Craftmen Specialty Coffee at Siglap

I am on long medical leave for my eye op, its the best period to explore neighbourhood cafe since I only have 2 hours before the next eye drop which has to be stored in the fridge at home. Here is a very good write up about the cafes in Siglap written in Feb 2015 and updated in Aug 2016 https://ordinarypatrons.com/2015/02/07/cafes-siglap/. I found out that one of them, FLAVA Asia Bistro and Grill, had already closed recently.

Food was very very good at Craftsmen though I hope the long black could be a little stronger. Illustration on guide to coffee was excellent and professionally drawn on top of the red coffee machine.

Starbucks again

Added digitally colours later. It was quiet at Starbucks because it was a Monday when students were not here today.

Starbucks at Siglap

Added colours today, can't gauge the correct hues and tones yet but I wanted to remember this interesting neighbourhood.

I noticed people were queuing up at the shop opposite the road for a few Sundays. I overheard from a customer at Starbucks it was for free whiskey. The crowd made noise and whistle that i could hear across the road at Starbucks. I checked it out online it's was for 'fight week' on TV! The crowd started early in the morning and they were mostly Caucasian men at Bambooze Tarven having some fun times over TV with free drinks after spending $20!

East Coast Road and Upper East Coast Road

So bored at home after my eye op that I went to Starbucks near to my home. I could not get a seat indoor as this outlet was known for students 'chopping seats' to study for the whole day. I ordered a hot drink and sat outside the shop and watched and tried the 'art of doing nothing'. This neighbourhood is so interesting. I remember it used to have two road sign plates 'Upp East Coast Rd' and 'East Coast Rd" on ONE post but I saw two separate road sign posts now.

Does it mean the road between the two road sign posts have no road name? HA!

August Sketchwalk at Tanglin Halt

Tanglin Halt is an iconic old estate that holds a special place in the memories of many residents of Singapore.

MEETING POINT
Boardwalk at Food Centre
3A Commonwealth Drive
Singapore 141003
https://goo.gl/maps/V5REuzESXDt

9:30 am — Sketch leaders kick off with a short intro
12:30 pm — Gather for "sketch gallery" to gawk at everyone's work

The estate is in the middle of a seven-year decommissioning, at the end of which much of it will be razed by 2021–2024.

Lots of food, quaint shops, old-school things and big mature trees to take shade under. Enjoy your visit!

Credit: sketch of old-school shopfronts by Francis Theo.

P.s.: We're going to Tanglin Halt this weekend, although Raffles Hotel won in the poll, as access to the building might get more restricted by the weekend.

Adding Tones

This was done earlier of the year but grey tones added later. Nothing changes for the cafe interior except the people and perhaps the menu. I will be going for my cataract surgery on Wednesday, not sure my sense of tonal values and colour intensities will change after that.

Poolside Sketch

I sketched Steffi, my younger granddaughter as she posed for me at the poolside. I had to add Nicole, my elder granddaughter next to Steffi later when she was looking for herself in the sketch. My younger son was making the 'V' sign on the yellow float and the princesses were telling stories pointing at the young uncle. So fun.

Total 8 pages Seawhite Concertina Sketchbook. This sketch got the family talking during the vacation, we are making memories together.

Village Cafe

Very tired today and didn't feel like going out of office for lunch. So I went to Village Cafe in the office building for a nice hot soup and sandwhiches and finished up a sketch I started long long time ago on the last page of the Moleskine Japanese Album.

It is truly a celebrations of diversity when you see students and staff of different ethnicity and background in the cafe. Sometimes we have overseas visitors from Loas, Cambodia, Japan, Finland and many more.

Vacation Trip to Vietnam

It's a family vacation in Lang Co, Vietnam. We spent real quality time with my two granddaughters aged 5 and 3 who are staying in Hong Kong. We spent 7 days together from 4 to 11 Aug in Lang Co, Hoi An, Da Nang and Hue. We are building family memories together and some are collected in this long Seawhite Concertina Sketchbook.

at the airport

Going to meet the two princesses for a family holiday in Vietnam, spending quality time with them and may not sketch much. One sketch at the departure hall and splashed some coffee later plus sticking something to remember like Jetstar flight details etc.

Visitors here at PUAL inside the airport lounge are very well groomed with branded handbags for ladies and expensive wrist watches for men.

