First Day of Asia Link Sketchwalk Suwon

This is Day 4 for my Korean trip but first day of Asia Link Sketchwalk event in Suwon. after 1pm registration, I went to the rooftop of Suwon Convention Centre to sketch the beautiful Woncheon Lake.
4th sketch on 280 x 255mm Saunders Waterford Watercolour Sketchbook.

Ipoh Sketchbook

A sketch at the airport lounge at Ipoh International Airport to kill boredom. Also the last sketch in the Moleskine Japanese Album Large. Another travel sketchbook completed.

A Sketch from the Weil Hotel

The sky only turned brighter after 7am so we had a coffee and quick bite before leaving the hotel for a dim sum breakfast in town booked at 8am. This sketch was done between the time we came back from a pottery studio visit and lunch at the hotel say at noon and hotel checking out at 1pm not to mention the quick packing before we left the room.

I was checking high and low on the google map when we came back from Ipoh the landmarks in this sketch. Friends said the tower could be the airport but I only found out today that it was the tower at Perak Turf Club on the left and Impiana Hotel on the right.

Charcoal Factory

The compound is so big and there are many charcoal factories with wood kilns next to the river. We met Mr Tan Chin Soon, the guide who is the third generation of the operator at My Charcoal Factory. I was standing and sketching the charcoal factory after the initial tour of the place. Heat, ashes, dust and workers working all around me so I had to sketch real quick. More details at:
https://www.facebook.com/mycharcoalfactory/
https://www.facebook.com/KualaSepetangCharcoalFactory/
https://www.facebook.com/portweldcharcoals/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT-DbURnos8&t=312s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A51eFFycQT0

First sketch in Ipoh

Caught sketching the one of the two small wood kilns while the others still checking out the two huge abandoned wood kilns at the former Sin Cheak Lee Pottery. Took group photo with Fa Kor, the owener of the small kilns. His real name is Chin Kam Peng (陈金平).

More details at:
https://www.facebook.com/hspwiph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnZeDrm0CW0

A Customary Sketch at Airport

Midori Journals

Classic Lo Scrittoio Journal

Just realised I did not mention this classic Lo Scrittoio Journal cum Sketchbook I bought from a charming shop in Florence in 2001. It was my very first organised journal or travel sketchbook when I was in Italy and USA from 2001 to 2003. The paper is not suitable for sketching or watercolour work but it had served me well, thank you for your company and fond memories. 

Need to to a post on the sketchbooks of various formats that I used, also another post on the loose papers: 

1. Lo Scrittoio 

2. Midori Journals
3. Daler Rowdney 
4. Muji Sketchbook 
5. Laloran Sketchbook 
6. Sennelier Sketchbook 
7. Seawhite Concertina Sketchbook 
8. Moleskine Sketchbook 
9. Moleskine Japanese Album pocket and large

Drawn Map of Boston

A page in my Midori book 2 dated 17 Oct 2000 in Boston. I was attending a talk by Benjamin Zandar on his book "The Art of Possibility" at Havard University. He was the conductor for Boston Philharmonic Orchestra but very interesting talk not about music but about life, philosophies and possibilities. I remember walking out thinking of "empowerment" and a new concept of "everyone's a conductor in the orchestra."

Midori Journals

I was using Midori notebooks from 2001 to 2009 for a good twenty years for my travels.
2001 to 2002 - Lucca and other cities in Italy
2002 to 2004 - New York, Ausable Chasm, lake Placid, lookout Mountain and other cities in America
2003 to 2009 - Hong Kong, Shanghai and other cities in China
2003 - Thailand
2006 - Taipei
2008 - Chicago
2009 - Penang
2009 - Korea
2010 - Zhangjiajie, China

First Night Sketch

Day one, 22 March. Most of the sketchers from Singapore were in Jogja from 22 to 24 March for the weekend because of work. My institution was having a semester end vacation so I could extend my stay in Jogja from 21 to 26 March. I called 21 March Day Zero so 22 March was Day one when most of the sketchers arrived.

