First of all, I have to congratulate myself for plucking up the courage to submit 2 paintings for the Singapore Watercolour Society's 47th Annual Exhibition. This time held at Ngee Ann Cultural Center located along Tank Road. The exhibition would end soon on 21 Sep (Wed). The paintings I submitted were 2 pieces I did in 2015 on arches papers, both measuring 22" X 15" (half sheets watercolour paper). They were not entirely plein air but derivations or repainted from on-location paintings I did. I went for the opening of the show but did not stay long because I have to go for another party but I managed to catch some friends and took pics with them.

Kwan (below) who is also a very prolific artist himself came for the show and he was at least 2 hours early. He is drawing and painting in both traditional and digital mediums. It has been very inspiring to see his works on his website and Facebook posts. I enjoyed looking at how he painted portraits digitally, especially when he was able to capture the likeness very well. I wish I could have half his skills.

This year, SWS showcased many good works, most of them in the watercolour medium. The standard of the paintings is pretty high and many artists have been experimenting with different approaches, techniques and compositions. It was really a treat to be able to see so many great pieces from so many talented artists. I am truly proud to be part of this exhibition and local group too.

Recently I have been drawing on my iPhone 5+ with my index finger on my favourite app, Procreate, which offers good sensitivity and response between the user and the interface. On the iPhone, Procreate is also known as Procreate Pocket, a version with fewer bells and whistles, but enough functions to draw and paint, and is easy to pick up. At first I wasn't sure how to export the images into JPEGs but after a few trials and errors, I finally got the process. Other than that I wish my iPhone 5+ has Pressure Sensitivity like my iPad Pro. Here are 2 most recent drawings I did on Procreate Pocket.


I am pretty please with the result for this one. The drawing was easy but I spent a bit more time managing the tonal values, and the tonal patterns and contrast between the figures.

The one on the left was done while I was waiting for my wife to knock off work. I did the drawing in the comfort of the car and I was looking at 2 men talking beside a parked car in front of mine.

I like the way they stand, resting their weight on one leg in a very relaxed manner, but with arms either folded or akimbo. It seems to me the men though were seen laughing and enjoying the conversation with each other, are trying to show down each other in the way they stand. Body language is always a good way to understand human relationships. I have never failed to find men seeing each other as competitors. We compete in anything, from jobs to salary; the size of their cars to the size of their houses. If the competitions go awry, disastrous consequences may happen.

Of course I have not abandoned my iPad Pro entirely, though nowadays I left it in the car most of the time just to lighten up the weight of my shoulder bag. I tried out more brush tools in Procreate and combined them to see the results, eventually isolating a few more favourite brush tools that I keep in the fav folder for quick retrieval.


Below are some of the urban sketches I did on and off throughout the week and last week. Not a lot these days because I have been spending more time preparing classes or just watching people.

Starting from the most recent:

Plein air at Md Sultan Road

Acrylics markers on mounted canvas

National Library at Bras Basah

Chinatown Food Market at Smith Street

Having coffee with friends at Star Vista PAC

My sketching tools

Sketching with a brush pen with brown ink (Hock Choo kopitiam)

That's all folks.

[Throwback] Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, and was founded by Naraina Pillai in 1823 after the site along South Bridge Road was granted to him for the purpose of erecting a Hindu temple. The present 6 tiered gopuram was built in 1925.

"Built in the South Indian Dravidian style, this temple features a gopuram that rises above the main entrance along South Bridge Road. It is richly embellished with six tiers of sculptures of Hindu deities, other figures and ornamental decorations. The tower tapers up towards to a moulded ornamental ridge. The scale of each tier and its sculptures is slightly smaller than that of the tier immediately below it. This helps to create the illusion of height and adds to the symbolic importance of the building. Flanking the gopuram are a sculpture of Murugan on the right and Krishna on the left (as one enters). The sculptures are all of plaster, which allows for fine detailing. They are painted in a variety of bright colours, which adds to the visually spectacular quality of the gopuram." (wikipedia)

This sketch or drawing of the temple's facade was done in 2011, on a "Nude" journal book that I found and bought off the shelf of a stationery shop. The book was hand sewn and was made in Thailand and imported to Singapore (which later I found out). It was a small book measuring about 14.5cm X 14.5cm. The square format of the book opens nicely into a long landscape that I used for this perspective of the temple. I am always very impressed by the intricacies of the embellishments and the variety of sculptures on the temple facade. Armed with a Hero fountain pen, I decided to draw as much detail as possible to capture my fascination for the building's architecture and design.



There wasn't much space to sit and draw at the location, so I have to stand and I stood for about 40 minutes to complete the spread. I was pretty satisfied with the result. This piece was later sold to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I believe it is somewhere in a part of the world right now hanging proudly on the wall of an embassy. :D

Ellison Building is a heritage site that has been gazetted by URA as a conservation structure and has been so for many years, until news broke that 3 units of it will be torn down for the North-South Corridor tunnelling works. LTA said that the affected units will be reconstructed and reinstated once construction of the tunnel is completed in 2026, 10 years from now. The Singapore Heritage Society reported that it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision made. According to Straits Times, "the society said reconstruction typically results in simplification of a structure's original architectural features. It wants other options explored, and called for heritage impact assessments to be carried out, for this report to be made public and for consultation." (http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tunnel-works-to-affect-heritage-building).
What I wrote about the building in a post on Urbansketchers.org -
Selegie Road, Ellison Building - built in 1924 - characterized by its curved facade and a pair of cupolas, one on each end.

From the URA website- "Of historical note is its central pediment which carries the name of the original Jewish owner, a Star of David and its year of construction. It stands out as a local landmark and as a piece of historical evidence of Singapore's pre-WW2 Jewish urban community in the Mt Sophia/Selegie area."

2011 Sketchcrawl

2011 Sketchcrawl -2