Adhoc Sketchwalk @ Marina Barrage

Sketching near the Singapore Booth. I saw these ladies on the bench with the booth staged behind. I found it quite interesting. Later I found out that they are good friends who came with the bus to the event, and they were waiting for the bus to bring them back, maybe to the CC again. They came over to see what I was doing. The Indian lady was amused to see herself in the sketch and requested to write her name on my sketch. I painted the sketch later at home. 

another sketch at Pottery Jungle

On Sunday I felt that I should do a sketch today when sketchers in USKSG were working hard at Sentosa. Spread the sketching bug people!

Food Sketches - Meals Taken on my Birthday

My birthday meals!

art deco style old factory

Along Serangoon Road next to Kallang River, National Aerated Water Co. Ltd. occupied this factory building since 1950s that produced old brand soft drinks such as Sinalco, Kickapoo and Royal Crown (RC) Cola - all my favourite soft drinks when I was a little girl. The building is now vacant and there is no sign of any new development. I love the proportion of this building, its side oval window, brick parapet wall and distinctive linear, geometric shaped decorative spire as the typical art deco vertical element.

October Sketchwalk at Chinatown

Sketching at Chinatown's Food Market

Sketching at Maxwell Food Center

Sketching along Murray Street besides MyArtSpace Tanjong Pagar

This time round I was the lost sheep, straying from the group sketching within the food market when I arrived late for the sketchwalk. But I wasn't the only lost sheep. When I received a call from Madhu, I knew almost immediately that he was lost too. When I finally got down to call him, he has already settled in McDonald but that was already 10am. Then I got a message from Shyam that he was sketching nearby Red Dot Museum so I realized that he was not with the usual group too. Andrew and James were at Murray Street so they were too, "lost". I got a call from James that there is an exhibition in MyArtSpace and wanted me to see it. So at 11am I got to the gallery to see the art show by Gail Patin who has sketched the streets of Singapore like us. But his sketches are even larger and gallery worthy... :D so to speak. Anyway we met up and started to head towards Maxwell Market after making some quick sketches and a video shoot. I took it easy in this sketchwalk, not paying too much attention on sketching but simply catching up with sketchers. Had fun again!! I hope the rest too.

Tiong Bahru Wind Mills

Once in a while, I still find myself going back to Tiong Bahru to enjoy the peace and quiet there. This time round I was back to do some video shoot around the quiet neighborhood. We spotted a pretty little garden where the owner actually planted some colorful wind mills amidst the plants. When the wind blows, these start to turn merrily in the wind and they are definitely a joy to look at.

a packed foodcourt

I work in the east so I have not been to central business district for a long time. Last wednesday, I parked my car at the Market Street multi storey carpark and when I got off the elevator, the entire ground floor was packed with people during the lunch hours. It's a Koufu food court decorated with local Peranakan style!

Here I found executives with business attire except this 'tourist' in the middle of my sketch who was obviously having trouble with the chopsticks. The place was so crowded and I noticed packets of tissue paper on almost every single empty seat - a unique culture here for people to 'reserve' the seats while queing for your food at the stalls.

Sketches and random sketches

Hero Fountain Pen


Copic Marker 0.8


Lamy Fountain Pen (F)


Lamy Fountain Pen (F)

These were done with different tools. I have been alternating between fountain pens, markers and ink washes too, and I also realized my style changes as I used different materials. In general I have been experimenting and trying out different methods and ways to sketch. It is hard for me to stick to something consistent. :P

Selegie Road after JYOF

JYOF means Journey of Youth Olympic Flame. My 15-year old son was one of the torch bearers for the first Youth Olympic Games on the sixth and final day of the journey of the flame last Friday. I went downtown in the early evening at Selegie Road, one of the JYOF locations trying to witness his run but he was to start running at about 100m away from where I was standing. His schoolmates and passers-by were all cheering, screaming and trying to run with the torch bearers when they appeared. I could not run with them so when the crowd disappeared, I went to the nearby cafe to wait for my son's school bag to be delivered by his school's teacher. My son and the other torch bearers went to Marina Bay's floating platform to witness the lighting of the cauldron by MM Lee.

I did this sketch at the cafe called 'tcc' while waiting. I was at second level of POMO, a shopping centre looking at the junction of Selegie Road and Prinsep Street.

Pen info for sketchers

As sketchers, I suppose we are all experimenting with different pens and I came across a few blog/websites which shows other pen shops in Singapore beside the usual ones most of us go to .
Like an old pen shop at Upper cross street etc.

