28 Nov 2012 , Solo Sketch Walk

Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore oldest Hindu temple. It is an agamic temple built in the

Dravdian style. Located at No 224 South Bridge Road, in the downtown Chinatown district, the temple serves mainly South Indian Tamil Hindu Singaporeans. The temple was founded in 1827 by Naraina Pillai, eight years after the British East India Co established a trading settlement in Singapore.

     

This sketch (A5 paper) was done live on location with Hero pen & ink, the background was prewash before the sketch

Cavanagh Bridge built in 1869 to link the Civic District on the North Bank with the Commercial District on the South Bank, this is the oldest bridge along the Singapore River in its original form. It is also the first steel suspension bridge in Singapore.

This sketch (A5 Paper) was done live on location with Hero pen & ink, the background was prewash before the sketch.

   

Masjid Jamae is located at 218 South Bridge Road, on the corner with Mosque Road in the historic Chinatown area. One of several mosques built by Tamil Muslim migrants from south India, the present mosque was built between 1830 and 1835.

This sketch (A5 paper) was done live on location with Hero pen & ink, the background was prewash before the sketch.

places I eat at

There's this new western stall at Tanglin Halt (the smaller hawker centre). It's called Indulgence. I like their carbonara there. It's tastes like the carbonara I had in Florence. Thick creamy cheesy sauce, with raw egg put over it once it's out of the pan. Stir in altogether and eat! I think it was S$6.50. The usual hawker centres have  carbonaras that are usually watery with some kind of mushroom sauce. So I'm glad I found this stall. The chef is the guy with greyish-white hair in the picture (taking a break.) Hero pen + pigment.

Da Paolo Gastronomia at Chip Bee Gardens (across from Holland Village) sells food to go. But they can also heat it up at the shop for you. I like the Spinach Lasagna there. Yvonne likes that thing (I forgot what it's called) with tomato slices and chewable cheese. They now have tables and chairs for eating-in customers. Watercolours.

The coffeeshop where I have my lunch sometimes. I like the chinese noodles and mince pork from the dumpling stall. And the Orchard Emerald Beef Noodles is good too. It gets sold out pretty quickly and I believe the chef goes to play golf, judging from his tan lines and his golf shirts. He also wears a sparkling earring on one ear. Hero pen + watercolours.

Sun Plaza Park , Tampines Singapore

These sketches was done on locations at Sun Plaza Park and IKEA, Tampines in Singapore.
The prewash back ground was done at home. I choose the prewash paper to suit the subjects before I sketch. All sketches are done with Chinese Hero Pen and Hero Ink.

The top sketch is the Park Playground, the middle sketch is IKEA cafeteria and the sketch is the corridor of the flat facing the park.

Airport Lounges

Inspired by Tia's publication, here are some of my takes in airport lounges over the last few months.

Stirling Road Sketch Walk - along Margaret Drive

Stirling Road Sketch Walk , 24 Nov 2012 - along Margaret Drive.

My first sketch was Queenstown Library at Margaret Drive, the library is one of the oldest in Singapore ( built in the  60's ). Margaret Drive was a busy New Town in the 60's to early 90's. Now most of the flats have been demolished for future development except a few buildings left in the area.
The 2nd sketch is the empty land in front of the library and the 3rd is the Old Wet Market which is now a restaurant.
All my works are prewash the day before the sketch walk and sketches are done on location using Hero, Lamy and vintage Mont Blanc pens with Hero Ink.

Old Wet Market - Prewash at home and sketch on location.

result of today's sketchwalk

Stirling Rd is not just a road where I worked 20 years ago when Temasek Poly first started at the current MDIS site. The type of 2-storey house block from 44 to 47 is also the same type that I stayed at Margaret Drive during the 1964 riot in Singapore. It was also quite close to Hock Lee Bus Depot where the riot started in 1955. Two separate riots but I only remember going through one. Now you know my growing up story. Happening!

I sketched the hospital where I was born here.

I sketched the flat where I first stayed although it was very short period of time, then we moved to Margaret Drive in the 2-storey house like this at Stirling road in this sketch. The first flat I stayed was here, which I believe is was around Dawson Road.

Stirling Rd sketchwalk

Van dyck brown (from kremer pigmente or Straits)  + black ink

Van dyck brown + black ink

G-nib + Van dyck brown + black ink

G-nib + Van dyck brown + photoshop

Stirling Road Blk 44 and 49

Trying out my new Rotring Isograph technical pen. It's good but a bit overpriced. The wash is from Derwent Graphitone.


This is drawn with the Pilot Hi-tecpoint V7 fitted with Rotring ink. It works well, so far. I've tried India ink in this model before and it destroyed the pen. I like the Pilot more than the Rotring because it's smoother on paper and you can draw with the pen at any angle.

More photos on my blog

this model is my son

I put up the Hong Kong long sketches yesterday on Facebook, USK blog and flickr. Today I was shock to see the flickr traffic shoot up to around 1500 viwers in a single day. I also received enquiry about this guy who appeared a few times in my sketches. He is my 17-year-old tall and skinny son who traveled with me to Hong Kong from 10 to 14 Nov 2012. This is Lee Lip Jiang in the boarding lounge at Changi Airport doing what most teenagers do, looking, playing, typing, listening to his iPhone all the time.

