Quantcast
Channel: Urban Sketchers Singapore
Viewing all 396 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

FEBRUARY 2015 SKETCHWALK

February 26, 2015, 1:52 am
$
0
0

Our sketchwalk this saturday will start from the new Paya Lebar Square mall. At 9AM, please meet outside Ya Kun Kaya Toast on the outside of the mall. It's just beside Paya Lebar MRT Station). After a short briefing, you are free to explore the area in any direction.

Look at the map and you will be able to find two old malls and also the new OneKM mall. The old malls have this very old atmosphere inside. It's like stepping into the past. You can also relax at a cafe and draw if you are at one of the 2 new malls. The industrial buildings are on the other end. Please watch out for big vehicles when sketching there. Closer to Aljunied MRT station are two big temples which some of you might find interesting. One is very ornate. The Geylang East Library is a quiet pleasant library just beside the MRT tracks. And not far from there is the famous Geylang area where if you like drawing shop houses, it's all there. 

At 12PM, we will gather outside Aljunied MRT station below the tracks (facing the library). There, we shall do the show and tell.

For lunch, I recommend a Penang restaurant located at one of the shophouses just outside Aljunied MRT station. Try the Penang Char Kway Teow ($5) or Assam Laksa. Their other dishes are good too. The indian food next door is also decent.



Lucky draw

Join the lucky draw by clicking the picture below sponsored by Parkablogs.com

↧
Search

Ann Shiang Hill , Singapore

March 12, 2015, 11:11 pm
$
0
0



Ann Siang Road, in Chinatown, begins from a road known as Ann Siang Hill and ends near the Ann Siang Building and the historical site of Anglo-Chinese School. Named after Chia Ann Siang (1832 - 1892) who was a businessman, both the roads are situated atop a hill known as Ann Siang Hill and lie within the Central Business District. 

HistoryAnn Siang Hill was originally known as Scott's Hill and was owned by Charles Scott who cultivated a nutmeg and cloves estate on it. He sold it to John Gemmil who re-christened the place as Gemmil's Hill. The hill's name was changed again when it came to be owned by Chia Ann Siang, around the turn of the 20th century and the hill was renamed as Ann Siang Hill. A Cantonese burial ground, one of the oldest Chinese burial grounds in Singapore, used to be located at the foot of this hill where it met Mount Erskine and was in use until 1867. This graveyard was exhumed in 1907 and a portion of it was developed as a part of the Telok Ayer reclamation project. In the 1890s, when this hill was known as Gemmil Hill, a Malay college and high school was moved to this place from Telok Blangah to provide education to the son of the Temenggong of Johor and other young tungkus and ungkus. Apparently Ann Siang Hill and Ann Siang Road, being situated atop a hill, did not probably share the camaraderie of the 19th century Chinatown with its hustle and bustle and was a rather quiet, predominantly residential, place. The roads, presently, are under the Chinatown conservation area.

Description
Both Ann Siang Road and Ann Siang Hill are today still lined with quaint old restored shophouses and richly decorated terrace houses. Most of these buildings were constructed between 1903 and 1941 and are today home to offices and enterprises. The layout of the streets are informal. Eating places, commercial units, trendy bars, restaurants and eating places on the streets have made the roads popular upmarket places. Efforts are being done by the Singapore Tourism Board to boost tourism and bring business to leisure pursuits such as the bars and eating places located here. The Damenlou Hotel, a small hotel opened in the 1994, is located at the junction of Ann Siang Road and Ann Siang Hill. Ann Siang Hill Park in the vicinity of the road, constructed in early 1980s, was renovated in 2003. The first Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore is located in the vicinity of Ann Siang Road at number 70, Amoy Street. Started by Methodist missionaries on 1 March, 1886, it is now called ACS House and has been gazetted as a historic site since the late 1990s. Another historic site, the original building of the Pondok Peranakan Gelam Club or Pondok Gelam, is located at Club Street near Ann Siang Hill. Home to a Bawean-Malay community from 1932 to 2000, this last pondok building in Singapore was declared a historic site in 2000.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja




↧
↧

Hanoi Vietnam travelogue sketchbook (Mar 2015)

March 15, 2015, 12:29 am
$
0
0
Here's my travelogue sketchbook of Hanoi, Vietnam. I spent one week there walking around, sketching. It was fun.




