Video at Jimmy Monkey

Sketching at One North

Sketching brings us to places we don't normally go!

Today's location was such a place at Jimmy Monkey at One North. I did two sketches, one on food Cafe Sketchers Singapore and one on the interior, I Jio You Sketching!

I had Shasuka and a long black. It was so yummy.

"Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic, commonly spiced with cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Shakshouka is a popular dish throughout North Africa and the Middle East."

Muji Sketchbook
Size: 185 x 185mm

Asian Civilisations Museum

After the guided tour on "Sacred Caves: Dunhuang, Buddhism, and the Silk Road" at the Asian Civilisations Museum, I sat on the bench and did a quick sketch on this huge and colourful display called "Makara palanquin ornament".

Extract: "Makara palanquin ornament, Malay Peninsula, Pattani. 18th or 19th century. Jackfruit tree wood, zinc, brass and copper plates."

"The makara is the vehicle of the Hindu river goddess Ganga. It is a composite creature with features of a crocodile, fish, goat and elephant. The form harks back to the Hindu-Buddhist pasts of the now-Muslim communities along the north-eastern coast of the Malay Peninsula. Despite its origins, it is still seen as a water spirit and symbolises fertility.

This one is a rare surviving example of an ornament for a palanquin used in village ceremonies revolving around the circumcision of young boys."

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Baker & Cook

Quick doodles over a cup of coffee before the guided tour at ACM.

There was this group of 6 to 8 customers seemingly having an official meeting over some topics on research, displays and lighting etc. You could tell who was the boss. HA!

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

A Breakfast Sketch

It's China's golden week and the tourists from China can be seen in our heartlands. The boy had a rather interesting hairstyle with clear shapes of cars shaved out from both sides of his head. The elder girl had interesting tiny plaits and colourful hair band. They were both staring at their electronic devices while mulching their french fries from the McDonald nearby and the parents were having local noodles.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

My favourite stall

My favourite stall at De Tian Coffee Shop, Marine Parade Central. The short young pretty Burmese lady was cooking at the counter and she was very efficient, hardworking and smart. She could speak very fluent Mandarin. The tall and older lady from China was at the cashier and helped in the kitchen.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm.

Ah Chiang's Porridge

Last Friday we had brunch at our favourite Ah Chiang's Traditional Porridge at Tiong Bahru.

When we were there, one of the employees was praying and putting up incense sticks for the three red altars in the shop. One in the kitchen entrance, one on top of the cabinets and another one on the floor on the right not in my sketch. If I am not wrong, the deities were Kitchen God (灶神), Tua Pek Gong (大伯公) and Tu Di Gong (土地公).

Ah Jie at the counter on the left was a long-time employee and anchor of the shop. She fell a few months ago and now needed to brace her left knee with compassion knee sleeve. She was the only familiar face in the shop now and the rest of the team in red were younger ladies of 16 and 53 years-old.

Ah Jie is always the soul of the shop, HA!
阿姐是店里的灵魂人物哦，呵呵！

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

A Balinese styled gateway at Gillman Barracks

Gillman Barracks is a former colonial military camp in Singapore that has been repurposed into a contemporary arts, lifestyle, and food and beverage cluster. Named after General Sir Webb Gillman, a well-known officer of the British Army, Gillman Barracks was built in 1936. It housed army barrack buildings, married quarters, and even recreational facilities, built specially for the British’s 1st Battalion before World War II.

We went to Gillman Barracks for our September sketchwalk and I did two pieces today both on square format at the meeting place which was the location for a relica Balinese styled gateway. It was called "Candi Bentar" in Bali and it was built when the area housed Villa Bali, a former Indonesian restaurant that has since closed down. Timbre Group operated at the same location from 2012 for about eight years before the current tenant Wheeler's Tropikana specialising in Australasian cuisine took over till now.

I started by splashing the white watercolour papers with blue for sky and orange for the Bali Gateway plus green and yellow splashes here and there. I then sketched the scene with fountain pens but all three pens run out of inks after first piece! So the second piece was done with watercolour brushes especially with a very small thin brush and no fountain pen, no ink work.

Daler Rowney Watercolour Papers
Size: 350 x 350mm

September Sketchwalk at Gillman Barracks

Hi Sketchers!

This weekend we're heading to Gillman Barracks!

Tucked off Alexandra Road amid greenery, Gillman Barracks was built in 1936 as a British military camp, named after Sir Webb Gillman. Today its conserved colonial buildings house a cluster of contemporary art galleries and cafes.

