Marusui Fish Market at Vivo City

Tonight was Japanese meal at Vivo City for me, not once but twice, all because I wanted to do a sketch at Marusui Fish Market. I had an expensive meal at another Japanese Restaurant, 3 slices of salmon belly sashimi cost S$15 and a piece of lamp chop cost S$12. I also had a bowl of chawanmushi for another S$12. The food was average so it was over priced. I will not go back again. After viewing the design show for about an hour, I went to Marusui Fish Market for another bowl of S$15 black pork ramen so I could rest and did the sketch. It tasted very good. Yummy! My stomach was so full! The sketch also brought a big smile to the waitress on the right.

CADD training

We had a 3-day training on ArchiCAD in the office. The trainers are Jason and Paula. Jason was standing and Paula with the long plaited hair was sitting. Both were helping my colleagues at the computers while I sketched.

March Sketchwalk

Our sketchwalk this month will start from the National library area where you can draw from the higher floors of the library (esp the open area on the 5th floor) and the famous Straits Commecial store, then head towards bras basah complex (home to art friend and Basheer books), draw the raffles hotel facing it, walk over the the cathedral across the road and then along waterloo street. Lots to draw. At 12:30pm be back at Hanis Cafe at the library for show and tell. See you there!

MEETING POINT:  Hanis (Han's) cafe at the National Library. (drop at Bugis MRT stn.)
MEETING TIME: 9:30AM
DRAWING LOCATIONS: Bras Basah complex, Straits Commercial art shop, The National Library, Raffles Hotel, St Joseph's church, Waterloo street.
SUGGESTED ROUTE:

family dinner

Family dinner at Thien Kee Steam Boat, the big lady in the middle caught my attention so I took out my muji sketchbook. The younger shop owner was very excited so as his mom and dad, not to mention all the helpers.

we have a visitor

Fredericka aka Freddie visited Singapore so Paul, Parka and I met with her at the Fika restaurant at Kampong Glam. We had a great time sketching indoor as it was drizzling outside. We brought her to see the big Mosque and the shophouses at Kampong Glam area.

Result of ad-hoc Sketchwalk at Marina Barrage

My first piece, did this alone along the ramp hide under the tiny shadow cast by the parapet. Also with the new Noodler's pen, don't quite get used to it. ink flow not so ideal but I managed to complete it.


My second piece, did it sitting together with other sketchers. This one done with hero pen bought by James Tan the ink flow not so ideal too, spot the 'sometime thick sometime dry' lines. HA!


My third piece, did this with Andrew Tan Tsun Wen's 20 years crayon, not kidding. Also with Patrick Ng's new crayon especially the white colour. Here is the group picture for the big turn out!

Marina Bay

Today I brought 12 new students to Marina Bay for a tour at the City Gallery and then, what else, sketch! I did this piece as line work demo for 10 mins. Then added more details and colours while students worked on their own piece. May be another 30 to 40 minutes.

Learning points : composition, vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines, foreground, midground and background, tonal values, light shade and shadow.

Plus how I worked around a big accidental ink drop just below the Fulluton Hotel. Spot the ink drop?

Raffles City

Too much work in the office, decided to go to Raffles City for a coffee break at J.CO after work.

Marina Barrage and Special Sketchwalk

food republic at 112 Katong

112 Katong is a relatively new neighbourhood shopping centre with too many eateries, cafes and restaurants. It further proved that eating is a popular activity in our country. This is a sketch at the Food Republic, a food court with many good food stalls on the top floor. There are tuition centres and a cinema on the opposite side of the floor. Tuition centres are making a lot of money from the parents who are sending their children for additional classes hoping that they will excel in Schools.

My Noodler's Peranakan Brown ink dried up so I used another hero pen with Noodler's Spirit of Bamboo ink. Can you spot the difference?

the day i lost my sketchbook

This is the first sketch I did last Saturday in a new muji sketchbook. I left my hero pen and muji sketchbook at this Spinelli cafe when I left. I only realized it on Monday but I was so relieved that they were keeping it safe for me when I called the cafe. Lesson learnt: write the name and contact number on the sketchbook so it can be traced to the owner.

Bukit Brown Heritage Park

Bukit Brown covers 211 acres of lush greenery land with beautiful terrain, vegetation and wildlife. It lacks master planning and ancillary facilities such as washrooms, shelters, street furniture and a visitor center to be made into a heritage park with its rich historical and cultural background. On the contrary, a main highway was approved by the competent authorities that cut through the heart of Bukit Brown Cemetery.

Urban sketchers roamed the park in the early morning last Saturday with a quick tour conducted by Lim Su Min, a fellow urban sketcher whose ancestors' graves were also located all over the park. Volunteers Catherine Lim, Claire Leow and scholar Dr Hui Yew Foong also showed us around the park. We visited Ong Sam Leong's 'estate', the biggest and most intrigued 'architecture for the dead' in the park. Thank you!

This sketch measuring 240 x 680mm or 9.5 x 27" depicts Mr Chew Geok Leong's 'estate' at Bukit Brown. The tomb is characterized by two full size Sikh guards at the sides. The floor tiles are with floral motif and I am sitting next to the earth god shrine to do this sketch.What is unique about this pair of Sikh guard statues is that they are fully restored with bright red turban. There are many other tombs in Bukit Brown with different Sikh guard statues crafted by artisans with distinctive features. You can see some pictures on this blog.

Here is an article on the place at the Wall Street Journal. If you are interested to find out more about Bukit Brown, go to everything Bukit Brown here. Lets us all do our part not to repeat the story of Bidadari Cemetery which is gone for ever. Save Bukit Brown, make it into a Heritage Park for the benefit of our future generations!

Photos at Bukit Brown

Friday meeting

hokkien mee

This corner coffee shop at Lorong 29, Geylang has the best hokkien mee or noodles in my view. The noodles are fried on a big wok over charcoal which is quite rare in modern Singapore. The satays sold at this coffee shop are very good too. The only problem is that it is very hard to find a parking lot in this area. The big man on the left had a very strange and unique haircut.

Lau Pa Sat

Lau Pa Sat means old market in hokkien dialect. This was drawn at night, we were having satay, crab, sotong, stingray and beer in the outdoor dinning area.

link from Wikipedia about Lau Pat Sat on the history of the building here.

Lau Par Sat was gazetted as a national monument in July 1973. It is a big food court managed by Kopitiam since 1995.

exmination week

16 overseas and local external examiners at a meeting for a 5-day assessment week. I only sketched these few. This speaks of the quality of our design programmes. Yes, I am busy busy busy.

Twin Waterfall

First page of a new Muji Sketchbook meant for the month of Feb. However, I could not find time to start in early Feb as I was busy with work and really tired. On 18 Feb, I sketched the mother and child at Twin Waterfall, the latest executive condominium to be completed in July 2015 in Punggol. My daughter became the owner of the ground floor unit a few weeks later on 4 March 2011.

coffee club

I had my favourite Garlic Prawn Pasta and coffee from Coffee Club. When I started sketching after my meal, I noticed everyone seemed to be looking, texting or playing games at the iPhone in the restaurant.

steamboat for dinner

My husband and I love the charcoal fish head steamboat at Jin Wee Coffee Shop.

night super

Hungry after my music lesson, so I went to Bras Basah Complex for a bowl of noodles.