Thanksgiving Sutra Chanting Ceremony

There's more to Orchard Rd, Singapore than glitzy shops. The Ngee Ann Kongsi (Ngee Ann clan) organized a thanksgiving and sutra chanting ceremony in a make shift temple at Ngee Ann City Plaza over a recent weekend. 

There were tables of food and artifacts made out of paper which would have been burnt later as offerings. These included paper cigarettes and gambling cards!

I sketched the participants chanting at each station as they went round the ornate tent. It was unbearably hot in the tent, I don't know how they managed in their magnificent long red robes. 

Colours were added at home and I bought a gold marker to add the gold thread on the robes. These are the first sketches in my new Stillman and Birn Beta journal. The paper seems great for watercolour but the small areas of paint in these particular sketches don't put it to the test. 

Pen and ink, watercolour, #Stillman&Birn Beta Sketchbook, 5.5 x 8.5ins. 

Chinese Heritage Centre 2016

You can't be a sketcher on campus at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) without sketching the Chinese Heritage Centre. Started in 1995, it is a research centre specialising in the study of overseas Chinese. Although the front of the building is the more interesting, I captured the back only because I could sketch it from the comfort of the newly opened Gong Cha tea and cake cafe. A small lychee and Alishan tea with Aiyu jelly will set you back $5.50! It was worth it.

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”.

Humanities and Social Sciences Building

This is the approach to the Humanities and Social Sciences Building (HSS) on the Nanyang Technological University campus where J has his office. It's a 5 min walk from where we live. Talk about an easy commute! I found this a rather difficult sketch to colour in as almost everything is GREEN! This second attempt isn't too bad.

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”.

Sketching People on the Train

I continue to like sketching people on the train and since I have a longish commute to get just about anywhere, it's too good an opportunity to miss.

Always interesting when you get someone in ethnic dress. This Indian lady had a ring on her toe.

In the next sketch I tried to think about composition and added the lady at extreme right while on the way home to fill in the page a bit more.

Tombow marker, #HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5"

Nanyang Valley

This is the view of Nanyang Valley on the campus of Nanyang Technologial University (NTU), Singapore where I'm spending a few months. The president of the university lives on top of the hill. He must have a good view.

Here I attempted to make a change from my usual pen focused work and worked only with pencil and watercolour. Part of the challenge was painting a scene where everything was GREEN! 

Before I could take this photo the garbage truck had been and emptied the green bin!

Pencil, watercolour, on #Strathmore400 series Watercolour Journal 7.75”x9.75”

The Hive at NTU

There is some interesting architecture on the campus at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. The Hive is probably the most way-out, not to mention such a challenge to sketch. Once I got the gestural set up done with a watercolour pencil though it wasn't too hard to do the rest in ink.

Opened in 2015 it contains smart classrooms equipped for student collaboration and student interaction. 

I wonder how it got it's name...

This is the interior. It's gloomy and cool, just right for busy bees to take a break.

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”.

Tapas and Sketching

It was an indulgent Saturday – shopping for art materials and then lunch at an unexpectedly good tapas restaurant. It turned into a rather long and relaxing sojourn while waiting for the rain to clear so we ate and ate. I rather like my new brown Tombow marker with non permanent ink! Here's what we ate!

A bonus was being able to sketch the corner of the famous Raffles Hotel. The sky got darker and darker, we felt like we could have been somewhere in Europe in that restaurant.

Colour was added at home.

First sketch - Tombow marker, #HandbookJournal 5.5"x5.5"
Second sketch - Markers, #Pentelbrushpen, watercolour, on #Strathmore400 series Watercolour Journal 7.75”x9.75”

A View of the Goodwood Hotel

A staycation at York Hotel over the Easter weekend (for nostalgia's sake) gave me this vantage point over the famous Goodwood Hotel. Once a clubhouse for the German community, it was occupied by high ranking Japanese officers during World War II. Later a leader in the hotel industry, it continues to be a top end hotel.

Pen and ink, watercolour, #HandbookJournal (watercolour) 5.25”x8.25”.