Apparently the best time to travel to Hanoi, as I'm told by a hotel manager, is in October. It was drizzling for a few days and their drizzle is really fine mist-type drizzle. It's quite humid also. All the lines were drawn on location, and a handful were coloured back at the hotel with the help of the convenient hair-dryer.

Hanoi is really quite an interesting city. It's a bit disorderly but it has its charm. Hotels are surprisingly nice even though you won't be able to tell by the clutter of the streets.

I'll be making an ebook of my sketches with travel and drawing tips which should be out in May. But first, you can preview the pages above. I managed to use 57 out of the 60-page sketchbook I brought.


- Parka
↧

Sketches from my Hanoi Vietnam trip (Mar 2015)

March 18, 2015, 8:13 pm
↧

Registration is now OPEN!

March 24, 2015, 6:03 am
↧
↧

MARCH SKETCHWALK- PADANG/ESPLANADE

March 26, 2015, 8:06 am
$
0
0
Sketch by Tia

For this month's sketchwalk, we want to celebrate Mr Lee Kuan Yew's life and what he's done for Singapore. So we will be sketching around the Padang and Esplanade on Saturday. From this area, you will be able to get a good view of the Singapore skyline and Marina Bay. There will be much to explore, draw and reflect on around the area. The nearest train station is City Hall Mrt Station - a short walk over. (10mins)

Meet: 9AM at the Cenotaph (war memorial monument) just next to the Padang. See map below. After a short briefing, we will spread out and explore/sketch the area. Plan your route so that you eventually arrive at the Esplanade with time to spare.

Endpoint: 12PM at the waterfront outside the Esplanade. We will do our show and tell there.

Might get hot. So bring a hat. If not, there will be trees for shade.

See you there!

Taken from Google Maps.


Lucky draw

Join the lucky draw by clicking the picture below sponsored by Parkablogs.com

↧

Drawing small in The Perfect Sketchbook

April 17, 2015, 7:48 am
$
0
0
Below are some sketches I drew in The Perfect Sketchbook, a small 3.5 by 5 inch sketchbook that was made possible by a successful Kickstarter campaign. Unfortunately, the sketchbook is not sold commercially and is available only to those who backed the project.

Anyway, this post is about drawing small. This is the smallest sketchbook I've drawn on. I like detail work and I imagined this sketchbook would be extremely challenging to work on. It's challenging sure, but it's a different sort of challenge.

Drawing on a small sketchbook requires some different skills than drawing on a larger sketchbook. The most important of course is to be able to simplify your art. That would be making important subjects more prominent, not sweating the small details.

Sometimes it's fun to break out of your comfort zone to grab a different material to work with, in this case for me a sketchbook size that I don't usually work with.


Drawn at Changi Airport


A talk inside a bookstore


Singapore skyline from the Esplanade waterfront.


Student hostel at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.


Singapore Art Museum

- Parka
↧

SKETCHWALK APRIL 2015

April 23, 2015, 2:29 am
$
0
0
Sketch By Milo Sudaria

For this month's sketchwalk, we are once again returning to one of the biggest and oldest neighbourhoods in Singapore- Toa Payoh. The last time we sketched there officially, it was before Epigram's first Neighbourhood book was published. Since then, the group has grown even more. Plus the place is just too big to experience it all in one sketchwalk.

We have two start points for you this time. So pick one that is most convenient for you.
Start point A 9AM: MacDonald's closest to Braddell MRT Station
Start point B 9AM: MacDonald's closest to Toa Payoh MRT Station

As always, sketch is free and easy. Go solo or explore the area with your friends. There are many interesting things to sketch if you poke around this neighbourhood. You may also need to do some research before you go because it is a big area. This and this may help.
But pace yourself so that you can return to the end point on time.

End point 12PM: Meet outside the Creamier ice cream shop at 128 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.
Will will have our show and tell there. And we will announce something special there.

