June Sketchwalk at Jurong Lake

Credits: Banner sketch by Favian Ee

Jurong Lake Gardens is Singapore’s new national gardens in the heartlands. Covering a whopping 90 hectares, it features a glut of picturesque landscaped areas and biodiversity. Come 2021, the Chinese Garden and Japanese Garden (now closed) will join in and become part of this sprawling park. If you're wondering what's there to sketch, here are a couple of links:

- https://thesmartlocal.com/read/lakeside-garden
- https://www.nparks.gov.sg/juronglakegardens

We will be covering the north half of the gardens, down to the Forest Ramble playground next to the Chinese Garden entrance, but feel free to linger and explore the south end, or even go bowling after a hearty lunch at that unusual standalone KFC along Yung Ho Road.

DATE: Saturday, 29 June 2019

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Outside Fusion Spoon
(https://goo.gl/maps/GoDpBwqHtt5neAUe6)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Gateway to Chinese Garden
(https://goo.gl/maps/SdVHeHMe54mmgcyA9)

Nearest MRT: Lakeside (EWL)

Locations to sketch:
- Boardwalk
- Fusion Spoon
- Clusia Cove wet playground
- Forest Ramble playground
- White Rainbow Bridge to Chinese Garden
- Garden House
- Rasau Walk wetlands boardwalk
- People kayaking on the lake
- Much, much more!

Places to eat and shop:
- Taman Jurong Market and Food Centre
- Taman Jurong Shopping Centre
- Lakeside MRT
- Jurong Superbowl (many food options)

Sign Up Now!

Urban Sketchers Singapore presents the 2019 edition of the 10x10 workshop series running globally.

The selection of workshops and list of instructors is now on USK10x10SG portal or click the photo above.

Registration opens on 6 June, so save the date in your calendar!

New Brush Pens

I was trying out the new SAI Japanese brush pens brown and dark brown from http://www.akashiya-fude.co.jp/050_product/sai_01.php. On this stretch of the road, YMCA is on the left and Orchard Road Presbyterian Church in the middle and Fort Canning Hills on the right accessible by a huge outdoor spiral stairs after the church.

It was interesting to know that The East India Company had contributed S$250 towards the construction of the church when a sizeable number of Scots began worshiping there. The small chapel was nicknamed the “Scots Church” or "Greja Kechil".

"The church building was erected in 1878 at a cost of $20,000, and worship at this new location began with only 42 members. It was dubbed Greja Kechil (meaning small church in Malay) for its small size." http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_819_2004-12-27.html

The church was the crime scene for a "Curry Murder" case in 1984. You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Ayakannu_Marithamuthu

May Sketchwalk at SOTA

Credit : Banner sketch by Benedict Tay

May sketchwalk will be in the heart of the city around Dhoby Ghaut MRT. We will meet outside the School of the Arts (SOTA). Round the corner is Selegie Road, POMO and the iconic pie-shaped Selegie Arts Centre, and across the road is the Cathay, remodelled from one of Singapore's oldest iconic cineplexes. Plaza Singapura is a short walk, which used to house Yaohan and possibly Singapore's earliest food court Doremi (now defunct), and along the way is MacDonald House, the site of one of Singapore's early terrorist attacks. Other sketchable areas nearby include Istana Park, Hotel Rendezvous, SMU, Orchard Road Presbyterian Church, Singapore National Museum, and Dhoby Ghaut Green.

May Sketchwalk on 25 May, 2019

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Steps at SOTA entrance
(https://goo.gl/maps/UKXCBK9bweeo6Hux8)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Same as Starting Location.

