I have been taking public transport more often these days to save up on parking fees - the school discourages staff to drive and park at the school so the administration raised the price of parking to be similar or even higher than to park downtown or in the shopping belt. Quite ridiculous in my opinion, judging from the fact that the school is located at the far end of Singapore island where no birds would even lay their eggs (a Chinese saying). However I see this as an opportunity to see what's like on the public transport, and maybe how the general public live their lives... due to the high cost of maintaining a car in Singapore, the general public does not drive. That doesn't mean that the country has made public transport efficient. Generally it's very effective if you compare to some other places but may not be as efficient as you expect it to be. Though the country is small, you may take 30-45mins to reach a place relatively close to you. And if your estate is 'big', half of the time on the bus may be just the time to get out of the estate before getting to the main motorways. Timing wise, you may have to wait 10-15mins for a bus to arrive. Good thing though, there is an app or system from which you can tell the timing of the arrival of the bus. However for some estate or town, you may need to change from bus to train and to another train line just to get to a destination. Like I said, the country is small, the system is optimised for profitability and efficiency, and that's the effectiveness of the transport system. 

 

The Business of Sketching in Public Spaces

Chinatown, Singapore (drawn by a fude nib fountain pen on sketchbook)

For any experienced or veteran sketcher (anyone who sketch on-location), it is still a daunting experience to be sketching in any public spaces, when you couldn't help but feel that you are under many watchful and prying eyes, at the same time, being scrutinised for whatever you felt are your weakness. Even under such circumstances, I am still loving sketching, drawing or painting in-situ. Even though you are constantly plagued by self-consciousness, sometimes being in the public spaces help you with getting things done. Having the thought that someone out there is standing with his arms akimbo or crossed in front on his torso and judging you, you tend to want to do a good job and fast. There is always this nagging thought that you should not leave the location with a half baked drawing, even when you are practicing reportage sketching, in which you are sketching the essence of the location, its people and buildings and activities that were going on, thus the sketches might look "unfinished" at first glance. 

Some random sketches from the sketchbook.

I have been sketching for quite some time now but I am still nervous when I whipped out the sketchbook from my bag and methodologically took out the fountain pen from my pencil case. Some part of me felt the exhilaration and some part of me wanted to anticipate a questioning look or a lingering gaze in my direction. Most part of me was pretending that I was just going about with my own business and so should everyone else. Sometimes that's the thing that makes this act of sketching in-situ exciting. Some part of me wanted someone to take notice and some part of me wanted to tell the person to mind his own business. So many conflicting thoughts and emotions! I am fickle minded and I ashamed of it.

Why Sketch in Public

Sketched while having dinner with wife and mum in a Chinese restaurant, painted digital in the studio.

 Firstly it is enjoyable, and you never know what and who you will encounter. I like to be accompanied when I sketch because in most cases, people tend to leave you alone when someone is sitting beside you. If you are alone, there is a likely chance the person standing to watch would speak to you. It is okay when you are in the mood to talk or answer questions. Secondary, I am an urban sketcher and the essence of urban sketching is sketching on location and sketching from life and from direct observation. Thirdly, sketching is the best way to pass time and the best excuse to watch people around you, without feeling bad or that you stalking them. It is quite strange really.

Sketching people in Starbucks.

How to Stay Inconspicuous while Sketching

Avoid bobbing your head up and down when you sketch, especially when you are sketching in a cafe or anywhere with many people. You are bound to be noticed because you will be doing something that people don't. Though no one is looking up or at you usually, they would notice because the peripheral vision is quite powerful. We tend to sense movement through the corner of our eyes due to the way we are made and wired to response to danger; the fight or flight response. The best practice is to blend in by making people think that you are doing what they are doing. Think yourself as a hunter so no sudden movement. 


Sketching is not about making pretty pictures all the time. It is an end to its means. A messy sketch or 'poorly' drawn sketch may not be a 'bad' sketch. It is still a record of the time and moment the artist spent looking and translating what he saw and felt as he penned the scene with his pencil or pen. Every moment recorded is precious to the artist and to anyone who appreciates. Every drawing or sketch done in-situ is a sincere and honest translation of the scene, whether is about people or landscape, and it has to be so. An honest translation is one that records whatever the artist sees, not glorified or edited to hide mistakes or unsightly stuff caught within the scene. Doesn't mean the artist cannot move things around to suit the composition or the format.  That's the fun and thrill of it.

 

Source: Definitions from dictionaries and https://medium.com/@DavidWAngel/the-four-types-of-conversations-debate-dialogue-discourse-and-diatribe-898d19eccc0a

 

 The sketch wasn't dated on the sketchbook unfortunately, but from another sketch, the incident happened on 18 Aug 2022, a working Thursday. We received a call that late afternoon from mum who was also with the domestic helper. She said she just slipped while trying to open a cabinet over her head and fell on her side. She wasn't in a lot of pain but she was not able to get up. We arranged for an ambulance immediately and in about half an hour she was brought to the nearest hospital. 

 

I have been using this comic book style of sketching people for quite some time already but each time it yields different results. The approach was actually introduced to me by a sketcher and illustrator friend of mine quite a while ago but I kept at it and felt that this method keeps me on my toes and steer me away from staying too long in my comfort zone. I would draw each panel different by varying the size of the frame, and the proportion or scale of the figures within each panel, as though I am looking through a camera lens as I sketch. It may seem obvious at first but our minds’ eyes are powerful enough to zoom in and out of what we see with our physical eyes.

When I sketched this way, the frame was done partially first and then I would plan out the composition by imagining a virtual frame or picture plane in front of me, giving myself a ballpark of how much to place inside the panel. Then scaling these down into the panel size on paper. To further the challenge, I would draw direct on the sketchbook without a prior pencil sketch. This forced me to really plan ahead and see the composition first before laying down the first strokes of the pen.