Asia Link Sketchwalk in Bangkok

TOP: BOOK ONE
ABOVE: BOOK TWO
LEFT : On the left was the empty Seawhite Concertina Sketchbook I brought for my recent sketching trip. I attended the Asia Link Sketchwalk from 24 to 27 Nov 2016 in Bangkok and extended my Bangkok trip from 28 Nov to 1 Dec, 2016 after the event. I completed two Seawhite Concertina Sketchbooks that I bought in London with the help from Anne Marie Percival, a fellow sketcher from Manchester when I visited London, Manchester and Liverpool for the 7th Urban Sketchers Symposium in July this year. I want to buy more but the shipping cost is just too high so I have to go back to my usual Moleskine Japanese Album.

Thai neighbourhood

Day 2 - 4th piece. This Chinese community was vibrant and full of life with shops and hawker stalls sprawling over the narrow roads. It was just next to the Princess Mother Memorial Park.

Size : 410mm x 310mm or 16" x 12"
Medium : Dropper ink and wash
Paper : St Cuthberts Mill's Bockingford Watercolour Paper

the canal community

Day 2 - 3rd piece. In the afternoon, I followed the group to visit a market only to find out that it was an abandoned old market in the Roang Kram Community. We then walked to this interesting open space in a dense residential quarter. The fish mural wall was a community project and there were so many big and small, simple and elaborated outdoor shrines on the right.

Size : 410mm x 310mm or 16" x 12"
Medium : Dropper ink and wash
Paper : St Cuthberts Mill's Bockingford Watercolour Paper

another Monastery

Day 2 - 1st and 2nd pieces.

left - This is the Monastery area at Wat Buppharam. As the monks had been informed of our sketching activity, they left us alone but a few came standing behind us and watched for a short while. Again, I had to sketch the attractive overhead cables, they were all over the city. I also noticed there were many stray dogs around but they were well taken care of by the monks.

right - On the left is a bell tower, not very tall but I was intrigued by the small gap between the bell tower and a old charming house with large roof overhang. There was a man who came down of the stairs and entered the room on the left of the bell tower. It must be a very very small room probably only 2m x 2m.

Size : 254mm x 178mm or 10" x 7"
Medium : ink and watercolour

a Chinese temple in Bangkok

Day 1 - 4th piece at the Klongsan area, the Kuan Yu Shrine.

Size : 410mm x 310mm or 16" x 12"
Medium : Noodler's Spirit of Bamboo ink and Watercolour
Paper : St Cuthberts Mill's Bockingford Watercolour Paper

monastery

Day 1 - 3rd piece at the monastery area. We saw many devotees entering this monk's residence with offerings. He must be a very popular monk. The monk later came out of the door and conducted a simple ritual to bless a new car parked along the road where we seated. By now, I noticed Bangkok had all the wooden or metal posts with huge overhead cables tangling, running across everywhere.

Size : 410mm x 310mm or 16" x 12"
Medium : Dropper ink and wash
Paper : St Cuthberts Mill's Bockingford Watercolour Paper

turtle lake

Day 1 - 2nd piece. A Chinese style turtle lake and garden near to the Steel Fence Temple or Wat Prayura Pagoda. I had only ten minutes so I decided to do a very broad-stroke sketch. I used the dropper directly from the ink bottle to sketch.

Size : 200 x 400mm or 8" x 16"
Medium : dropper ink and wash

at the jetty

Day 1 - 1st piece at Wat Prayurawongs river view. The building on the right is Department of City Police. I was sketching this view from the floating platform after the bridge on the right. People were surprised that I did not get any headache or motion sickness. I said I had that all the time imaging myself moving left, right, front and back in everyday's life. HA!

Size : 200 x 400mm or 8" x 16"
Medium : ink and watercolour

Wat Pho

Day 0 - A very quick sketch before the sky got darker, plus i was doing work, distributing name tag, badges, sketchbooks and saying hello to so many sketchers from Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan, Australia, Phuket and Bangkok. Before the sketch, I joined the tour conducted by the assistant abbot of Wat Pho. We were treated to a welcome dinner hosted by the temple in the open ground. Some sketchers were still sketching in the dark.

Size : 200 x 400mm or 8" x 16"
Medium : Ink and Watercolour

at the airport

We were so early at Suvarnabhumi Airport, rested well at the airport lounge and ready to go home!

colourful dessert stall

Classic Thai mango sticky rice dessert plus many other choices!!!! The pile in front of the lady is the sticky rice.

at the mosque

A very relax sketch at the Mosque along ChaoPhraya River. As we visited Thai shrines, Chinese temples and the Muslim mosques, it was so fascinating to know all the religious buildings co-exist harmoniously along the ChaoPhraya River. The abbots, monks and imams all spoke the Thai language in their respective costumes.

a group photo

Group picture at Princess Mother Memorial Park on the last day of the event on 24 Feb 2013. Participants from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand sketched together with new friendship and lots of fun despite the hot and humid weather at 38deg C at times.
Photo credit : The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand (RPST)by Mr. Jirawat Phuengsomwong และคุณอ๊อด

Tak Sin Cross River Ferry Pier and Ibis Hotel

Day 1 on 22 Feb 2013 for the Sketchwalk ChaoPhraya event in Bangkok. After checking in at Ibis Hotel from the airport and having tea reception hosted by a nice local lady who co-owned a nice cafe, we walked to Tak Sin Cross River Ferry Pier to take a water taxi to the other side called Sathon Pier along ChaoPhraya River for just 3.50bht or below 20cents!!! We then took another water taxi from Sathon Pier to Wat Pho for the temple tour and recepiton dinner hosted by the Assistant Abbot. What an honour!

Bangkok here I come!

I did a sketch on my way to Bangkok when I chanced upon this guy with his branded eye-wear and outfit was reading Monocle!

Bangkok Sketchwalk Video

ChaoPhraya Sketchwalk in Bangkok (Feb 2013) from ParkaBlogs on Vimeo.

Cover

Here is the front and back cover of the foldable sketchbook I brought for this trip. I just got back from Bangkok for the Sketchwalk ChaoPhraya event from 22 to 25 Feb 2013 together with sketchers from Penang, Taiwan, Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket and Bangkok! I will scan my work when I clear the important stuff in the office. The day I was back to the office, I had to clear about 150 emails. More information about the trip and sketches on Facebook.