the wonderful Korean sketchers

These portraitures of me and my son in the last one, were done by Lee Yong-hwan, the Korean USk correspondent whom I met on 22 Dec 2009. Lee started sketching me when I met Yoo Byung-hwa and Kim Mi-kyung, the other two Korea sketchers at the Ramada Seoul hotel lobby in the morning of 22 Dec 2009. Together with my 14-year-old son, five of us went to the nearby Bongeunsa Temple to sketch. There was an important ceremony to celebrate the first day of winter and Seoul mayor was the guest of honour. It was full of people and various activities such as folk-drums dancing, wishing scrolls, serving of Patjuk - a traditional red bean porridge etc etc. The entire place was so lively and we were immersed in the atmosphere when we started sketching. We later adjourned to an aquarium at COEX complex just opposite the temple to continue with our sketching. Please visit USk-Korea for the sketches that were presented by these wonderful sketchers.
Sketches by Kim Mi-kyung are here
Sketches by Yoo Byung-hwa are here
Sketches by Lee Yong-hwan are here

I am doing this post in Seoul, Korea. I will post some of my sketches when I go back to Singapore. Here are some photos to share with the viewers at this moment when it is snowing outside right now.

Once again, Merry X'mas from Seoul everyone.

Season's Greetings from Korea

This sketch was done on my second day of ski trip at Phoenix Ski Resort. The first day and third day we went to Yongpyong Ski Resort where I also did two sketches. Yongpyong is the biggest ski resort in Korea and it is currently one of the candidates in the bid for 2014 Winter Olympics.


Merry X'mas and Happy Holidays to all from Korea.

Yongpyong Ski Resort, Korea

We arrived in Seoul on 18 Dec at about 10pm and we left for Yongpyong for a ski trip at 8.30am on the following day. My daughter and son started their ski lessons on the first day and by the third day, they were very comfortable with the new sport. I braved the cold weather in the open air trying to complete a sketch but it was too cold for me with my bare fingers exposed holding the fountain pen. The ink also did not flow properly in the freezing condition plus the view was constantly blocked by the moving crowd. I added just a few people and quickly went back to the lobby. By that time, my fingers were numb and my body was shaking. From Singapore at daily temperature of 30 deg C to -10 deg C at Yongpyong was certainly a huge adjustment for me.




A cup of hot coffee at 'A Twosome Place' - the cafe next to the lobby certainly played a big role with my second sketch. You find ski racks near the entrance and young people with colourful ski jackets, woolen caps, face masks and ski boots, it was candys to the eyes and a colourful fashion parade!

on my way to Seoul

It is that time of the year again. 2009 is coming to a close very soon, My family decided to visit our daughter who will be completing her overseas exchange programme at Korea University in mid-December. It should be a great idea to spend some quality family time together in Seoul.

I left earlier with my 14-year-old son for Seoul on 18 Dec and my husband would join us later. My son and I were sketching at the Changi Airport at the boarding lounge.

build london live 2009 competition

Tonight I visited members of the team who are taking part in an international competition called "Build London Live 2009". I contributed by sketching the group and they may use it as part of their submission tomorrow. The competition is a 48-hour event which will end tomorrow at about 6pm local time. These people are very professional and passionate about what they do. I hope they win the competition.

You can visit here to read more

Sketches of Kranji Industrial Park

These sketches are the results of last Saturday sketch walk with Drewscape, Seiji and Don Low. Katherine, Don's wife waited in the van and worked on her laptop while we were sketching.

First, the scrap yard - it is very surreal to see different parts of the car stacked on top of each other.


Next, one of the many forklifts next to a big pile of exhaust pipes.


This location with the huge concrete silos was an instant favourite.


Do you think these look like flamingos?

Sketch Walk at Kranji Industrial Park

I join OIC members for a wonderful sketch walk last Saturday. We went to Kranji Industrial Park in Drewscape's van and we had one wonderful and fun roller coastal ride along the way when he made sudden right or left turn at almost every junctions. We also saw the most bizzard 'street art' on the tarmac road with fallen eggs in a triangular sunburst pattern.

We sketched at the scrap yard, concrete slabs production plant and another industrial plant with huge concrete silos structure. These sketchers are awesome and they are very, very good. They just could not stop sketching when we were having our yummy fish head curry lunch. Please visit urbansketchers-singapore for more sketches. Here are some pictures of our adventure. I have yet to find time to scan my sketches.

