july sketchwalk video by Parka

another long sketch

Another long sketch on folder paper. This time black Noodler's ink which I have not been using for a while. This sketch took approximately 45 minutes from one end to the other. Love the shadow and the composition of high and low, new and old street scene of Singapore. I may do a painting in the future.

back to Tiong Bahru

Second ink and watercolour sketch at Tiong Bahru. The weather was so hot but I was attracted to the shadow.

back lane

First blank and white sketch at the cool back lane of Tiong Bahru.

July Sketchwalk

Meet at 9:30 am at the main entrance of Tiong Bahru Market

early Sunday morning

Sunday morning before joining the music group, I stopped at the quiet Kampong Glam for this sketch inside the comfort of my air-cond car. Weather is so hot these days.

at 112 Katong Mall again

Sunday evening after dinner, a good cup of black coffee at night with my husband. Peaceful.

True Blue Cuisine

Best Ayam Buah Keluak i have so far. just love the chunky sago gula melaka. Bring back fond memories.

my sketching gear

two long sketches on Penang

King Street in Little India, Penang. About 2 or 3 blocks away from the hustling and bustling of Pitt Street where Kuan Inn Temple is located.

Ink and Watercolour, 240x680mm


On Monday, I went back to Armenian Street to do this sketch. Armenian Street was dead quiet compared to Saturday when we were there. The weather was also cooler.

Ink and Watercolour, 240x680mm

video by Alvin Tan

old market

This was the morning that we said Adios to Penang. So we roamed the market at Cambell Street trying to find some local breakfast. We had Chinese braised noodle 'Lor Mee' and the Indian pancake 'roti prata' plus a black coffee 'kopi-o'. It was interesting to have Chinese and Indian hawkers located side by side and sharing tables hormoniously. Only in Penang!

night out in Penang

At CF food centre between the Clan Jetties and China House. All within working distance in George Town, Penang. Alvin is on the left and Parka on the right. Could work on likeness if I continue to work on it but it is a quick sketch in the spirit of Urban Sketching!

Why did I sketch this? Alvin was eating a big big bowl of pig blood soup which is not available in Singapore as all pigs are now slaughtered in the slaughter house and pig blood is not available in the market anymore. It is a cultural thing, an acquired taste and it tastes yummy with salt. Singaporeans and Malaysians still eat pig blood whereas Taiwaneses love duck blood in their soup broth.

morning breakfast

Old style dim sum breakfast at the very crowded Tho Yuen Restaurant at Campbell Street in Chinatown. Food were ordered from trolleys on wheels.

night activities

Together with Dr Gwynn Jenkins of Equator Academic of Art, Penang, Liu Wen Xiang from Taipei, I was giving a talk on the first night at the event "Sketching George Town" in conjunction with George Town Heritage Festival. This is the sketch on second night whereby Ch'ng Kiah Kien from Penang was giving a talk. Another speaker was Asnee from Bangkok.


After the talk, we went to Red Garden for what else, local food! There were tourists from Taiwan kept giving garlands to this male singer on the stage. I was told the garlands were tips for the singer and they were to be exchanged for cash for the singer after the show. I was using a new pen, a gift from Jayson Yeoh from Penang. The pen was a Gel Ink Pen from China called "Veiao" model V-118, very smooth and fluid. A little too fluid for my liking.

morning in Chinatown

I was told there were three Chinese Dim Sum Restaurants in Chinatown at Campbell Street. We chanced into one of them here. It was not crowded considering it was a Sunday morning! The lottery tickets next to the cashier counter hung from the circular shaped cloth hanger caught my attention. The old lady sitting at the cash register must be the lady boss of the restaurant. On the counter, cloth pegs were spotted on a line probably meant to hang the bills. I just love this old and simple local way of managing the business. In a newer set up, this will be replaced by small pigeon holes for the bills.

phoenix keyboard

I use Muji Sketchbook for sketching people in cafes, events or activities. However, I have not filled up the pages meant for the month of June. So I was determined to fill it up during the Penang trip. This is the sketch at the lifestyle shop at 14, Armenian Street with this furniture maker in his 60s playing an unique musical instrument with keys and strings. His right hand would hold the guitar pick on the strings while holding on to the keys with his left hand. He told me the instrument was called the Phoenix Keyboard. The repertoires were old tunes and the tempo joyous but in inconsistent bits at times.

video on Penang trip by Parka

Liu Wen Xiang from Taipei

Liu Wen Xiang is a very interesting sketcher from Taipei. I sketched him while he was giving a talk. He travels to the most remote places in his small bicycle. He has cycled up to Penang Hill also the winding Genting Highland which is about 6000 feet above sea level!

after the party

After the welcome reception at Chinatown House, we joined a few sketcher friends at the corner local coffee shop for a drink before heading back to our hotels. I did a sketch of Han Seng and Chit Seng after a cold beer.

Penang here we come!

23 Urban Sketchers from Singapore met up with sketchers from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johore Bahru, Bangkok, Taipei and perhaps some from other cities in Malaysia, about 100 sketchers in total. We were attending a sketching workshop in conjunction with the George Town Heritage Festival from 6 to 10 July 2012.

The top is my first sketch on the plane. I was trying to fill up my Muji Sketchbook meant for June sketches. The bottom sketch was done on a loose paper folded into a 'handmade sketchpad'. Parka was sitting on my right and he took picture and video of me sketching one of the pieces. Parka's set of photos on the trip can be found on his flickr.

delifrance near post office

I went to Post Office@Eunos at 8.00am one morning but they only opened at 8.30am. So I had a good breakfast with a sketch at the Delifrance next door. The Tuna pastry was really yummy!

coffee club with my son

A quick sketch of my son reading after dinner at Coffee Club, Siglap. The ink is not flowing smoothly, it's about time I flush the ink and clean the fountain pen.

school canteen

My hero fountain pen and ink are not working well. May be it is time to flush the pen and change the ink. Anyway, it was also a good practise that I had to sketch really quick so the ink will not stay too long at one spot to develop into too many 'icicles' that you see here.

My Old Home at Toa Payoh

2nd sketch of block 53 in the background. I coloured the water tank in green just as I remembered it when I was a teenager staying on the 11th floor of that block which still has a conservatory floor on the top. Queen Elizabeth visited the block in 1972. thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/a-journey-th...