CGS) middle school art classes on her art career.

“I kind of fell in love with it more, and then decided to try to take it a little more seriously,” said Vu-Stern.

She prefers art that is more creative and imaginative, steering away from hyperrealism (a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph). She is currently interested in sketching and digital art.

Her process typically involves starting with a pencil sketch. She then scans it into the computer and modifies the subsequent image into a digital work of art.

Vu-Stern has always appreciated articles that had cool and attractive graphics. When CatlinSpeak was looking for artists, she quickly applied and became a regular contributor.

She recounts a piece that she had a particular connection to, Senioritis (see below).“I enjoyed making Olivia’s senioritis article because I myself was feeling some of the senioritis and it was fun to make it in the style of a medical website,” said Vu-Stern.

*Graphic by Eva Vu-Stern for Olivia Morrison’s story “SATIRE: Signs and symptoms of Senioritis*”

Graphic by Eva Vu-Stern for Violet Bouwes-van Nood’s story “Here’s what seasonal depression is actually all about”

Vu-Stern’s art is typically lighthearted and whimsical. However, she enjoyed the challenge of doing a graphic outside of her comfort zone. For example, she produced a graphic trying to encapsulate seasonal depression (see above).

“It was a challenge to create this graphic because capturing a more serious article topic like seasonal depression can be tricky,” said Vu-Stern, “but, I enjoyed working with Violet, who wrote the article, to convey how one feels during seasonal depression into an illustration.”

Angie Nguyen:

Angie Nguyen’s passion for art began at a young age, much like Vu-Stern’s.

“I’ve always enjoyed doodling, and in middle school, I decided to take up drawing as a hobby. I started with graphite portraits but then expanded my scope to include watercolor, oil, acrylic, digital art, and even mediums like sculpting and crocheting,” said Nguyen

At first, art was a hobby. It was a way for her to express her creativity. Since then, it has become more than that. She uses art as a way to connect, communicate, and form relationships through clubs, volunteering, and platforms like CatlinSpeak.

Graphic by Angie Nguyen for CatlinSpeak’s Conspiracy Corner.

Nguyen enjoyed reading CatlinSpeak and thought by joining the paper she could share her art, help the school, and collaborate with other students.

She made a series of graphics to accompany CatlinSpeak’s Conspiracy Corner. The graphics show her ability to set the mood. The black and white palette with red highlights creates a feeling of mystery and intrigue (see above and below).

Graphic by Angie Nguyen for the Conspiracy Corner.

“I’m glad that I did [contribute art to CatlinSpeak], as I’ve gotten to be a part of so many interesting articles and worked with people I wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise,” said Nguyen.

By providing visual art, these talented artists provide another dimension to the written text. The graphics allow the reader to quickly connect to the story and enhance their overall experience.

Want to see more from these two artists? Scan the QR codes below!!:

Eva Vu-Stern:

Angie Nguyen: