something different

click to enlarge.

On something else not location drawing. This was done many years ago. I did many of these in the past.

club street, Singapore

BBC office, club street, SIngapore, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

club street, Singapore, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

I like to share these two drawings done on two separate sunny Saturday mornings here to cheer our urban sketchers who are experiencing the icy-cold weather at this time of the year. These are urban drawings from Club Street, Singapore. Club Street is a street that is lined with a row of local styled building called 'Shophouse'. In the past, people stayed upstairs with their shops on the ground floor. Now the street is rejuvenated with coporate offices, showrooms, pubs and shops. BBC - top drawing; had their local office at Club Street.

Also blog at urbanskechers

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

Last year my family were holidaying in Israel during the year-end vacation but this year we are not going anywhere because my elder son is busy working in Hong Kong. Two years ago we were spending our Christmas in Hong Kong and I did a sketch at the Disneyland outside Tomorrow Land. I remember the weather was quite cold when I sketched while my husband and our three children were having a really good time with the rides inside this interesting structure. I am thinking if this sketch was done in 2005 Christmas trip, what happen to year 2006? Did we go anywhere? I guess the answer can be found in one of my travel sketchbooks.

Also blog at urbanskechers

Bali trip after tsunami

click for larger image

On this boxing day; also 4 years after the terrible tsunami swept across Nias island and Aceh province of Indonesia on this day, I will like to post this quick drawing I did for the bali trip to remind us how beautiful Indonesia is. In a time when all we can see around us are more bad than good news, here is my personal wish for peace to a new 2009.

Also blog at urbanskechers

quotes

"I prefer drawing to talking. Drawing is faster, and leaves less room for lies."
Le Corbusier

"If people knew how hard I have had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem wonderful at all." Michelangelo

"From the time I was six, I was in the habit of sketching things I saw around me, and around the age of fifty, I began to work in earnest, producing numerous designs. It was not until after my seventieth year, however, that I produced anything of significance. At the age of seventy-three, I began to grasp the underlying structure of birds and animals, insects and fish, and the way trees and plants grow. Thus, if I keep up my efforts, I will have an even better understanding when I am eighty, and by ninety will have penetrated to the heart of things. At one hundred, I may reach a level of divine understanding, and if I live a decade beyond that, everything I paint-every dot and line-will be alive. I ask the god of longevity to grant me a life long enough to prove this true." Hokusai, postscript to One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji [translated by Carol Morland]

"I'm glad I haven't found my style yet. I'd be bored to death." Degas

x'mas bears

x'mas bears, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

Yesterday, I bought two small Sasha bears as x'mas presents for my teenage children. Sasha is Singapore's first teddy bear boutique and I like their tag line - "we all need a hug sometimes". Here are Spencer and Zora, the x'mas bears wishing all a Merry X'mas and a Happy New Year.

Also blog at urbanskechers

at a seminar

at a seminar, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

I want to post this drawing because I met the same lady in another forumn I attended in Nov 2008. This drawing was done in July 2008 during a small seminar with participants from different countries of the world. The lady who is holding the microphone is a translator for the Japanese speaker next to her. When I did this sketch, I was sitting behind my architect friend Kenta kishi whom I had not met for almost 10 years!

also blog at urbansketchers

last year this day

Israel01, originally uploaded by tiastudio.

How do you sketch when you are on a guided tour?

The answer is you have to stand behind the group and be super quick! This was the quick sketch I did last year this day for a family trip to Israel. The itinerary was quite packed but I still managed to do 4 sketches.

The view was just breathtaking from the Jewish Cemetary, Mt Olives. I could not resist the urge to sketch but I did not bring my sketchbook on that day. So, I did this at the back of the A5 size tour booklet. I invited Arieh, the tour leader to sign at the bottom of the sketch since he had been such a wonderful guide for the trip.

To see other 3 sketches, start here.
Also blog at urbanskechers

old coffee shop

Drawing from office desk is a great idea from Urban Sketchers. However I am on year-end vacation so I will contribute a drawing I did during my lunch hour in the downtown area. I was having my very late lunch at an old coffee shop where my family frequented since I was a little girl. The only new fixture added to the coffee shop now is the air-condition. The same old man still sits at the counter collecting money with the same attitude - indifferent, quiet and expressionless!

I had a plate of chicken rice which is voted as our national dish also available in many eateries. I also love their milk tea. I was the only customer in the shop at about 3.30pm when I finished sketching. the old man's face was still blank as I settled the bill and showed him this drawing. Oh boy, I need to work harder to get him to at least smile, talk or say something. Sigh!

my neighbourhood - the other two drawings

I needed a coffee after finishing my first drawing as shown in my last post! I walked across the road and met two friends outside a well-known coffee chain. We talked for about half an hour filling up all the gaps since we last met. I ordered a long black after they left and started reading for a while before I decided to do my second drawing. If you are interested in the name of the coffee chain and the book that I was reading you can click the left drawing and find the answers.

I got carried away for using two pages as a sketch. The third one was done at the place where I live. I stay on the fourth storey unit of the building on the left. I don't normally have the luxury of enjoying the afternoon like this so thanks to the December vacation! So much for a visual diary on a lazy Tuesday afternoon!

Also blog at urbanskechers

my neighbourhood

Today I was taking a break from my office routine and I decided to explore my neighbourhood in the Siglap area. This was the first time I tried drawing across two pages after seeing what the other urban sketchers did to their sketchbooks. It was quite addictive that I did two more after this first drawing outside a row of shops.

Also blog at urbanskechers

back lane

It was a quiet Saturday morning and there were hardly any cars and people in the area. I was attracted by this back lane scene when I found tree growing on the dilapidated wall. The tree on the wall is now removed and the wall repaired and repainted by the new tenant.

Also blog at urbanskechers

Dragon Kiln

This is the very first set of drawings I sent to Urban Sketcher flickr group. It is also timely for me to do this post before our group exhibition 'flashpoint#01' on Sunday, 14 Dec. The 64-year-old Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln is one of the two surviving dragon kilns in Singapore. Much of the knowledge about our local traditional wood-firing has been lost with the decline of Singapore's pottery industry in the early 1980s. The wood firing was first revived by a group of clay artists in 2001 and I joined the group for the third firing in 2003. I spent many hours at the place playing with the clay and one day, I decided to draw trying to capture the rustic charm of the place. These drawings show the exterior views before and after renovation to the place. The kicking wheel in one of the drawings is probably the only one you can find locally and the entrance to the dragon kiln is shown in another drawing. To know more about the dragon kiln, click thow kwang clay artists

Balmoral Park

Those days in 1980s, we could get big job by showing our great ideas like this on butter paper mounted on boards. In just one week, I designed and did the visuals on butter paper with a lot of interesting interior spaces. I cannot find the big interiors drawings and this exterior view was found on my pc:

sketch on serviette

This was done on the serviette in a restaurant with my favourite lamy fountain pen. Love the flow of the ink very much and will like to do more. I gave this to my niece -the girl in the picture and hope it would motivate her to draw more. She likes to draw and paint too.

Boat Quay at Singapore River

This watercolor measuring 60x35cm was done on location before Boat Quay was rejuvenated. These bumboats have since disappeared and the buildings housed many pubs, cafe and restaurants. Boat Quay is now a happening place and you can take a a ride down Singapore River in one of these water taxis converted from the traditional bumboats.

Modern skyscrapers form the backdrop for the row of refurbished shophouses at Boat Quay along Singapore River. I love to stroll along this historical quay which is now a popular afresco dining place for the office executives working in the skyscrapers as well as the locals and the tourists.

This is also a A2 size drawing of boat quay. Can't find the original. My location sketches are normally A3 or smaller. This is a rare A2 drawing. I remember I did it as a demonstration to a group of first year design students. Well, it is time to organize my thoughts and things.

Also blog at urbanskechers

Pangkok Island, Malaysia

I found this drawing on the corner of the wall at my parents' house. We visited Pangkok Island after staying in Lumut, Malaysia for a few days. Pangkok Island is a vibrant local fishing village. Love the people and the energy of this small town. This drawing also reminds me that I need to better organise and start clearing my drawing chest.

A Window

On a saturday morning, I couldn't resist the beautical shadow as part of the visual composition for this piece at 82 Club Street, Singapore. I was sitting under the hot sun without a hat so I had to be quick to capture the moment as the the shadow would move away very soon in our tropical climate.

60 Club Street_photo

60 Club Street_photo
Originally uploaded by tiastudio

This is the subject of my drawing in the earlier post. It is not a typical shophouse with art-deco style built in 1953. It must be built much later than other shophouses along the same street. One of my favourite usual morning coffee places until they decided to open later around 12 noon. I like to sit at the table with the coffee at the five-foot way and sketch and watch the world go by.

Club Street

On day in April this year, I was at club street finising up my drawing. The week before I started the drawing with bright sunrays showering at the building and I was so glad I thought I could include the sharp shadows as part of the composition to give the drawing the 'soul'. However, 15 minutes into the act, the raindrops fell on my sketchbook causing the page to warp and I had no choice but to stop. I went back a week later to the same spot to continue but there was no sun! No sun no shadow so I had to change the mood of the drawing. Clement from Eden Cafe came to sit with me for a while and we chat. He was going to open his second outlet at Rochester Park! 'So when are you going to have exhibiton at my cafe?' he asked. We talked about the neighbourhood, about the people, who's in who's out. We people watched together;made comments about the delivery trucks and laughed at funny sight. As I was drawing after he left me, an American tourist came and we chat. He said "this area is so well developed with the new and the old blended together, better than what Hong Kong has done". And he went on "Is this your hobby?" I replied "It is more than a hobby for me." Now, I am pleased to show you the drawing I did on 19 April 2008, Club Street, Singapore.

quick ink drawing

I teach at Temasek Design School in Singapore and this afternoon, I have a drawing class with the design students. This is what I did during the lesson and we had so much fun drawing together. Never mind the dirty brushes, left over ink and cheap paper the students started to draw each other. The studio is very spacious and the lighting is just ideal for drawing. Although I have been drawing for a long time, this is the first time I try china ink wash and I love how I manage with one thick felt brush to produce thin to thick lines, light to darker shades by twisting my fingers and wrist. Another satisfying experience.

another old doodling during a meeting

If you look carefully at the lower part of the paper, the eyes are on a square grid......

doodling during a meeting

when i was 13

I found this picture of my drawing in the file. I remember I did this when I was 13 years old. I was learning art under Liu Kang, Singapore's pioneer artist at his studo at Kirk Road near Cathy Cinema when I was 10. I left his studio when I was 17 or 18. I visited Liu Kang and his family periodically till he passed away in 2004 at the age of 94.

I must say looking at the drawing now, I am very impressed with what I could do at the tender age of 13!

award winning building

I worked at Housing and Development Board in the late 80s and I was lucky to be given the opportunities to design a few buildings. Most of the HDB architects were either designing public housing or managing the construction projects. My design won the SIA Architectural Design Award in 1991. Here is the citation published for the award.

CITATION - SIA ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AWARD 1991
on Clementi Sports Hall by Housing and Development Board
"The dramatic form of the building is entirely appropriate to its setting with the Ayer Rajah Expressway on the south and the parking plaza on the north. The simple sculptural form is sensitively related to surrounding developments allowing for a harmony of geometries and sympathetic ground treatment.

The grammatical permutation of forms is reinforced by the choice of materials and the detailing of the junctioning of the different building elements and the use of the louvred facade cladding."

details

cover story by a practising architect on my design

The Straits Times, our local newspaper on 19 Feb 1992

"Any building worthy of an award must have three basic qualities - be appropriate, practical and pleasing to the eye.This may seem obvious but the truth is, many buildings in Singapore do not possess even one of these criteria.For a country with such a short history, Singapore has quite an impressive architectural infrastructure. The country has many fine traditional, colonial, as well as modern buidlings.

In recognising this rich heritage, the Singapore Institute of Architects(SIA) gives design awards every few years to projects which have contributed to Singapore's architectural excellence.The last SIA Design Awards were held in 1987.This year's award presentations, the third in the series, will be held on Saturday at the Alkaff Mansion. It will see 7 buildings receiving the SIA Design Award and 27 others, the Honourable Mention.

One of the winners of the Design Award is the Clementi Sports Hall, which was completed by the Housing and Development Board(HDB). A formal simplicity is evident in the building, which is essentially a square box with repetitive elevations, and is a deceivingly clever architectural statement.

It sits on a higher level than the entrance approach and the impact of scale is exaggerated as you step up to it.Four perimeter walls support a steel roof consisting of a spaceframe system providing a clear uninterrupted open space for the sports hall.The overpowering roof completely dominates the surrounding townscape, giving it an unavoidable sense of importance.Specially-fabricated, curved-sectioned metal louvres suspended vertically within the outward sloping roof profile allow efficient cross ventilation, yet effectively keeping out rain and glare.

This, and the other five projects highlighted here, represent milestones by which standards for architectural excellence in Singapore can be set. They are functional, economical and elegant. They fit in with the neighbourhood, are user-friendly and are well built. They prove that good design need not be extravagant or gimmicky.

They also prove that Singapore architects are more than capable of producing prize-winning architecture."

Singapore Flyer

Beautiful Singapore Skyline. Visited on a Sunday 3 Aug 2008.

D&AD students award of the year 2008

IAD95 Gathering

After 13 years, we finally met again at SOFRA Turkish Restaurant at Shaw Tower.

old campus

Memories at old campus, Stirling Road. The students' work on the right already displayed a very high standard for first year students in 1991.

the symbol of rebellion

This is the portrait of Che Guevara and it is the most widely reporduced image in the history of the photograph. This image has become the universal symbol of rebellion. So we need to know who is the artist not just the icon. The photographer is Alberto Korda. Ernesto Che Guevara, the long-haired Argentine guerrilla wearing a soldier's beret with a single star. He helped Fidel Castro to power in Cuba's 1959 revolution - have propelled him to become a global symbol of rebellion. He was born on this day 14 Jun, 1928.

Finally, I have succumbed to......

Yesterday I finally crack......due to heavy workload. It was really unfortunate. I went to see the doctor and my blood pressure was exceptionally high at 140! Really unfortunate. I have to take medication. Damn it! Suddenly i realise i am not young anymore. However, I also realise I am really blessed and I am grateful!

Campus Sculpture

Official name is "Work Hard Play Hard"

meeting friends at Art Institute of Chicago

Thomas Kong, architect friend of mine teaching at Art Institute of Chicago, will be back for a workshop at singapore poly in july... till we meet again..


Tek Keong, artist friend now studying for his MFA, we met up at Art Institute of Chicago, working hard for a residency at RCA, all the best and don't know when and where I will meet him again.

The Bean

The name for the sculpture is cloud gate and it was affectionally called the bean. cloud gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. With other new additions to the millennium park, cloud gate remains as the icon for city of chicago.

First Day of Spring in Chicago

We arrived on last day of winter in Chicago. The date was 19 March 2008. Weather was sunny, very nice albeit a little windy. However, the following morning, it was snowing at about 5 am and by 6 am, the whole place was covered with snow. The first day of spring was 20 March 2008 and it was snowing in the early morning.

amazing

finally it's up

busy busy

busy busy for the last week, please rain rain go away next week ....

world coffee

it began with coffee at Lucca, Italy in Jun 2001 to coffee at Jerusalem in Nov 2007. Yeah, over a good six years......

tea & sympathy, NYC

my favourite place http://www.teaandsympathynewyork.com/home.php

world coffee series

I remember having project discussions with my American classmates at a small & cozy cafe in Brooklyn. I am afraid if i dont write it down here, it will be harder for me to remember the name of the cafe later, after all, it was between Sep 2001 and Feb 2003..... it start with a 't', tilly, tillie or tilie talle..... and i found it on the internet...
http://www.tilliesofbrooklyn.com/

chinese new year 2008