Last sketch in my sketchbook on Wat Klang

This is the last sketch I did in my second Etchr Accordion Sketchbook. I felt that there must be a sketch of Thai Temple in this trip so I went to Wat Mongkol Nimit Phra Aram Luang or Wat Klang as most sketchers did at the Phuket Old Town.

Wat Mongkol Nimit was constructed in 1880. The temple was originally called Wat Klang because of it location in the centre of Phuket Town (‘klang’ means middle in Thai). The main feature of Wat Mongkol Nimit is its shrine hall. The shrine hall is richly and elaborated decorated designs featuring gold leaf, along with blue and red paint. The gable end of the roof by the front entrance is particularly impressive. The other major feature at Wat Mongkol Nimit is its large chedi. A chedi is a type of tower which contains holy relics and is a place where Buddhists come to meditate. The Thai version of the chedi is similar to the stupa built at Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. You can spot it on the left side of my sketch.

Wat Mongkol Nimit is a busy working temple with lots of resident monks, many of whom study at the religious school located in the temple grounds. I took some photos of the school building and also found two beautiful Thai style houses at the back of the compound where public toilets were located.

It was a quiet Monday morning with few tourists and cars in the compound until a group of young girls in their Thai costumes brightened up the atmosphere. Thai coustumes were so elegant, so pretty but they were all wearing sneakers under their long silky skirts!

Night Sketch

Day 4 - 17 Aug 2025
Asia Link Sketchwalk Phuket 2025 was officially over on 17 Aug with a sketchwalk in the morning, a group photo at Golden Dragon Monument at 12nn and a closing ceremony from 1 to 5pm at Royal Phuket City Hotel followed by a night sketch from 6 to 8 pm at the old town Sunday night market which was HUGE.

I have not done any night sketch for a very very long time. If I remember correctly, I had only done a night sketch at Geylang, Singapore probably in 2010. So, I was not prepared with any equipment and I could only sketch fast before the sky totally turned pitched dark. It did not help at the location I was sitting among the motorcycles that had no light and I could only rely on the street lights from the nearby shops at the junction of Ratsada Road and Takuapa Road.

I didn't eat much at the closing ceremony so I had dinner first at The Little Phuket because of the attractive squid ink dishes and moo hong (pork belly stew) which I remember our first Grab driver was telling us when we took the Grab from HKT; Phuket International Airport to Phuket Merlin Hotel near the Phuket Old Town. The sky was still bright when I started a new Etchr Accordion Sketchbook but I knew it would turn pitched dark soon so I had a quick shape drawing done before adding details. It was pitched dark when I started colouring and I could not see the colours on my palette. I was very familiar with my colours so I used lots of Payne Grey with other colours such as cobalt blue, violet, sienna etc. For brighter areas, I just used the mixtures of bright yellow. I added more payne grey and noodler ink for the dark sky later when I could see better in the hotel room.

It was fun and my take was that with the understanding of our personal art tools, night sketch could be blind sketch on location as well in my opinion. Before we went back to our hotel and rest, we took a group photo at the adjacent street called Soi Pradit. Not to mention we had a great time scrolling the huge night market filled with food stalls, tourists, baskers and massage corners. We even spotted a bus coverted into a mobile public toilets! Sad to say when we returned to the same streets the following day, it was a totolly deserted scene in the day with less crowd, no activities on the streets. What a drastic change!

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 910 x 210mm

The Lobster on the Wall

Day 3 - 16 Aug 2025
The big lobster sculpture on the wall of Tu Kab Khao restaurant. Tu Kab Khao means kitchen cabinet, the commonly used kitchen cabinet when there was no fridge in the past in South East Asia.

So, I have done with three animals in Phuket! Someone told me there is also a big rooster at Patong in the Chinese temple. I may continue with the search to sketch another big animal.

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 390 x 210mm

The Bear

Day 3 - 16 Aug 2025
I did the Golden Dragon Monument on day one, so today I drew the big red colour bear in the Muay Thai outfit at Museum Phuket. Apparently this was the exact location for the opening of Thailand Biennial Phuket 2025 in the evening.