Nearest MRT: Dhoby Ghaut (Circle Line, North-South Line, NEL)

Locations to sketch:
- SOTA
- Selegie Arts Centre
- The Cathay
- National Museum
- MacDonald House
- Dhoby Ghaut Green
- Orchard Road Presbyterian Church
- Plaza Singapura

Places to eat and shop:
- Too many to mention

Filling in the blank

Today, I went back to fill in the blank, added in the condominium at the Kallang River bank, added more washes especially on the waters and completed the panoramic sketch. This is to follow up with an old post at this link: http://tiastudio.blogspot.com/2018/07/result-of-july-sketchwalk-at-kallang.html

After a ten year clean-up effort, which was initiated in 1977, Kallang Basin has transformed into one of the most popular recreation hub in Singapore. As part of the city centre Marina Reservoir and the Kallang Riverside development, the Kallang Basin has become a venue for dragon boat training, sand volleyball, rock climbing and many other indoor and outdoor recreations and sports. For July sketchwalk, I did 9 pages of sketches in Moleskine. I Will go back and fill in Tanjong Rhu area on the left to link Golden Mile Complex to MBS, Singapore Flyer on the extreme left of the sketch. Total 11 pages of Moleskine.

April Sketchwalk at Kallang Basin

Credits: sketch by Kwan Boon Choon

This month’s sketchwalk will be at a small scenic stretch of park along the banks of Rochor River and Kallang Basin with a clear view of our Stadium and waterways and the opposite bank of Tanjong Rhu. The park is situated along Republic Avenue, next to the brutalist Golden Mile Complex, also known as “Little Thailand”. Feel free to go for some mookata or Thai food after sketching!

April Sketchwalk on 27 Arpil, 2019

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Park along Republic Avenue, next to Merdeka Bridge
(https://goo.gl/maps/6Ebno5JjFbUrxMnG8)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Same as Starting Location.

Nearest MRT: Nicoll Highway (Circle Line)

Locations to sketch:
- Kallang Basin
- Rochor River
- Golden Mile Complex
- Merdeka Bridge

Places to eat and shop:
- Golden Mile Complex
- Golden Mile Tower
- Kallang Wave Mall

Museum Affandi

Another small sketch at Museum Affandi. I believe these people I sketched were connected to Affandi family. The hanging butterfly was red but I forgot to add in the correct colour later.

You can read all about Affandi at https://www.affandi.org/

First Night Sketch

Day one, 22 March. Most of the sketchers from Singapore were in Jogja from 22 to 24 March for the weekend because of work. My institution was having a semester end vacation so I could extend my stay in Jogja from 21 to 26 March. I called 21 March Day Zero so 22 March was Day one when most of the sketchers arrived.

We met at 2pm in the hotel and it started pouring when we wanted to go to Tama Sari to sketch the Water Castle but it was raining and drizzling non-stop. We ended up in Plasa Pasar Ngasem for a group photo after sipping coffee and sketching at the near-by Water Castle Cafe operated by a very nice family with 90-year-old grand mother and grandchildren all involved in art, music and cafe business in the vicinity.

I did a sketch outside the water castle when it was closed at 4pm before meeting up with the group at the cafe under the wet weather. We headed toward Malioboro and it was getting darker and darker. For a very long time, this should be my first night sketch ever and it was done in Yogyakarta at the junction of Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Raya Jogja on Bank of Indonesia with the Post Office on the right of the sketch.

It's election period

We were all sitting comfortably in one van and headed towards Taman Sari and I did a quick small sketch inside the van. It was election period so the green and red flags were sprouting out from both road sides and some flying high in the air. What a colourful sight.

Some photos at Prawirotaman

Prawirotaman Traditional Market

Day one, 22 March. In the early morning, Lin, George, myself and husband were in Jogja earlier before the gang so we visited Prawirotaman traditional market. It was full of life, taste, smell and colours. Motorbikes lined up along the street with very small gaps for us to walk. The entrance of the market laid a rock against a green wall and the statue of a soldier to mark a historical event.

Walking past this entrance, the area behind the market had many hostels, homestay and hotels with affordable prices.

We found Via Via restaurant down the street and I bought a bag made of recycled truck tires from retail shop after getting the refreshing local drinks at Via Via. It was a very fruitful morning with a sketch done opposite the market. It was also the first sketch on a new self-made Saunders Waterford concertina sketchbook.

https://www.yogya-backpacker.com/prawirotaman-backpacker-street/
http://viaviajogja.com/shop.php#fairtrade

Group Photos of Jogja Trip

Group photos with the gang from 22 to 24 March 2019 at different landmarks in Jogja. It rained here and there but it did not dampen our spirit having fun sketching with the local sketchers. A truly memorable trip.

