Old Watercolour Paper

I found some old watercolour papers with splashes and used it for this morning sketchwalk at Orchard Road. Added a bit of darker colours at home for the contrast.

Daler Rowney Watercolour Paper
Size: 420 x 297mm

November Sketchwalk at Orchard Road

Hi Sketchers!

This month, we're heading to Orchard Road to soak in the festive spirit of the Christmas season! From dazzling light displays to charming pop-up stores and beautifully decorated Christmas trees, the holiday magic is all around. Bring your sketchbook, explore Orchard Road at your own pace, and capture the joy of the season on your pages.

Check out what's available here: https://www.visitsingapore.com/.../christmas-light-up/

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𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀:
Date: 30th Nov 2024
Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm
Nearest MRT station: Orchard MRT
Meeting point: Open area outside of ION Orchard entrance
Address: https://maps.app.goo.gl/cnpVtaKeHRmCykCg7
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𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆:
9.30am: Short briefing for new joiners at meeting point.
9.40am: Free and easy sketch
12pm: Start packing your things and make your way for Show & Tell
12.20pm: Show and Tell at meeting point.
*Please note that location of Short briefing and Show and Tell may subject to change, depending weather. Admin will edit location on this post if any changes. Check back if you're lost.
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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 Dorathy Lye

My first Sketching Trip to Johore

Join me and others for the upcoming sketching trip in Johore! Thanks Chankerk Teh of My Art Space : Art Enriches Life for the invitation.

Posted by Tia Boon Sim on Sunday 1 December 2024

YMCA

In my classes that I teach, there is a topic on colour washes and I prepared many cartridge papers splashed with colour washes for the participants. I used the left over 135 gram cartridge papers for the sketchwalk at YMCA. The colour washes are yellow and purple, red and green.

I was not sketching the YMCA building as I was sitting comfortably at the Social Kitchen on level 4 of the YMCA building overlooking the state-of-the-art School of the Arts (SOTA). My youngest son graduated from SOTA and went on to be an Architect. At that time of its inception, while all the elite schools such as Raffles Institution, Raffles Girls School, Convent of Holy Infant Jesus and St. Joseph Institution etc etc were moving out of central city area, government put the new SOTA back into the heart of the city. WOHA, the architect of SOTA designed the running track on the roof top and theatres, cafes etc were located on the lower floors opened to the public.

You can watch the video I made here

For the building history of YMCA Singapore, you can click this link.

Cartridge Paper 135 grams
Noodler's Lexington Grey ink over colour washes

Demo Pieces

You see two almost identical demo pieces side by side because I have two different classes in a week.

These are my demo pieces during the Oct/Nov lessons that I teach at Brahm Centre after my retirement from the higher institutions which I seldom or don't do demo at all. At higher institutions, younger students will engage in self discovery in their art journey after I give them the lecture or briefing at the start of each lesson. However, I realise for senior learners in my current classes, demo is necessary for them to grasp the skills in a structured way.

Cartridge Papers 135 grams
Gel pens, ink and watercolours

Senior Learners

This morning I officially completed another 2 classes of "Pen and Ink Drawing Penang" at Brahm Newton and Tampines for the seniors. I learnt so much from them as much as they picked up so many tips from me. My new class in Jan 2025 is full and new classes at intermediate level will be announced next year. Thanks for all the support!

Dempsey Hill

Breif history of Dempsey Hill in my earlier post at this link: https://tiastudio.blogspot.com/2023/04/final-result.html

Part of Dempsey Hill, or Tanglin Village as it was formerly known, was a nutmeg planatation and military headquarters to the quaint lifestyle, art and culinary enclave it is today in less than two centuries.

Who is Dempsey? The road from Holland Road leading to where Dempsey Hill is today was named after General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey (1896-1969). He was the commanding British 2nd Army involved in the 1944 D-Day landings. During 1945, Dempsey was the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Land Forces South East Asia (ALFSEA) and the General Officer Commanding the Malaya Command, which were both headquartered in Singapore. Several other roads around the Tanglin area were also named after British commanding officers too.

Baohong Organ Sketchbook
Size: 1020 x 170mm

Bidadari Park

The final sketch done on a new accordion sketchbook gifted by Asia Link Sketchwalk Penang. I sketched the Rain Tree Island at Bidadari Park.

I want to find out more about the old Youngberg Hospital and Bidadari Cemetery that I grew up with near the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Upper Aljunied Road. So I was very excited to attend the sketchwalk this morning orgainised by "I Jio You Sketching" group.

First, the bearings in the area since my younger days were all gone! Upper Aljunied Road is now flanked with all the new tall residential blocks that at a glance I cannot tell which blocks are HDB flats and which blocks are private residences. Anyway we missed the entrance to Woodleigh Hawker Centre so we went a few rounds and decided to park at Woodleigh Mall. I enjoyed my breakfast at Food Republic foodcourt inside the mega mall before heading to Bidadari Park.

According to the map Bidadari Park is a very huge park. I found many sketchers along the way and some had almost completed their sketches. I settled with a small group to sketch the very big heritage tree in the middle of the lake. I found out later it was called Rain Tree Island in Alkaff Lake.

Well, this place is changing rapidly without recognition and perhaps the heritage rain tree is the only old thing left today.

The new HDB estate around the lake is called Alkaff Lake View. If you tell the taxi driver you are going to Alkaff Lake View, you think all taxi drivers know the location? It is like in Tampines, there is a HDB estate called "Poly View" since it is opposite Temasek Polytechnic, you think the taxi drivers know where?

Pierre Cardin A5 Accordion Sketchbook
Size: 725 x 210mm

Here is the old map indicating the location of the old Bidadari Cemetery and a new map that is still not updated yet.