If you come late, just start sketching and meet us at the end point. We will be everywhere once the sketchwalk starts. No need to sign up. No fees. Just show up. Anybody and everybody is welcome.

Only one note of caution: By no means sketch any police stations or compounds around the area. (You all know what happened last time!)



Lucky draw

Join the lucky draw by clicking the picture below sponsored by Parkablogs.com

↧
Search

Sketches from the Toa Payoh Sketchwalk

April 25, 2015, 10:08 pm
$
0
0
When you draw from a view that people don't normally see, such as from high up a building or from the ant's eye view, it has a good chance of being interesting.


Here's a sketch from the HDB flat. It's a quick sketch. The composition wasn't planned properly so there's a lot of white space by the right. *laughs*


This was drawn at the market below.

After the sketchwalk, I went to Tiong Bahru to continue sketching.


This one was drawn slowly. I tried to keep the watercolour within the lines.


This one was drawn very quickly. Just quick experimentation with colours.

I'm currently using QoR watercolours. Trying to finish using them up before going back to Daniel Smith and Winsor & Newton.

- Parka
↧
↧

Submissions for upcoming exhibition at Creamier is now open!

April 27, 2015, 10:45 pm
$
0
0

As announced at the end of the Toa Payoh sketchwalk, Creamier wants to team up with us to hold an exhibition on Toa Payoh in their store. This will be the first print exhibition for USK-SG, meaning that it does not involve original pieces. All art will resized, framed and be exhibited as prints (like posters). The exhibition will focus on Toa Payoh only. This exhibition will last 1.5years with a rotation of artworks every six months (because it is a small shop). This will be launched tentatively in September 2015. These framed prints will be for sale to the public. If sold, the artist will get the full proceeds. If it does not get sold, the artist will keep the print including the picture frame. It being a very small exhibition, Creamier will carefully curate the pieces and only the most suitable few will be selected. But submit anyways! They are open to a wide range of styles and you don't necessarily need to draw like Tia or Don Low to get selected:)

If you are keen to take part , please follow the guidelines to submit before end May 2015.

1. Make sure that your sketch is a location in Toa Payoh.

2. Scan in colour. Make sure your art work is 600dpi (This is to they can enlarge it)
If you need help with scanning, you can contact https://trinedesign.wordpress.com/contact/

3. State your name.

4. Add a short description of your sketch eg. hawker centre at blk XX To Payoh Lor X.

3. Email it to creamiersg@gmail.com

That's all! Creamier does the rest!
↧

Bandung Sketchwalk #25 video

May 5, 2015, 5:52 am
$
0
0
Check out the video I made while at the Bandung Sketchwalk #25, the international edition with friends and fellow sketchers from other countries.

Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia and the country's third largest city by population.

↧

A Drawing Journal to Search My Root

May 5, 2015, 8:02 pm
↧

Book Launch for "Urban Sketchers Singapore: Volume Two"

May 16, 2015, 11:28 pm
$
0
0

Thanks Parka for the video. Our second book "Urban Sketchers Singapore: Volume Two" was launched on Saturday, 16 May 2015 at National Library Board. Free copies were given out to the public who registered for the event. For readers who are interested to get a copy, you can like our book page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/usksgvolumes to find out more.
↧
↧

We Draw Singapore Together: Exhibition and Workshops

May 19, 2015, 3:30 am
$
0
0
We Draw Singapore Together is a collaboration for SG50 between Urban Sketchers Singapore and Temasek Polytechnic.  

SOFT LAUNCH 
20 May 2015, 7 pm
This will be a small affair for the exhibiting artists and closest supporters. Light refreshments will be served.

EXHIBITION 
Runs from 21 May till 12 August 2015.
Opening hours: Mon to Fri, 8.30am to 6pm.

OFFICIAL OPENING
24 June 2015, 7 pm
This will be graced by a Guest-of-Honour, and you can also join the event on Facebook.

WORKSHOPS
30 & 31 May 2015
Places are still available for this workshops, so do spread the word to anyone you believe will be interested.
You can register here and follow the programme on Facebook.