I may look out of place with my t-shirt and jeans but who cares, I am on vacation.

9th USK Symposium will be in Porto, Portugal in 2018

office meeting

Monday office meeting in a room filled with boxes of images of ASEAN after our Global Community Day event. Everyone was working on laptops as the boss read from the paper.

It's ASEAN50 this year. We just completed an event and these are the boxes with ten flags of ASEAN countries. There are (from the top left): Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Loas, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

my favourite local dish

Two popular dishes are found next to each other at Bedok Food Centre.
Chwee Kueh or 水粿 is a type of steamed rice cake. To make chwee kueh, rice flour and water are mixed together to form a slightly viscous mixture and served with diced preserved radish and and chilli sauce.
Soon Kueh or 笋粿 is a dumpling-like cake filled with fragrant mixture of shredded bamboo shoots, turnip and dried shrimps wrapped in a smooth rice-tapioca flour skin.
These are cheap and good local dishes and the chwee kueh here is very big and very soft - double the size of the usual size found in other food centre.
When I was little, the chwee kuehs were steamed in clay moulds but it was changed to aluminium moulds in the 70s by the National Environment Authority.

old canteen on campus

A quick bite at the canteen before class in one morning. This is a very old canteen at School of Engineering. The noodle stall uncle told me it will be closed for renovation in September and he does not wish to continue because of the new tendering system.

I also met a student I taught in a subject called "Heritage, Museum and Trails" and we had a good chat over the common problems faced by the current young people in general.

New management, new style, new world everywhere. Time to move on!

8th Urban Sketchers Symposium in Chicago

This bring back fond memories as Gabi mentioned about my email to him in 2008 at 25:08 to be a USK sketch correspondent reporting from Singapore. I remember I had to upload all my old sketches on the Flickr for Gabi to see as we need to 'show the world one drawing at a time'.

July Sketchwalk at Telok Ayer Street

This Saturday we'll be at Telok Ayer Street and the adjacent Amoy, Stanley and Boon Tat streets.

Sanwiched between Ann Sinag Hill and the skyscraping towers of Shenton Way, the area has two of the oldest places of worship in the city— Thian Hock Keng temple and Masjid Al-Abrar—along with many conserved shophouses and buildings, like Nagore Dargah.

We will start and end at Telok Ayer Green, a little pocket of coolness in the middle of the precinct. See you there!

MEETING POINT
Telok Ayer Green
https://goo.gl/maps/G4G7MKcuSMp
09:30 am: Kick off for new participants
12:30 pm: Gather for "gallery gawk" and see all works

same same but different

Same cafes but different sketches.

It's Sunday again

Consecutively the 3rd Sunday I was at this cafe but this time to sip my very first coffee of the day over a piece of oneh cake at around 4pm. The bald head Caucasian man at the back was playing chess with a young boy presumably his son.

There are story behind this sketch too that I was sketching in pain on my right cheekbone coz I had a fall and hit the bath tub the night before after a blast in sketch outing at ORTO in Yishun with the gang in the morning.

My face is very very round now and my right cheek is still painful but manageable, lah.

sketching at the POD

We were up at the POD, 16th storey of National Library Board building to sketch the skyline two days ago. It was the reward for the organising team after the USK10x10+ASEAN50 event. This coloured piece was meant to be a warming up sketch before the panoramic sketch and trying to put my old tools to good use.

paper: Cartiera Magnani, 300gsm, 100%cotton
pen: Uni-ball Signo Gelstick 0.7 black
colour: W&N watercolours
brushes: Raphael flat brushes size 12

Sunday Brunches at the same cafe

USK10x10+ASEAN50 video on final day by Parka

Last Day of USK10x10+ASEAN50

Here is my sketch on the last day of USK10x10+ASEAN50 programme amidst running around as part of the organising team for the event. I started the sketch from the last page of the Seawhite concertina sketchbook since it is the end of the road on the right. The Majestic Hotel on the left of the sketch is under renovation, I will go back to sketch when the renovation is completed.

