Little India Sketches

Different techniques in one sitting, couldn't pass up the colors.

Sketchwalk @ Little India

Becoming a new father for the second time means new and more things on my hands nowadays (I am not complaining though since my wife and I wanted this second joy for a long time now since our first born has just turned seven). But unfortunately, some things just had to be heading to the back seat in terms of priority. And I guess going out sketching became one of the casualties of this incident. I still sketched from time to time (since like many who practice the method, it is like a healing process personally), but missed the official Saturday outings of USK-SG for the past four months or so.

…No more.

Last Saturday I finally joined the group again -- at the Little India outing-- and glad that I did since doing so only showed me how much I missed sketching with this cluster.

And there’s something about sketching that differs from architectural and landscape drawings that I do. It’s simpler, yet deep and real. In a sketch I don’t have to worry so much about scale and precision, or put much attention on tiny details either or paid an extra effort to staying within the contours of figures when I created shadows or put in a darker value.
I began to realize that these outdoor sketches have become an antidote to the methodical drawings I do for a living. Weeks, sometimes months would be spent on the same composition, same drawing, trying to get it to that ever-unreachable state of perfection. Sketching requires none of that. Furthermore, to me, the beauty of sketches lies in their imperfections. Sketches can be as easily abandoned as they are started. They don't need rules in terms of clearness and vagueness. What are important are the interpretations made of the meaning and the story behind them. And seeing how other sketchers’ works (and the masters like Tia, Don, Asnee) motivate you to unlock that individual style of work that defines you as an artist.

Below are two of the sketches i managed during the Sketchwalk.

Weekend at little India sketchwalk

Result of Sketchwalk at Little India

It was a big group at the Little India sketchwalk. We split into a few smaller groups after the briefing and my group crossed Serangoon Road and settled at the corner of Dunlop St and Clive St. It was quite a sight when the sketchers sat along the roadside curb. Before we could complete the first piece, it was pouring so we had to find shelter at the five-foot way along shophouse at Dunlop Street. It was then that we had a good discussion and sharing on various tools and sketchbooks with the senior artists Chan Chang How, Pang Teng Khoon and Asnee.

We dashed across the street and some of us sat at a cozy cafe to sketch. I did 3 pieces at the end. We then went back to the food center to have the "show and tell" and it was so inspiring after seeing all the sketches presented by different groups.

Again, look at the sketches of Little India, who says Singapore is boring?

Other sketches on my blog and facebook.

Sketchwalk at Little India (Jun 2011)

Click picture for more.

SKETCHWALK 25 JUN 9.30am

NOTE: REVISED LOCATION!

Hi all, we will be meeting at TEKKA food centre this saturday. Please get off at Little India station, (See map. Food centre highlighted in red) We will meet at 9:30AM there and then spread out anywhere we'd like to draw for 3 hours. We will then return to TEKKA food centre for lunch and "show and tell". This will be our second time drawing around little india if you joined us some time back. But this is the other end of Little India.

We are also giving away attractive prizes courtesy of Parka this saturday!

A very senior sketcher from Bangkok will be joining us too! You may see Asnee's work here.

Everyone is welcome to join us. Just bring your own sketching materials and dress breezy. Call Tia 96968080 or Andrew 91070735 for more info or if you get lost. See you there!

Giveaway contest for Jun 2011

Update: Contest is over. Congrats to the three winners: Rafa, Diy-an and Clement.

Here's this month's giveaway contest. The prizes will be given out during the end-of-month sketchwalk, wherever that may be. You must be attending to be eligible for this giveaway.

There are three prizes. You can choose all, but you can only win one.

Just post a comment on which prize you want to win.

Make sure you leave clues on how to contact you. E.g. If you're posting using a Blogger (Google) profile, make sure your profile page has your email address.

I'll announce the winners one day before the sketchwalk. If I'm unable to contact the winners, I'll give the prizes away randomly during the sketchwalk.


Winsor & Newton Deluxe Sketchers' Pocket Box
This box set comes with 16 half pan, a kneaded eraser and collapsible brush.


Watercolor Tricks & Techniques: 75 New and Classic Painting Secrets
You can check out the review on my blog.


600 Watercolor Mixes: Washes, Color Recipes and Techniques
This is a quick reference for watercolour mixtures. You can check out the review on my blog.

Aduana Ruins - The Old Customs House, Manila

Ok, I admit that old buildings & ruins interest me much more as sketching subjects than most examples of modern architecture. Some of my favorite subjects to draw may include any of the following: chipped paint, mould, broken & rusting objects and a sense of disorder.
I had been eyeing the ruins of the Aduana Customs House in Intramuros, Manila, for almost 2 months; it's a classic example of ruins - a 135-year old stone building, destroyed in turn by the bombings of Manila in 1945, a fire in 1979, and thru general neglect since. And it's slightly out of the main tourist belt of Intramuros, so many people probably miss it.
I had to sketch my view of the interior looking through the gated windows - it's guarded & closed to the public, to keep squatters out. Looking in at the array of mouldy, scorched arches and cracked & chipped stone beams exposed to the sky gave me a thrill, and a sense of the history of this place!
The old rusting cement mixer sitting amongst the weeds & broken cement was an added bonus to the sketch.

Kwan Im Temple Sketch (June 2011)

Some quotes gathered while sketching today:

"That's going to be a good one."

"Did anyone tell you that you look like mixed blood."

"Do you want to donate..."


I had wanted to do a watercolour sketch but took the easy way out in the end.