We met at 2pm in the hotel and it started pouring when we wanted to go to Tama Sari to sketch the Water Castle but it was raining and drizzling non-stop. We ended up in Plasa Pasar Ngasem for a group photo after sipping coffee and sketching at the near-by Water Castle Cafe operated by a very nice family with 90-year-old grand mother and grandchildren all involved in art, music and cafe business in the vicinity.

I did a sketch outside the water castle when it was closed at 4pm before meeting up with the group at the cafe under the wet weather. We headed toward Malioboro and it was getting darker and darker. For a very long time, this should be my first night sketch ever and it was done in Yogyakarta at the junction of Jalan Malioboro and Jalan Raya Jogja on Bank of Indonesia with the Post Office on the right of the sketch.

Prawirotaman Traditional Market

Day one, 22 March. In the early morning, Lin, George, myself and husband were in Jogja earlier before the gang so we visited Prawirotaman traditional market. It was full of life, taste, smell and colours. Motorbikes lined up along the street with very small gaps for us to walk. The entrance of the market laid a rock against a green wall and the statue of a soldier to mark a historical event.

Walking past this entrance, the area behind the market had many hostels, homestay and hotels with affordable prices.

We found Via Via restaurant down the street and I bought a bag made of recycled truck tires from retail shop after getting the refreshing local drinks at Via Via. It was a very fruitful morning with a sketch done opposite the market. It was also the first sketch on a new self-made Saunders Waterford concertina sketchbook.

https://www.yogya-backpacker.com/prawirotaman-backpacker-street/
http://viaviajogja.com/shop.php#fairtrade

Sketching Prambanan

Day two, 23 March. Sketching with the gang from 22 - 24 March 2019. This is my long sketch at Prambanan and part details at Prambanan.

I was sketching alone on the South side after walking one big round and I tried to capture the light in the morning from the East.

There were restoration workers inside and outside the make-shift tents hammering away providing background music while I sketched under a big tree surrounded by ancient stones.

Yogyakarta Travel Sketchbooks

Completed 2 self-made concertina sketchbooks for the Jogja trip from 20 to 26 March 2019. Joining the gang to sketch from 22 to 24 March. One of the sketchbooks was with colours and the other only ink for quick sketches. We were not allowed to sketch at the Kreton and no colouring at Borobudur.

I will add colours when I feel like it later, depending on my mood.

Yogyarkarta Sketching Trip

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Moments from Day 1 @ Jogja... #usksg #usk #urbansketchers #urbansketching #sketchtrip #sketch #yogyakarta #sketchbuddies #sketchjogja2019

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Airport

We were very early at the airport so I had time to do a sketch at Hong Kong International Airport 香港國際機場. My husband could spend time walking around the huge airport to enjoy the exhibition and shopping or sampling of food and drink while I was sketching peacefully at the spacious lounge before arriving at the gate to take off to Singapore.

Dim Sum Breakfast in Hong Kong

A dim sum place so affordable to benefit the neighbourhood. The very nice boss mingled around the crowd and collected the order slips. We met the boss, Ah Hua in his 50s - so flamboyant and loud. He worked in Singapore for 20 years and told us "I only go back to Singapore to collect rent" wow......

Tai Kwun

I posted this sketch using my iPhone on Facebook. Here is a scanned copy of Tai Kwun, Hong Kong.
This place used to be the main police station and house the prison. Now it is a heritage site. I really enjoyed the contemporary art exhibition there. This is the first page of a new sketchbook. Also the first sketch in Hong Kong after Taiwan.

Li Yu Tan

This is Liyutan, another lake at our homestay.
Almost forgotten about this piece coz it was in a separate sketchbook made of Saunders Waterford Watercolour Paper.
I feel the emotion of my piece does not do justice to the state of serenity, calm and peaceful of this lake from the photo below.
埔里鲤鱼潭，七里山塘民宿

Itashao Pier

Last page of the sketchbook.

Itashao Pier is one of the four piers at Sun Moon Lake. I visited all the four piers, they are:
Itashao Pier 伊达邵码头
Syuanfuang Pier 玄光码头
Chaowu Pier and 朝雾码头
Shuishe Pier (where we stayed)水社码头