Work in Progress

I started a new sketchbook by Etchr accordion format on 13 April 2024 during "I Jio You" sketchwalk at Tiong Bahru. I went back to Tiong Bahru and continued to sketch. Work is in progress.

The first few pages of the book is this sketch at Tiong Bahru here.

I Jio You

I am starting a new sketchbook by Etchr accordion format. I will go back to Tiong Bahru and continue to sketch a panoramic view starting from this sketch. It was a hot day last Saturday so we all sat under the shade on one side of the pedestrianized road. You can see a few of them on the bottom left of the sketch.

Etchr Accordion Sketchbook
Size : 520 x 210mm

Cropped Sketch

Result of Sketchwalk this morning

September Sketchwalk at Tiong Bahru

Credit: Sketch by TIA 

We’re headed to beautifully rustic Tiong Bahru this Sat! 

Tiong Bahru is not a super huge estate, but it’s big enough for us to be well spread out, with many gorgeous vantage points to sketch from: 

 • Tiong Bahru Market (you can sketch it from afar or in it while you sip your Kopi)

 • Seng Poh / Eng Hoon St segment (with many eateries, and the famous Monkey God temple, etc.) 

 • Yong Siak St (the quiet corner where BooksActually had operated out of for years, till their recent move - some of you may have missed the organised sketchwalk there recently, this will be your last opportunity to capture at least the shop front) 

• Bird Watchers’ Corner across the street from Tiong Bahru Market 

• Any back porch or walkways between gorgeous timeless Art Deco architecture that sets Tiong Bahru apart.

In still keeping with government safety guidelines, we still will not be having our usual big group briefing at the start, and show n tell at the end. 

Here’s how we will continue to do it (like last month’s): 

1. Arrange to meet fellow sketchers — no more than 5 in a group — by posting the spot you plan to capture on the event wall; ask who's joining and discuss in the comments until you confirm your little quintet. 

2.Make your way to the location, be aware of surroundings, and maintain required distancing; remain in your separate groups. 

3. Challenge yourself to find and frame a viewpoint that hasn't been seen yet; this will also help prevent too many of us crowding the same perching points. 

4. Post your sketches, snapshots and videos online — with hashtags #usksgsketchwalk #usksg — so everyone can easily find the day's artistic output. 

5. Some sketch leaders will go around to catch you in action for posts on Facebook and Instagram, so look out for them! 

6. We will do a Sketch Show via ZOOM at 3:00 PM to substitute our usual post-sketchwalk gathering; make your way home — or anywhere suitable — in time to join the session. 

See you on Saturday!

Sketching at Tiong Bahru

Last Saturday sketching with Urban Sketchers Singapore.

I missed the official sketchwalks this year and great to be back with the Urban Sketchers Singapore this morning at my favourite place to sketch. I planned to sketch block 58 from the wet market side but the beautiful bushy yellow-flowered tree now covered the entire corner of block 58 where Whisk used to be! I was sketching opposite the wet market and the cars, vans and even one big delivery truck blocked my view from 5 to 15 mins as in this car on the left and to almost an hour as in the car on the right!. It was really challenging and so much have changed in Tiong Bahru Estate. Both old corner shops were gone but the charming buildings still there! Now it is Prive on the left and Little House of Dreams on the right! Oh yes, SGH in the distance.

My work on auction for charity

UPDATE: My piece was SOLD in Dec 2019 for a good cause. Thank You.

Dear friends,

I don't do personal exhibition or sell my work after 2 successful sell-out exhibitions at White Canvas Gallery at Tiong Bahru in early 2010s. Now, a piece of my watercolour on Tiong Bahru is on auction for NUS. If you're interested in bidding for it, please register your interest here: https://nus.edu/2nOIB2M and email Genevieve at sdegly@nus.edu.sg for any queries.

Thank you for your support all these years.

Travellution Singapore

They invited us to a local Bah Kut Teh coffee shop at Tiong Bahru for lunch on a Saturday after the release of the first episode on local TV. You can see all the photos here.

