PINK

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

Today at Telok Blangah Hill Park was such a place we sketched together under the hot scotching sun with a sudden passing shower almost at the end of the session. We took refuge in a shelter on the hill top chatting and sketching together, so fun!

I brought my very old A3 Daler Rowney watercolour paper. As I came very late, I used big flat waterbrushes splashing away happily with Holbein Opera pink for the blooming bougainvillea shrubs. Adding pen and ink dots and lines to the trees was therapeutic too.

Daler Rowney watercolour
Size: 420 x 297mm

Etchr Discount Code

You can now get a 5% discount code "TIA5JULY" on any Etchr Sketchbook throughout the month of July. It will be useful for me to get a few Etchr Accordion Sketchbooks as I will be going to Kualua Lumpur for a weekend sketchwalk 18 - 24 July and to Phuket from 12 to 19 Aug! I used these two:

Etchr Accordion https://tinyurl.com/5hv8jphn
Etchr Square https://tinyurl.com/z8t3wfhh

Together with our Etchr, Join me and my friends in Kuala Lumpur and Phuket!

Video on June Sketchwalk

Marina Barrage

Today sketchwalk at Marina Barrage. It was a very hot day but still there were people flying big and small kites on the roof top and families having picnics on the mats with kids holding small kites coloured by the them under the shades.

We were lucky to be on the roof top and not have security guards chasing us away but we were told sketchers on other floors were not so lucky.

I did the entire 7 pages on location except the people having picnic and splashes in the sky were added later. The view is so nice but don't think we want to go back to sketch again. HA!

Moleskine Japanese Album Large
Size: 910 x 210mm

June Sketchwalk at Marina Barrage

Hi Sketchers!
For June's month end sketchwalk, we'll be going to Marina Barrage! The skyline will be different with the upcoming Founder's Memorial, perhaps we could sketch before it changes. We haven't been here for a month end sketchwalk since 2012! Much due time to visit again.

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𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
Date: 28 June 2025
Time: 9.30am - 12.15pm
Nearest MRT station: Gardens by the Bay MRT
Meeting point: Ground level of Marina Barrage (see photo)
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6nvhF7qkh7UwY1Sj6

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𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆:
9.30am: Briefing at meeting point. (Ground level of Marina Barrage)
9.40am: Free and easy sketch
12pm: Start packing your things and make your way for Show & Tell
12.15pm: Show and Tell at Grass Rooftop
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 banner by Tony Chua

Sentosa Skyline

Completed a piece from Michael Hotel Sentosa over the weekend on 22 June. We have not visited Sentosa for a very long time even as we heard it housed many exciting family entertainment theme parks now:
Sentosa Sensoryscape
Minion Land in Universal Studio
Singapore Oceanarium (Coming Soon)
Harry Potter: Visions of Magic
Adventure Cove Waterpark
Mega Adventure Park

On the right is the Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon which is a pair of high speed turbulent roller coasters each have one kilo meter of track with 90 seconds of excitement to the thrill seekers. The Human side is red and the Cylon side is blue. I could not remember whether I went on the ride when it first opened to the staff when my husband worked for Sentosa Theme Park at its soft launch in 2011. But I definitely went on another indoor roller coaster called "Magic Mountain" in a Eyptian themed compound and it may be now called the "Revenage of the Mummy". There are newest attractions at Sentosa such as Harry Potters and Land of the Minons. So much has changed but the iconic castle is still there on the left of my painting.

I posted its progress here at this earlier post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16Ujur88SD/

Arches Watercolour Paper
Size: 560 x 190 mm

Rare visit to an Exhibition

Keong Siak Road

Final piece with "I Jio You Sketching" group at Kreta Ayer Road. There was a huge crowd as the devotees observe the Raja Sankranti Day at the Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple. It marks the beginning of the solar month of Mithuna.

I moved all the way into Keong Siak Road and did this piece on Zhun Ti Gong 準提宫 away from the bustling and hustling activities at the junction of Kreta Ayer Road and Keong Siak Road.

It was a scotching hot morning but it was nice to capture the ligh, shade and shadow in this piece. Also love the road signs!

Arches Watercolour Paper
Size: 560 x 190 mm

Kuala Lumpur Sketching Trip this July

Volunteering for a good cause

[Teaching] I attended a students' art exhibition at Brahm Centre and I was so proud of these seniors in my classes. I...

Posted by Tia Boon Sim on Thursday 5 June 2025

A day trip to Johor Bahru

We ladies, Cynthia Goh, Priscilla Ng, Teo Sio Hoon and I had a wonderful time at Johor Bahru on Tuesday, 3 Jun! We went to Palates and Bagels to sketch and had brunch there. Spent the afternoon and had dinner at The Mall, Mid Valley South Key before heading home. Excellent services, wonderful people, great company, beautiful day out.

Etchr Square Sketchbook
Size: 420 x 210 mm

Punggol Digital District

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

This month official sketchwalk we went to Punggol Digital District and it brought me all the way from my home from Siglap in the East to the end of North East side of Singapore. It was also the last stop of North East Line, the Punggol Coast MRT Station. The interior of the MRT station was impressive and it was connected directly to the new Punggol Coast Mall.

Thanks Gerald from JTC for hosting and gave us a guided tour of the different outdoor and indoor spaces that also housed the Singapore Institue of Technology (SIT). The location was very far so I travelled very light only brought my Etchr Accordion Sketchbook, watercolour, waterbrushes and a fountain pen. I finished the sketch on last four pages of the sketchbook.

What a HUGE turn out for our official May sketchwalk on last Saturday of the month despite this scorching hot, humid and brutal weather! So glad to meet Simone Ridyard from Manchester and chat over coffee with Tony Chua, the youngsters need lunch but we young seniors need only iced-coffee at Luckin Coffee, HA!

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 520 x 210 mm