Pentel Brush Pen

Hero Pen and Brush Pen

A location drawing trip was organised at Chinatown along Smith Street during the break week of the semester. Many students welcomed it because its a change from the weekly class held indoors in the drawing studio. I love everything about drawing outdoors, except the unbearable weather of Singapore sometimes. It takes an extra effort to stay focus when we have to contend with the heat and humidity (you will always hear me complain about the weather). But it is a discipline that is worthwhile to have. Mind over body they said, and its true. How do I do it? Just simply paying full attention to what you are doing, and not use the weather as an excuse for "bad" drawings or paintings.

Enjoy the process, and not think of the outcome, by not having a predetermined image of how the final drawing or painting should look like. This is another interpretation of one of the principles that are mentioned in the book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. One way to stay discouraged is to constantly see that you are inadequate to become someone else. Eventually we succumb to non-conducive weather conditions and put the blame on others rather than on yourself.

Good consistent drawing and painting habits produce satisfactory art. I was told many a time the pencil mileage determines the type of artist you are. I strongly believe in that. I saw myself growing much faster as an artist when I put in the hours to study and to practice. There is no shortcut. I know my ability and my limitations. At the same time we do not know how many hours a successful artist has already put in to become that good. We only see the results and then we attribute it to talent.

Talent is the seed, not the final harvest.

 Talent is the passion to begin with. Next comes the training, the discipline and the determination to stay in the game. All athletics would concur with that. A marathon runner would vouch for that too. Results come after a lengthy period of staying in the game. No-one is born to run the marathon. No one paints at birth. Learning a language takes hours of regurgitating what has been taught.


I wrote this because it serves as a reminder for myself, to change my paradigm, at times when I felt I am not progressing as much as I wanted; at times when I am looking at someone's success more than my passion for art. I need to steer myself back into track, to enjoy the journey before I reach the destination.

Brush pen and screentone by Photoshop.

In the morning, the weather report said the temperature would soar to 34degC eventually during the day. I shuddered at the thought of enduring the heat from above and from the ground and beads of perspiration flowing down my neck when I sketched. Fortunately it wasn't humid and I remained quite dry throughout my stay in Chinatown. My students and myself started sketching at about 10am while it was still not so crowded. The food stalls wouldn't be opened till about 11am, so the tables were predominantly occupied by us for most part of the morning. Oldies were blaring over our heads and we felt like we were teleported to the late 60s. We had our show and tell at about 1pm. By then the food street was quite crowded already and we became a tourist attraction at the same time.

:D

Chinatown has been my favorite location for sketching and painting because of its variety of subjects in place to choose from. I had the opportunity to paint alongside Tung Tung who has been a master artist for a long while. Watching him complete his giant Chinese ink drawing in location is awe-inspiring.