Second Sketch at Ghim Moh

This is the second sketch in 20 mins before the show and tell.

Result of Sketchwalk at Ghim Moh

First sketch at Sketchwalk.

It was raining cats and dogs, so I just sat there and sketched after my nice mee pok and Kopi O. Good recommendation for the noodles stall from Patrick Ng Benedict Tay Hendriko Teguh Sangkanparan and thanks Alice Lim for the popiah, all so nice. Kopi O was very good too.

Sitting there, I noticed there were so many old folks in wheel chairs or in other PMDs. The old Chinese lady on wheel chair sitting opposite us was with a sweet Malay lady, I was very sure she's a social worker or a friend. Another Malay lady came to sit with them and the old lady took out some papers from his bag. She left shortly after giving her a cheque. They had traditional breakfast (bread, egg and hot drink) in the morning and when I left, the old lady was having noodles.

So many old uncles and aunties at the coffee shop and the young ones were at the crowded food centre and market near-by.

Sketching Prambanan

Day two, 23 March. Sketching with the gang from 22 - 24 March 2019. This is my long sketch at Prambanan and part details at Prambanan.

I was sketching alone on the South side after walking one big round and I tried to capture the light in the morning from the East.

There were restoration workers inside and outside the make-shift tents hammering away providing background music while I sketched under a big tree surrounded by ancient stones.

March Sketchwalk at Ghim Moh

Credit: Banner sketch by Andrew Tan aka Drewscape

This month’s sketchwalk will be at Ghim Moh Estate, a place known for great food (including a Michelin guide-listed Chwee Kueh)! You might want to come on an empty stomach, because the hawker centre is well-known for some good bites, so order away and sketch to your hearts' content! And if you have a durian craving, Ah Seng Durian might be a place to get some (if they are open).

A recent episode of Mediacorp 8's Tuesday Report 《星期二特写: 生活气场》 featured Ghim Moh Hawker Centre - its history, characteristics, where the good food stalls are, and heartwarming stories of some of the hawkers. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmmMXiA4Sk&feature=youtu.be

Some food favourites:
http://ieatishootipost.sg/category/location/9-ghim-moh-food-centre/
https://www.misstamchiak.com/ghim-moh-market-food-centre/
https://www.hungrygowhere.com/gallery/hawker-guide-ghim-moh-market-and-food-centre-*gid-c9863101/
https://www.burpple.com/ghim-moh-market-food-centre

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Outside Ghim Moh market (Food Centre side)
(https://goo.gl/maps/VTmXA1Py5et)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Same as Starting Location.

Nearest MRT: Buona Vista (EWL, Circle Line)

Locations to sketch:
- Ghim Moh Market (including stall vendors)
- HDB flats surrounding the Market
- Ulu Pandan Community Club
- You may even venture as far as Buona Vista MRT or Star Vista just minutes away, or sketch from one of the many high-floor corridors in the surrounding HDB blocks.

Places to eat and shop:
- Ghim Moh Market / Hawker Centre
- Master Crab Seafood
- Countless options around (E.g. Star Vista, Holland V, etc.)

PLUS - Parka is giving away prizes at the end of the sketchwalk, details at this link:
https://www.parkablogs.com/content/join-our-march-2019-sketchwalk-ghim-moh?fbclid=IwAR3DAtRZ0Kak4Rp-nVkpHJDj5rBmzA86Nnj8JzK3RTIqb-krFvZezisyZAM

Yogyakarta Travel Sketchbooks

Posted by Tia Boon Sim on Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Completed 2 self-made concertina sketchbooks for the Jogja trip from 20 to 26 March 2019. Joining the gang to sketch from 22 to 24 March. One of the sketchbooks was with colours and the other only ink for quick sketches. We were not allowed to sketch at the Kreton and no colouring at Borobudur.

I will add colours when I feel like it later, depending on my mood.