You can see the details of the long sketchbook on my flickr.

Giveaway Contest for Stirling Rd Sketchwalk

Criteria:

• You must be attending to be eligible for this giveaway. I'll announce the winners during the sketchwalk.
• Just post a comment on which prize you want to win. You can choose all, but you can only win one.
• Only comments here count.
• If you've won a prize within the last six months, then I'll skip over your name.

1. Hokusai Sketchbook
A4 size. Thick watercolour cold press paper.

2. Drawing and Sketching Secrets
Review: www.parkablogs.com/content/book-review-drawing-and-sketching-secrets-200-tips-and-techniques-drawing-easy-way


3. Dr Martin's Black Star Waterproof India Ink
2 bottles.
Review: www.parkablogs.com/content/review-dr-martins-black-star-waterproof-india-ink


4. Malinky Robot Limited Edition Box Set
Comics and goodies created by Sonny Liew.

NOVEMBER OFFICIAL SKETCHWALK

This saturday's sketchwalk will be around Stirling Road. We will meet at Blk 49 Stirling Rd at a small Nasi Padang coffeeshop at 930am. (Food there is not bad. But their breakfast mee goreng is so-so only. So order other things if you want to eat there.) This is the picture of where we will meet.

From there we will spread out in any direction we like, free and easy. There is a lot of variation here. That's why we picked this place. Old HDB flats and one story houses/flat(?) lay side by side around this area. Lots of high and low structures. There is the Queenstown swimming complex just a little up the road. Further up the road is Mei Ling hawker centre. And if you like to revisit the demolished and revamped Queenstown area just cross Commonwealth Ave and you will see a giant field where Blk 38 is still standing. Oh and the Queenstown library is still there along Margaret Drive. Probably the oldest library in singapore now. It's a simple but interesting area to draw. Talk a walk, relax and sketch. Then meet again at 1230pm on the left side of block 49 Stirling Rd (shown above). There is an open area beside the block for show and tell.

CAUTION: Stirling Rd is small but it is a TWO way road. So please look both ways when you cross!

Here is the link for the map on google maps. Click HERE.

The closest MRT is Queenstown MRT. Or else, just find a bus that goes along Commonwealth Ave.
Call me, Andrew 91070735 if you can't find your way.
See you there!

November sketches

At a secret comic group gathering. Parallel pen with Private Reserve Ebony blue ink+ photoshop

Dinner with the comic guys.  Seiji drew the pic below. Kuretake writer pen + photoshop.

Ballpoint + Kuretake brush pen, Rotring + watercolour

Scenes around Stirling Rd while I waited for Von. Rotring technical pen + photoshop.

Scene from the grass patch on top of ADM during a mini-sketchwalk with students. Home-made cane pen + wash.

Drew this while waiting for Von. People at the supermarket checkout at NTUC Holland Drive.

Parallel pen with a mix of red and black ink + photoshop.

The Sushi/soba counter within the supermarket at Takashimaya. I think too many people have found out about this place. It used to be one of my secret eating places. Parallel pen (with Ebony blue ink) + photoshop.

Breakfast at Holland drive hawker centre. Watercolour on paper.

Ballpoint, watercolour on paper.

Holland Village Sketchwalk (16 Nov 2012)

Hero pen, ink and Graphitone

The last sketchwalk at Holland Village was in May 2011. It seemed so long ago.


Tia and Paul's students.


The guy was sleeping.


It's not easy to draw walking people. I can only finish drawing their head. Even so, it's not very accurate.

Drawing people with Muji fountain pen and colored pencils

@ Epilogue

Drawing people is always my preoccupation when I am sketching outdoors. Cafe would be the best place to capture people reading, eating, drinking and talking. Next would be bus stops or on buses or the trains. I have also noticed more sketchers taking an interest in drawing people too. This is a good sign, as people make up the majority of an urban setting. In landscape drawings, we do sometime add people for size comparison or to scale things up. We could also use people to suggest depth and distance too. In this drawing, I used people as an element in my page design. The thin nib of the Muji fountain pen allows me to add more details of what they wear as textures. The most difficult part in drawing people is getting the proportions right. Other aspects would be the posture or the pose, and lastly the expressions. There is much to learn regarding drawing people. To me it has been a long winding road, but I enjoy it and love it as a challenge. I hope you do too.

Mama shop

"Mama shop" -it's a typical provision/snacks/toys shop in Singapore. They are usually found at the void decks of the housing estate. Everything is random in the little shop and it's the randomness of it that makes it
uniquely Singapore . Done with brush pen

Scenes, Seen exhibition

For those who missed the Scenes, Seen exhibition held at Galeri Utama.




And more photos:
www.flickr.com/photos/teohyc/sets/72157631856275633/detail/

Kampong Glam (10 Nov 2012)

And more photos:
flickr.com/photos/teohyc/sets/72157631972236535/detail/