ABOUT
Singapore, a city rivalled by few and marvelled by many, was oft-seen as an ultra-modern metropolitan with beautiful skyline, slick urban architecture amidst lush greeneries, a bustling node with modern menus, swanky rooftop-bars, catwalk couture and anything contemporary. It is almost too easy to overlook the layers beyond the glossy façade. However, beyond these new thrills is a place with history and depth, contrast and unity, contradiction and reconciliation.

As urban sketchers, we seek to illustrate the dynamic city state that presents a smorgasbord of inspiration, both old and new, east and west, simple and sophisticated, nostalgic and visionary. From the smoky temples and heritage buildings in the shadows of skyscrapers to art-deco buildings amongst high-rise public housing in Tiong Bahru to a harmonious blend of cultures in Little India, Kampong Glam, Chinatown, see Singapore unfold through the artists’ lenses, showing the world every corner of Singapore, one sketch at a time.

We draw Singapore together. Join us in this journey.

Featuring artists:
Alice Lim
Ang Qing Sheng
Chanel Hu
Chia Kwek Fah
David Liew
Eve Tan
Erwin Lian
Fish Wu
Francis Theo
Ignatius Yeo
Jace Lee
Jenny Sim
Ken Lee
Kevin Tan Ngee Chye
Lim Han Seng
Lisa Huang Li Shan
Ng Heng Leng
Ong Whee Teck
Pacholo Estremos
Patrick Ng
Paul Wang
Phyllis Chong
Rafidah M D
Raul M. Saria
Sathyapriya Subramaniam
Somali Roy
Tia Boon Sim
Tan Hock Choon
Tony Chua
William Sim
Wong Si-Y
↧

May Sketchwalk

May 26, 2015, 3:48 am
$
0
0



This month, we explore the vibrantly restored neighbourhood of Ann Siang Hill and Club Street in Chinatown. Please note that this session will be in the afternoon, after lunch.

Hong Ban Pang will lead the sketchwalk of the area, assisted by Chris Ng and Andrew Yeo. Ban Pang can be reached at +65 9385 8391 on the day. 
*please refrain from overwhelming the sketch leaders with queries before properly reading up on all information

We will start and end the afternoon at The URA Centre, with the sketching area just a quick climb up the slope behind. 

You can fuel up at Maxwell Food Centre, or any of the cafes and restaurants along the two streets.

See you there!

Lucky draw

Join the lucky draw by clicking the picture below sponsored by Parkablogs.com

↧
Search

Back from Hong Kong

June 11, 2015, 7:45 am
$
0
0
I just came back from Hong Kong a few days ago with a bunch of sketches.

It was my second time in Hong Kong. I had visited Hong Kong back in 2008 before my sketching days and I realised I wasn't able to remember much about the trip.

This time round, I had a more memorable trip because I sketched all the places I went to.


That's pretty much the default view of Hong Kong from most places unless you're looking towards Hong Kong Island where the well known cityscape is (below). Most of the buildings are so tall, including the residential ones, that you would have to strain your neck to look at the sky, that's unless you're looking down the street.

Once I step out onto the walkway from my hotel, I could see crowds of people everywhere. Even on a weekend when offices are closed, the streets would still be packed. Amazing. I can imagine how stressful it is to live here.


Most of my sketches were drawn in black and white since I wanted to spend more time drawing rather than colouring. The rest of the uncoloured ones will be coloured in the coming days and weeks.


That's the Big Buddha at Lantau Island. You can only see it by buying the cable car tickets to Ngong Ping Village. It's huge and is located at the end of a long flight of stairs.


The train frequency for Hong Kong's MTR subway is very high. There was once I alighted from a train, and before I could even reach the escalator (because of the crowd), the next train on the same line had arrived.


I also made a short trip to Macau and what you see above is its most famous Ruins of St Paul's. Macau is a really interested place. There are all these high rise residential buildings and office, the many flashy casinos and then there are the many beautiful European architecture style buildings mixed here and there. I wish I could spend weeks to discover all the secret places and interesting alleys. It's definitely a place you must visit if you happen to be in Hong Kong. The ferry ride to Macau is affordable and can be bought at Shun Tak Centre even at last minute.