Yogyarkarta Sketching Trip

View this post on Instagram

Moments from Day 1 @ Jogja... #usksg #usk #urbansketchers #urbansketching #sketchtrip #sketch #yogyakarta #sketchbuddies #sketchjogja2019

A post shared by Urban Sketchers Singapore (@usk.sg) on Mar 22, 2019 at 4:18pm PDT

MediaCorp Event at ACM

View this post on Instagram

Waiting for a community sharing with a group of teachers at ACM, in conjunction with the airing of the first episode of 《星期二特写·行脚发现》featuring USKSG a couple months ago... #usksg #usk #urbansketchers #community #mediacorp #星期二特写 #行脚发现

A post shared by Urban Sketchers Singapore (@usk.sg) on Mar 13, 2019 at 11:28pm PDT

Result of February Sketchwalk at Commonwealth Drive

Such beautiful mature heartland with big trees that provide shades everywhere. Do you know these early public flats at Commonwealth and Queenstown have no water tanks on the roof top when they were built?

I did a long sketch for February Sketchwalk at 117 Commonwealth Drive overlooking block 91 and Queenstown Lutheran Church which is under renovation. I used concertina sketchbook for easy handling but it is not suitable for watercolours so I did fast washes over ink linework.

Size: 90cm x 13cm Moleskine Japanese Album Large

February Sketchwalk at Commonwealth Drive

Credite: Sketch by Patrick Ng

This month’s sketchwalk will be at Commonwealth Drive, behind Commonwealth MRT. This is an old estate which has some unique buildings, such as Singapore’s first flatted factory, and old church, and early HDB flats, some of which have undergone SERS. The market square in the centre surrounded by HDB blocks boasts some famous food such as Two Chefs zhi char.

On the other side of Commonwealth MRT is Tanglin Halt, which will be undergoing redevelopment in stages starting this year. If you have time, you might want to hang around for the launch of Museum@My Queenstown at Tanglin Halt for their official launch at 6pm (it should be open earlier). There's good food and homemade ice cream around there, including some quaint old shops and clinics https://www.psd.gov.sg/challenge/lifestyle/alter-ego/designing-singapore-s-first-ground-up-community-museum

Queenstown is Singapore's first satellite town. Many of the HDB blocks are pretty old and house an ageing community. Compare the architecture with the new flats today and spot the differences! Some of the blocks in this area have already been vacated and removed to make way for new developments. (links: https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/goodbye-74-to-80-commonwealth-drive/ and https://stateofbuildings.sg/places/commonwealth-drive-blks-74-80)

START
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Commonwealth Drive, opposite Block 117 near the shelters
(https://goo.gl/maps/2gX3HSUANrS2)

END
Time: 12:15 PM
Location: Same as Starting Location.

Nearest MRT: Commonwealth (EWL)

Locations to sketch:
- Queenstown Lutheran Church
- First flatted factories
- Market square
# HDB flats

Places to eat and shop:
- Two Chefs
- Hammee's Burger
- Countless options around

Sketchwalk leaders: Patrick Ng, Favian Ee.

Sunday Brunch

Now that Lunar New Year is over, I am slowly getting back to work and back to sketching. Enjoying the ‘me’ time in a crowded, noisy cafe for my Sunday brunch. Yummy!

Kandawgyi Lake

Kandawgyi Lake is one of the two major lakes in Yangon. Located east of the Shwedagon Pagoda, the lake is artificial, water from Inya Lake is channeled through a series of pipes to Kandawgyi Lake. It was created to provide a clean water supply to the city during the British colonial administration.

Karaweilk is a concrete replica of a Burmese royal barge built in 1972. It houses a buffet restaurant today. We were given 15 minutes to roam around so here is my sketch with nice photos taken by my colleague.

Cruise Time

We took a cruise in the evening and witnessed the beautiful sunset along the Yangon River. Just lines no washes within a short time.

Sule Pagoda

Its the Little India along Maha Bandula Road overlooking the Sule Pagoda. I sat comfortably on the overhead bridge and sketched this view while others were shopping in 20 minutes.

The tower is location for Maha Theindawgyi Monastery built in typical Burmese style.

Yangon Technological University

5 minutes on site and colours added later.

Yangon Technological University is the premier engineering university of Myanmar. Established as Department of Engineering under Rangoon University in 1924 and popular known by its former name Rangoon Institute of Technology (RIT), YTU is the country's oldest and largest engineering university, and the best engineering university in Myanmar.

Students were shot right at this front facade in 1988 that changed the course of Myanmar history.