There is also an article by blogger Tony Boey aka Johor Kaki at this link:Johor Kaki

Splashes and Washes again

In the mood of splashes and washes again, this time more lines and dots by brushes.

Cleaning the Palette

Cleaning the palette, so not to waste the colours I did this sketch after another sketch on Tiong Bahru. Now my palette is clean. This sketch out of a spur moment brought back fond memories when I had exhibition for consecutive two years in 2011 and 2012. It was captured by the media at that time with my sketch on the article. You can see more Tiong Bahru sketches at Tiong Bahru Sketches

Sketch at the same spot again at Tiong Bahru

  

  

The top is the completed work and the next one was taken just before I apply colouring on location. I led a group of my colleagues and their families to Tiong Bahru and sketch. The ad-hoc sketchwalk was conducted in conjunction with the LEGO exhibition at the campus. Sum Kwan, the 5-year-old boy really impressed me with his drawing. He could identify shapes on the spot and drew with very confident lines. Paul's son who is nine, is also good and bold in his line work. I had so much to observe and learn from these children. The lease we can do is to encourage them to do more so they will continue to sketch, draw, paint and enjoy the process of mark making.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

I was chilling at Tiong Bahru Bakery with a sketch after work.

sketch for the TV

Another fun sketching day at Tiong Bahru with Channel New Asia filming the sketchers for a programme called 'red dot'.

Drawn on Receipt

My muji sketchbook was displayed as part of the exhibition so I sketched this behind the back of the receipt at Ah Chiong Porride, Tiong Bahru.

Book launch at Bookactually

Zhu Hong had his book launch at Booksactually, 9 Yong Siak Street at Tiong Bahru Estate. Had not seen Miel Dengcoy for a while. He is here in my sketch on the left with Ignatius Yeo in the middle and Zhu Hong on the right. He was holding his phone, again. If you not already known, his latest book entitled 'Have phone, will paint' collected more than 125 pages of sketches done with his Samsung Galaxy Note. Finally, can you spot Cake, the cat in my sketch too?

Possible National Day Project

Here is another one I did on Monday morning at Tiong Bahru for a National Day project. It was fun doing it again at the same spot for a photo shoot, possibly a video format. It was a great feeling to be able to contribute to this year's National Day again. The previous experience was the launch of the National Day First Day Cover where my art pieces were made into stamps. You can read about it here.

Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail

This morning the sketchers were sketching at Tiong Bahru on the invitation of National Heritage Board to take part in the launch of the Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail. I did two sketches with my like-minded fellow sketchers, interviewed by the media, talked to Ms Indranee Rajah, the Member of Parliament, also Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education. What a day!

Join us this Sunday

We are very privileged to be invited by National Heritage Board to assist in launching the Tiong Bahru Heritage trail. Using our sketches, we will demostrate our very unique way of recording and interacting with heritage and culture.

Ms Indranee Thurai Rajah, Ministry for Law and Ministry of Education, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC will be the guest of honor. She will launch the event and even watch us sketch on-location. 

Bring a friend along and we hope to see you this Sunday at Tiong Bahru with your sketching materials.

back to Tiong Bahru

There will be an ad-hoc sketchwalk this coming Sunday from 9am to 12nn to coincide with the launch of the Tiong Bahru Heritage Trail organised by National Heritage Board. Urban Sketchers Singapore are leading the community to sketch the area and we are also given a booth to display our sketches at Tiong Bahru Community Club. I realise I do not have any loose sketches of Tiong Bahru as all of them were sold during the two exhibitions in the past two years. So I went down after my office hour to sketch again. I did two pieces in the long sketchbook which I bought in Bangkok for only 100Bht or S$4.00. Very cheap and the paper quality is good that no problem for heavy washes.

Size : 160mm x 300mm
Media : ink and watercolour

Liz is in town!

Liz Steel is in town! She arrived last Friday night and I arranged for a sketchwalk on the following Saturday at Tiong Bahru, it was again another big turn out. I did two sketches on that day.