There are more sketches and you can check them out at
plus.google.com/u/0/photos/100172823094488894720/albums/6153459202831386321



- Parka
↧

JUNE 2015 SKETCH WALK

June 26, 2015, 12:02 am
$
0
0
Sketch by Paul Wang


For this month's sketch walk, we will be drawing Bukit Pasoh. 
To get there, take an MRT to Outram Park MRT station. Come out aboveground using exit H. That will be the start point (circled in red). We will gather there for a quick briefing at 9AM and then you can explore Bukit Pasoh and the surrounding areas, free and easy. 

If you venture behind the shophouses, you might find Duxton Plain Park to be quite pleasant. If you go up Bukit Pasoh and diagonally cross the road junction, you will find the Everton area which has nice coffee joints. Then, there is also Keong Saik Road with its eateries, cafes, and interesting back alleyways. It might get hot by 10am so bring a cap or find shade under the shophouses there. 

At 12pm, the end point will be Duxton Plain Park, under some shade. Look for the group there.
See you there and have fun!





↧
↧

All the Hong Kong sketches coloured

July 5, 2015, 3:04 am
$
0
0
After three weeks, I've finally completed colouring all the sketches I drew in Hong Kong and Macau. There are a few still in black and white because I had forgotten to take reference photo for them.

I like Macau more than Hong Kong because the wider range of architectural styles. In Hong Kong, it's mostly high-rise residential or commercial buildings. In Macau, you have those, but you also have the flashy casinos and the European style buildings from the Portuguese colonial period.

Hong Kong is quite impressive though. You can look at Hong Kong Island's skyline from Tsim Sha Tsui and not be able to see any gaps in between the buildings. Cost of living there must be high. Yet when I look at those Cost of Living charters, I see that Singapore is higher than Hong Kong. However, I can't find a place in Hong Kong that sells a bowl of noodles cheaper than I can easily find in Singapore. That's weird.

Below are selected sketches from the 97 I drew.


Big Buddha at Ngong Ping Village.


Ocean Park


Macau General Post Office


Ruins of St Pauls


Statue at a small garden beside Ruins of St Pauls


Prosperity tree at Wynn


View from The Peak


People are still protesting


You can see all of them on my blog and the original black and white sketches on my Google+ page.

- Parka
↧

Symposium 2015 Day Minus 5

July 17, 2015, 10:40 am
$
0
0
Hi, Parka here. I'm one of the correspondents who will be providing updates and news on what's going to happen here in Singapore during the sixth edition of the Urban Sketchers Symposium.

The event is five days away and there are already early birds who have flown here. Today I went out with Liz Steel, Marc Taro Holmes, Omar, Paul Wang and Isaac Liang. Liz and Marc are both teaching a course each next week.

We sketched around Peranakan Museum which is going to be one of the venues for the activities and workshop.

Here's a video (4K) of what we did today.




It was great catching up with friends.

- Parka
↧

Urban Sketchers Symposium 2015 Day Minus 4

July 18, 2015, 3:59 pm
$
0
0
It's four more days before the Urban Sketchers Symposium. Shari Blaukopf has arrived.

Today we went to Chinatown for sketching. Chinatown is not one of the locations for the symposium workshops but it's definitely on the must-sketch list if you're in Singapore. Here you can see the early shophouses that have been restored, and one of the oldest temples in Singapore, the Sri Mariammann Temple, the new Buddha Tooth Relic Temple that was built a few years ago, and the Mosque Masjid Jamae. That's three different places of worship just along a short stretch of street at South Bridge Road.

Below are some sketches.

That's Pagoda Street. It's probably the busiest street in Chinatown.


This was what happening in the morning. We have Shari, Liz Steel and Marc Taro Holmes at the bottom left sketching the shophouses, and talking to people passing by who were too curious and got closer to check out their work.


These are the shophouses. I drew these sketches using the Wacom Bamboo Paper on the iPad.


That's the Sri Mariamman Temple.

Here's the video I made today:


- Parka
↧
Viewing all 396 articles
Browse latest View live
Search