USK10x10+ASEAN50

“USK10x10+ASEAN50” – a sketching event and “We Draw ASEAN Together” – an art exhibition

In a collaboration with International Relations Department of Temasek Polytechnic, Urban Sketchers Singapore presented USk10x10+ASEAN50, a week-long series of workshops and activities celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the global Urban Sketchers community that also commemorated the golden jubilee of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is also held in conjunction with Global Community Day 2017 held at Glocal Connect Village at Temasek Polytechnic.

These milestones were observed together in an eight-day programme from 1 to 8 July, where about 100 participants signed up for over 10 workshops, as well as a mass sketchwalk kicked off from the URA Centre that saw 150 sketchers from ASEAN cities drawing Ann Siang Hill and Club Street on the final day of the programme.

7 instructors from Southeast Asia cities and 5 instructors from Singapore were engaged to conduct 10 workshops and mass sketchwalk at about 10 indoor and outdoor locations namely Temasek Polytechnic, Waterloo Street, Queen Street, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Kampong Glam, The POD at National Library Board, Little India, Chinatown, Bukit Pasoh, Club Street and Ann Siang Hill. While the workshops and the final mass sketchwalk were creating an opportunity with regional and global reach; an exhibition with about 200 sketches were mounted at the Art Gallery at Glocal Connect Village, Temasek Polytechnic entitled “We Draw ASEAN Together” showcased the ASEAN instructors’ work alongside submissions from sketchers in the region. We are expecting around 1000 visitors to the ArtGallery@GCV when the exhibition ends on 31 August, 2017.

More details can be found at http://10x10.usk.sg

USK10x10+ASEAN50 video on opening day by Parka

another day exploring campus

June Sketchwalk at Changi Village

Kick off the long weekend of Hari Raya Aidilfitri with us at the urban kampung of Changi Village. This idyllic enclave, with the pier full of bumboats and old watercraft, red brick midrise buildings and plenty of sea breezes will undoubtedly charm you to capture something in your sketches.

MEETING POINTS
Start & End
9:30 am & 12:30 pm
Changi Village Hawker Centre
*near the POSB ATMs
https://goo.gl/maps/xMABHrSR4Rw

See you there!

Campus Sketches

tuk tuk in the mall

I was curious why the large, white lamp post was placed in the middle of the cafe which is open at all sides at Tampines One Mall. Even when there was no ceiling as the cafe was located right in the atrium open to plenty of natural lighting. I was more attracted to the fake 'tuk-tuk' or 'sam-lor'- a three-wheeled motorbike at the shop 'tuk tuk cha' selling Thai milk teas. A tuk-tuk is basically a rickshaw with a small engine capacity roaming the streets of Thailand.

The sketchbook is not suitable for watercolours so I added digital colours later.

We Draw ASEAN Together - Exhibition Opening on 1 July

End of Term

The first term of first semester had just ended last week. This semester, I was observing a class of non-Chinese students taking a subject called "Introduction to Language and Culture (Mandarin)". It was so inspiring and fun to watch them speaking Mandarin. My colleague also did a wonderful job in engaging them in class.

I was taking part in "20 Sketches 20 Days" on Facebook with sketcher-friends and we needed to sketch at least 20 sketches in a month for this entire year. I recently found an old sketchbook which I bought in Portland when I first attended the Urban Sketchers Symposium in 2010. It was not ideal for sketching when there was a lot of 'show through' as the fountain pen ink 'bled' through the pages which also warped when light washes were applied. Brush pen was better and I would apply digital colours if I had time.

Here are three sketches depicting the classes at different sessions, one with digital colours and two just in black and white.

Tools: Piccadilly Sketchbook size 90x140mm, brush pen and digital colours.

May Sketchwalk at Esplanade Park

The revamped park now has a playground, interactive musical sculptures and more open connections to the Singapore River and The Padang, with lovely stepped seating by the river bank and benches facing National Gallery Singapore. You can also visit restored memorials and markers such as the Tan Kim Seng Fountain, The Cenotaph, Singapore, Indian National Army Marker and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial, amongst others.

MEETING POINTS

Start
9:30 AM
Lim Bo Seng Memorial
https://goo.gl/maps/nkboVhXs6ZL2
If you'd like to meet with the sketch leaders, they'll be here to give you a quick overview of what usually happens. If you're late, just look for random sketchers or start drawing on your own.

End
12:30PM
Tan Kim Seng Fountain
https://goo.gl/maps/xPNWyfouEMS2
We will conclude the session by placing our works around the fountain to be enjoyed by everyone, and then snap a group photo.