Take a look and maybe we can go for a pen urban sketch day;)
Always good to check out new pens to try

They sell hero pens at punggol plaza too and Mustafa


http://www.houseofpens.blogspot.com

http://www.strangeknight.wordpress.com/fountain-pens-in-singapore-faq/

Sultan Mosque along North Bridge Road

I took a bus down North Bridge Road that morning just to see what I can sketch. I stopped by this attraction located along North Bridge Road. The area around it has been converted to a touristic attraction too, with shops selling souvenirs, clothes and exotic fabrics. It is a huge mosque with a golden dome. Everything else dwarfed beside it.

I felt kinda weird and silly sketching a touristic attraction too. (Sketched and painted on location with Lamy Fountain pen with Polar brown Noodler's ink, and watercolor).
:P

My sketch on the last day of the Tiong Bahru Gallery Show

Great memory, great experience, and great party!! More sketches here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thedesignlanguage/

interesting people at Earshot

Last Tuesday, I brought my class to Boat Quay for a drawing trip again. Some of us also visited the Asian Civilization Museum as the entry fee was now FREE for staff and students from Schools, Junior Colleges and the Polytechnics. I later went to the nearby cafe called Earshot at Art House for coffee. The cafe was preparing for a writers' night with two technicians setting up of microphones and projector next to my table. A lady came to tell the technicians to lower the volume as she was conducting an interview. It caught my attention that I put down my book and looked at the lady. She was Irene Ng, our lady MP! I was curious who was she interviewing so I moved to another seat and realized she was interviewing our ex-Permanent Secretary - Mr Ngiam Tong Dow. Don't ask me about their conversation because I did not pay attention to that since I was more concerned about finishing the sketch and leaving as soon as possible so as not to incur more parking charges for my car which was parked about 1km away at Golden Shoe; a public car park. The parking fee was $17 this time. The last time I brought the students out, the parking fee was $28. 'Ouch!'

cold crab for father's day lunch

My son who works in Hong Kong returned to Singapore and spent a few days with the family during the father's day weekend. We went to Lee Do Restaurant for lunch before he flew off in the evening. One of their specialities is the Fuzhou Cold Crab. We ordered one to try before the main course and it was really good with its firm texture best enjoyed in chilled condition. It was so delicious that we had to order another bigger cold crab to satisfy our quest. We were all having a 3-quarter full stomach when the main dishes arrived, we had to ask for the last dish to be packed and taken away.

The cost for the two cold crabs took up half of the entire bill but it was an memorable gastronomic experience.

Result of last Sketchwalk

Thanks Don for the picture. We, the sketchers were at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station last Saturday morning making our presence felt with our pens and brushes. This exterior view was drawn on folded watercolour paper of 200gm/sqm and fountain pen with Noodler's ink. See the interior here.

Singapore Urban Splashes Strike Again @ Tiong Bahru

You can tell alot about an artist just by the way they paint or draw on location or in their studio. When I saw Tia painting on the floor, I knew I have to capture her in action. While Tia was having the entire floor to herself, Paul was quietly painting away at a little corner on the table. It is the same when some artists preferred a huge workshop just to paint, some artists would be happy if they have a little space in the bedroom to paint and draw. Sketching as a group is fun because you get to see artists in action.

day two of wood firing

Wood firing at the dragon kiln is a 2-day 1-night event. I stayed overnight to help out with the wood firing at the stoke holes at two sides of the dragon kiln. Helpers came at 2am and 4am so I was not required to feed the dragon but helped with minor duty instead. I helped with preparing clay slip to seal off the stoke holes and recording the temperature readings etc. I also got to take a nap in the comfortable air-cond office while others had to sleep in the cars or on the benches in the open air.

At around 6am on day two of wood firing, we took the buggy out for a spin on the jungle trail admiring the sun rays penetrating through the thick foliage in the woods. When we returned from the jungle adventure, I did another watercolour piece in the early morning and this time, on my favourite tree house and the banyan tree.

The first piece of watercolour was done on day one of wood firing, you can see it here. Tell me which one you like better.

my favourite mee pok noodle shop

Again, at my favourite noodle place for lunch. There was another one done here.

at starbucks

Last Saturday evening, I went to the neighbourhood Starbucks with my son. He was studying and I was sketching. The place was packed with young people with laptops and earpieces hung around their necks. Two guys in a group occasionally spoke so loud that you know they were boasting about their investments. I was sitting at the far end near to the corner wall having the best view of the entire cafe.

I had another earlier sketch of the same Starbucks here.

Nakhon Kitchen

Following Drew's sketch about food, this was at Nakhon Kitchen, a Thai coffee shop at 136 Bedok North Ave 3, the public housing estate. There was a constant waiting line during dinner hours. I sketched while my family members queued in the line. I added the shades when I finished my dinner. The picture was taken after the dinner. Yummy!