Hero 501-1 and PO-ink

Bought these two items recently.

old but charming hospital building

I sat in the car and sketched this old building which I wanted to take a close look at its charming architecture for a long time. It was built after a typical old Malay style that the building was raised by column stumps to prevent flood in the old days. The area beneath the building was also used for storage to rear livestock like pigs and chickens in the past. This old building which houses the Tuberculosis Control Unit, is part of a very big hospital complex with a mixture of new and old buildings.

Tan Tock Seng Hospital is today transformed from a village hospital to a state of the art medical institution. It is named after its founder who built it in 1844. He is also the donor of many other public buildings including this temple without nails I did earlier.

It was so quiet that I only noticed three old patients accompanied by their family members going in and out of the premises. Two gentlemen walked passed my car and gave me a nice smile when they saw what I did at my driver seat. "They can't be patients and must be researchers or doctors with that kind of smile on their face" I said to myself.

Sentosa from Vivocity

I went to Vivocity to sketch this view when I was clearing my annual leaves. It was a hot afternoon but the view was spectacular. The two cruises were on the right and the new Sentosa Resort World was just opposite but not in the sketch. I was hoping to sketch the cable cars but they ceased operation long time ago. I added the colours in photoshop when I got home.

weekend trip

I hesitated to put this sketch but well, I just cannot lie. I went to Genting over the long weekend with my husband and friends and lost all my money I brought on the jackpot machines and table games. I had a great time though seeing those beautiful graphics and patterns on the wheels. The next best thing for me to do was to sit around and enjoyed the free flow of tea and coffee while waiting for others who were winning, I think. But the truth was, nobody was winning. We had to satisfy ourselves that it was a great game.

So, a sketch of the interior since photography is not allowed. People crowding around tables and the endless rows of jackpot machines from the left of the sketch. Obviously I was enjoying my coffee and the sketching moment!

Little Thailand

Last night I had a craving for Thai beef noodle soup so I drove to Golden Mile Complex at Beach Road - our Singapore's "little Thailand". You can find numerous Thai pubs, shops, eateries there. Fish sauce, garish signboards, Singha beer bottles and everything Thai are all over the place just like being in Bangkok. With its dipalated rundown interior, it was hard to imagine that the building was once famous among the architects for its modernist mega-structure design where shops, entertainment and apartments were all housed within one complex.

This sketch was done after a satisfying bowl of beef noodle soup. People in this sketch are all Thai-speaking food sellers and customers. For a moment, I thought I was in Thailand.

at the airport

I did this sketch at Terminal 3 of Changi Airport after sending my sister off to Frankfurt at around 11pm. The ceiling of the huge departure hall was dominated by the day light reflecting system and it was a challenge to draw those ceiling panels initially. I completed it with the help of a big cup of thick coffee. That night I slept at 3am. Blame it on the coffee.

lunch at food republic

My son and I went to Food Republic at Vivo City for lunch. Food Republic is a mega food court that combines local hawker fare with mini restaurants in an open dining concept with an interior that invokes a nostalgic kampong atmosphere. The interior with a very high ceiling is filled with aged wooden beams, patterned floor tiles, old roof shingles, old panelled doors, big bird cages and red long lanterns. Even the tables and chairs are of oriental theme.

It was very crowded during lunch hours and the noodle stall in this sketch was very popular.

a day after sketchcrawl

On Saturday, it was World SketchCrawl Day. Do check everyone's drawings on our Singapore Urban Sketchers blog here.

On Sunday, a day after SketchCrawl, I attended the ICSID DESIGN EDUCATION CONFERENCE 2009 with the theme, "Design Difference - Design Education 2050". It was held as part of the ICSID World Design Congress 2009 in Singapore. The Congress is starting today at the Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre but the Education Conference on Sunday was held at our campus.

The biggest complaint about the education conference - no hot coffee! So please excuse me if the lines in this sketch are sleepy!

BooksActually

Singapore sketchers met yesterday at BooksActually, 86 Club Street. Thanks to Karen and Kenny from the left. Carol, in the photo above, is our 'official photographer', thank you Carol.

25th World SketchCrawl Day

The turn out for the SketchCrawl this morning was very encouraging, we have 7 people. One of them was Khoo from Penang. He was here attending the Singapore Watercolour Society 40th Annual Exhibition and it was timely for him to join us. Khoo is also an accomplished artist who knows Ch'ng Kiah Kien, USk correspondent from Penang, Malaysia. Both had met Asnee, USk correspondent from Bangkok with details here.