See you all there!

A New Concertina Sketchbook

Aequilibrium - An Glass Art Exhibition

If you not already known, I am still working as Artist-in-Residence at Temasek Polytechnic and one of my jobs is to source for quality exhibition for our small Art Gallery @ Glocal Connect Village. With the capable Arts and Culture Team working so hard, here our team presents to you another exhibition opening this evening for a glass art display called "Aequilibrium" by Tan Sock Fong and our students. It is also the first exhibition under the new Management and a new Team under "Programmes and Services". Please come and support. The last day of exhibition will be Thursday 22 June, 2017. ALL ARE WELCOME.

Last Page

So this is the last page in the Moleskine that I brought to Hong Kong. It was taken with iPhone camera as my iMac had died on me that I could not scan the sketches.

A few 'Firsts'

Every year I will miss April sketchwalk as I attend my granddaughter's birthday celebrations in Hong Kong on 1 May. I normally don't intend to sketch in order to spend all the quality time we have with the family in Hong Kong. This year, I did three smaller sketches at the airport and one slightly bigger piece at the apartment when the girls are playing. This sketch has a few 'firsts' - My first Kuretake Zig Letter CocoIro brush pen on first generation of perfect sketchbook.

At 香港國際機場, Hong Kong International Airport

USK10x10+ASEAN50

April Sketchwalk at Holland Village

We'll be sketching at the vibrant Holland Village this weekend. This bustling area is home to cafes before the hipster-cafe craze took over the country. Lots to see, eat and drink here which all make for great subjects in your sketches.

MEETING POINTS
Start
9:30 AM
Holland Village MRT station
Exit B – Lorong Liput
The sketch leads will be just in front of OCBC Bank, if you need an introduction to what a sketchwalk is about. Otherwise, go explore and sketch!
https://goo.gl/maps/EMWE1TkRM8z
Singapore 278980

End
12:30 PM
Lawn area in front of Park HV
This is where we will do a gallery walk by displaying everyone's pieces together for all attendees to enjoy.
https://goo.gl/maps/CxpfkkXfs112
Singapore 278621

See you there!

My Art Tools

Easter Sunday checking on my old watercolour set and brushes which I neglected for a long time.

"Mi Kwang Magic Palette" made in Korea but bought in Taipei,
"Escoda Reserva Kolinsky-Tajmyr Sable Pocket Round #12" travel brush bought in Barcelona,
"Straits Art Sable" travel brush made by Ah Seng bought in Singapore Straits Art,
"Colorpro Taklon Squuirrel" rigger brush made in Japan.

I don't use these anymore, I use mainly fountain pens and synthetic water brushes for colour washes.

Shirakawa-Go

Finally scan my long Concertina Sketchbook. I remember the weather was so cold that I could not feel my fingers after this sketch and the ink didn't flow well, probably frozen too. Added some colours when I felt warmer. At Shirakawa-go, world heritage site.

ml.shirakawa-go.org/en/
世界遺產合掌村 白川鄉

Oyama Shrine in Kanazawa

I was the only soul at around 7:30am when I entered the shrine compound, I could hear everything so clearly in this cold weather while sketching. I will be able to see Cherry Blossom if I stay for another week, here the red dots are Plum Blossom.

http://www.oyama-jinja.or.jp/

My Flickr Pro

I still have a Flickr Pro account but it is neglected for a very long time. I just scanned and uploaded my recent sketches and this is the screen shot of those sketches in collage.
Visit my flickr Pro to see more at https://www.flickr.com/photos/tia_studio.

Looking at the sketch collage, there are wide variety of topics from landscape, building, cafe, train, exterior, interior to figurative subjects. There are ballpoint pen, fountain pen, black ink, blue ink, brown ink, watercolours, washes and brushes. There are dots, lines, shapes, colours, textures, tones etc etc. However, there is one common thing these sketches share is the fact that they are all done in ONE old stock of Moleskine A6 sketchbook, double spread.
Another common point is that they are done fairly quick from 10 to 45 minutes. Like this simple line sketch at the Bar at National University of Singapore Society (NUSS), it took probably only 20 minutes to complete, no colours and no tonal values, the lines and blacks bring out the layers and spatial quality of the sketch.