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 520 x 210mm

Panoramic Sketch from the Hotel

Day 2 - 15 Aug 2025
It was raining heavily in the morning and a group of sketchers were waiting to board the buses to the seaside. Others waiting for the rain to stop so they could walk to the sketching locations at the Phuket Old Town.

A few of us stayed in the hotel lobby and we were chatting with the amazing organisers. They told us they just got the permission for us to go up to 9th floor of the event venue to sketch the city for 2 hours!

So, I did another loose piece from the 9th floor of Phuket Merlin Hotel! The tallest building on the right is the iPavilion Hotel Phuket, next to it is the Pluck Panya Municipal School with the long national flags of Thailand hung from top floor of the building. I also noticed there were other institution buildings with big flags hung from the top floor.

Arches Watercolour Paper
Size: 650 x 190mm

A Sketch at Dragon Monument

Day 1 - 14 Aug 2025, Registration Day
After leaving Aroon Restaurant, we wanted to find out the location for Golden Dragon Monument where the group photo will be taken during the mass sketchwalk 2 days' later.

What a find, we met so many artists working hard on their artwork as there was an event "Phuket International Contemporary Art Festival 2025" at the location. They were so nice to serve us free food and drink.

I heard someone saying "Let's meet here at 12noon" and he was none other than 朱啟助 who hosted the Asia Link Sketchwalk in 2018 in Taichung. Chn'g Kiah Kiean was also nearby at the canal sketching alone.

Later, a group of Thai artists who took part in the event also gathered around me asking questions and we took group photo when I completed my sketch. Popular question was "Are you a professional artist?" My answer was always "No" with a smile!

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 520 x 210mm

Breakfast at Aroon Restaurant

Day 1 - 14 Aug 2025
At around 7:45am, we decided to find a coffee shop for a local breakfast so we took a Grab and asked the driver to bring us to one in Phuket Old Town. He rightfully brough us to Aroon Restaurant and we saw the locals streaming in with grab delivery men making a line outside the shop waiting to get their orders.

I love to have the hot soup in the morning but it was not ready for breakfast so I had "Laksa"; vermicelli in tasty yellowish sauce and my hubby had the crispy prata with eggs and beef curry. Coffee and tea were very strong.

The boss sitting at the counter collecting money and his beautiful daughter in her very colourful outfit and head scarf walking up and down the aisle chitchatting with the customers while getting orders. Another very old man came out of the kitchen with our tea and coffee asked when we understood Bahasa Melayu! We got our order right with limited vocab.

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 390 x 210mm

First Sketch at Phuket

Day 0 - 13 Aug 2025
I arrived in Phuket on Tuesday, 12 Aug in the evening. Next morning, I did the first loose piece after breakfast at the hotel. It was raining in the morning when I walked towards the old town, so took refuge at Cafe Amazon which is the first cafe I saw along Yaowarad Road. I sat outdoor with Qifeng Zhang, a fellow sketcher from Bejing and we said hello to sketchers who passed-by.

Arches Watercolour Paper
Size: 650 x 210mm

Group Photo for National Day Sketchwalk

Happy Birthday Singapore 2025

This piece was completed this morning at our annual National Day sketchwalk at Esplanade. The turn out was HUGE and the weather was scorching hot. I had to move into shade to complete this piece on the spot.

Happy Birthday Singapore and Happy SG60!

Asia Link Sketchwalk Logo

I have been busy after returning from Kuala Lumpur sketching trip, but it is a must to follow the updates on Asia Link Sketchwalk in Phuket this year from 14-17 August. I take pride in updating the logo from the old post here: https://tiastudio.blogspot.com/2023/08/asia-link-sketchwalk.html

The seed of Asia Link Sketchwalk was first planted by earlier sketching trips organised by Penang for the Georgtown Festivals in 2012 and 2014, then Sketchwalk ChaoPhraya in Bangkok 2013 and the first USk Symposium in Asia (Singapore) in 2015 continued with formalising Asia Link Sketchwalk started in Bangkok in 2016. The rest is history.

Group Photos at Sketchwalks from April to July

Top left: July Sketchwalk at Sensoryscape, Sentosa
Top right: June Sketchwalk at Marina Barrage
Bottom Left: May Sketchwalk at Punggol Digital District
Bottom right: April Sketchwalk at Empress Road Market