As many of us only met each other for the very first time, we spent more time networking at the cozy couch corner at BooksActually at 86, Club Street after first round of sketching around the vacinity. We were sharing sketching gear, tips and flipping through our sketchbooks. Thank you Kenny and Karen from BooksActually for allowing us to use their cozy couch corner for the sketchers' exchange, the Singapore style.

It was a good session that we made new friends who share the same passion about location drawings. The first sketch was done together with our new friends at Club Street. The second sketch was done at a street nearer to my house on my way home on this World SketchCrawl Day.

Please visit urbansketchers-singapore for more sketches. Here are some pictures.

indoor sketches on raining season

According to the news, the rain this Thursday was heavy and so intense that the downpur dumped enough water to fill 115 Olympic-size swimming pools into a canal that causing it to overflow. The traffic was reported to be at a standstill and the flood at one area was reported to be at knee level. At it heavist downpour, I was stuck at my favourite noodle shop happily sketching waiting for the rain to stop. Monsoon begins in November and mostly carries on till end of January so there should be more indoor sketches in the following weeks. I did another sketch in the evening while it was still raining outside on the same Thursday.

the leaning tower of Singapore

I went to a local marketplace where locals and tourists shop for backpacking gear, army gear and equipment. I bought two small foldable chairs, one with back rest and one without. I put my new foldable chair to good use that I sat along the pavement and sketched the famous mosque near-by.

The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque was built between 1845 and 1846. It was named after a Malay business lady of the same name who donated the land to build the mosque for the community. The mosque is located within the Kampong Glam district where an earlier sketch was done for another big mosque called Sultan Mosque about 500m away. The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is well-known for its leaning tower which leans about six degrees towards the onion-shaped dome. The leaning tower or the minaret has a European influence because it was designed by J.T. Thomas, the government surveyor. The mosque also has European Doric pilasters and a Moorish verandah.

After Hajjah Fatimah's death she was buried in a special chamber at the rear of the Mosque; her tombstone as well as her daughter's stand side bye side in the chamber. The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque was gazetted as a national monument in 1973.

I also found another good use for the new foldable sketching chair, as a support for the sketch when I took a photo as shown above. For this sketch, I also try my relatively new pen - the affordable Hero M86 caligraphy fountain pen with Noodler's ink.

a weekend trip to Skudai, Malaysia

Last Saturday, my two sisters and I accompanied our mother to Skudai for a wedding dinner hosted by a Malaysian relative for his elder daughter. Skudai is 16km from Johor Bahru; the state capital of Johor. Johor is one of the most developed states of Malaysia that is linked to Singapore via two road connections across the Straits of Johor. The wedding dinner was held at a luxurious Chinese restaurant in the very big shopping mall called Sutera Mall at Skudai. As a Singaporean, I am surprised to find out from the floor map that two very big Singapore developers have a stake in the Sutera Mall.

We went to Sutera Mall in the early afternoon so that my mother had time to do her hair at one of the saloons. I took the opportunity to do this exterior sketch while my sisters were busy shopping. The wedding dinner was held at Pekin restaurant at Sutera Mall. The food was very good and the iced coconut pudding presented in three big coconuts was truly unique and outstanding.

official visit

What an interesting way to start the week by visiting an organisation in the early morning on Monday.

a sketch on my birthday

It was my birthday yesterday. I received a bundle of joy bouquet from my 14-year-old son who is very good with wires and papers. We went to "Casa do Churrasco Brazil" - a Brazilian restaurant for my birthday dinner. I did a sketch after the fantastic dinner and it was done directly on the dinner paper that already filled with some drops of oil and sauce. The waiters and waitress were very surprised when I showed them the sketch as we made our exit.

noodle stall

<

132 noodle stall at this coffee shop along Upper East Coast Road is just outside my house. It used to be very famous and the wait could be from 30 mins to an hour. However, their opening days and hours are unpredictable nowadays. There are people who drive all the way from the west to eat and find that the shop is closed. Some comments on the food blog also affect the business a little. I will still eat the dried meepok noodle when I feel like it since it is just at my door step. I like the soup a lot.

first page

The first sketch on my new Moleskine sketchbook. I am a new Moleskine user although I bought two of them many years ago and kept them in the drawer. I was using the common black A6 sketchbooks all these years.

"dr Cafe Coffee" the cafe in this sketch is located at the latest big shopping mall in town called ION. The shopping mall is so big that I needed a rest and ended up with a sketch. Sketch is like medicine for fatigue in a big mall at a clinic called dr Cafe Coffee, Ha!