Landmark to look out for:
Gillman Barracks Gateway Arch - A Balinese styled gateway
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XKjQX4QTFrWYPxw19
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𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
Date: 26 Sep 2026
Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Nearest MRT station: Labrador Park Station

Meeting point: Gillman Barracks Gateway Arch
Show and tell location: TBC on the day itself

Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/XKjQX4QTFrWYPxw19

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𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆:
9.30am: Short brief at meeting point.
9.40am: Free and easy sketch
12pm: Start packing your things and make your way for Show & Tell
12.15pm: Show and Tell
12.30pm: End

*Please note that location of Briefing and Show and Tell may subject to change if weather changes. Admin will edit location on this post if any changes.

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𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲:
By participating this Event, you agree with the followings:
1. My participation in this Event is entirely voluntary.
2. I am aware of and agree to assume any and all risks which might be associated with the Event and I will not hold Urban Sketchers Singapore (USkSG) and any admin/organiser responsible or liable in any way for and will not commence any action arising from the Event, or claim for any loss and/or damage (including, without limitation, personal injury and/or property damage) caused by or sustained as a result of my participation in the Event.
3. I will indemnify USkSG and keep USkSG indemnified against all losses, claims, demands, actions, proceedings, damages, costs, expenses, and any other liability arising in any way from my participation in the above Event.
4. For participant under 18 years old, his/her parent/guardian are aware and agree to the above clauses.
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𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆:
1. Make your way to the location, be aware of surroundings, and maintain necessary distancing.
2. Challenge yourself to explore hidden corners that hasn't been seen/drawn yet; this will also help prevent too many of us crowding the same perching points.
3. Post your sketches, snapshots and videos online — 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬 #𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐬𝐠 — so everyone can easily find the day's artistic output.
4. Some sketch leaders will go around to catch you in action for posts on Facebook and Instagram, so look out for them!
5. Happy sketching!!
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𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀:
Event photo from Stephanie Ng

Seniors at Coffee Shop

I see seniors at coffee shops, markets and supermarkets more and more may be because I am also a senior, a retiree and we have all the time in the world to wonder around our neighbourhood. I see more seniors on wheelchairs or on their PMD some with helpers, many alone sitting in the coffee shops staring at their smart phones. Very often they were watching useless sitcoms, shorts, online purchases etc.

This table of seniors from different races and their helpers caught my attention as they were chatting, seemingly reminiscing the old days. Uncle Sikh had a long white beard and moustache so when he ate his prata with curry, the orangy curry stains could be seen on his beard. His helper would clean off the curry for him with the wet tissues supplied by the other uncle Eurasian with a shorter beard and walked with a walking stick. When I left, they were still sitting there so I was not sure who needed the wheelchair, was it uncle Sikh or the other uncle Chinese whose back was facing me.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Buffet at Feast Asia

Feast Asia has their creamy Signature Durian Pengat and yummy Laksa that we like very much. So we spent our Saturday evening there and it was so expensive for the weekend meal that cost us over $180 for two. No wonder there were no crowd like it used to be when they had more Peranakan dishes like buah keluah and chop suey. I remember it used to be very affordable price for the seniors at less than $40 or $50 after the pandemic and we visited the place regularly since we stayed in the East. Oh yes, it was called Feast@East Buffet Restaurant in the old days.

I added two more chefs at the counter and there was only one chef in reality and he had to serve the sashimi station and the laksa station. Occasionally there was one more chef coming in and out of kitchen that you see in this sketch.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm

Starbucks at Plaza Singapura

The ink flow from the fountain pen was not ideal but I made do. There were many students studying at starbucks with their laptops, books and bags spreading over the tables and chairs. The students would disappear for around an hour or so leaving their stuff behind. I suspect some of them went for lunch. Singapore is so safe!

I have not been to Plaza Singapura for a very very long time so I was happy to go early and explore before a meeting. I took the train and Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station was huge! It took me a while to locate the exit to Plaza Singapura which was my go-to shopping mall in the 80s when Yaohan and Yamaha Music School were there. In the 80s, everyone carried a Yaohan plastic bag just like now everyone carried a NTUC plastic bag. My children spent most of their weekends learning music and organ at Yamaha on the upper floor. I also remember spending a lot of time at a salad cafe called Ponderosa.

I do miss the good old days at Plaza Singapura before Starbucks. More on the history of the old mall at this link.

Nude Sketchbook
Size: 290 x 145mm