Conte Pastel chalk on newsprint - colorized digitally.


Watercolor on printing paper

It has been 2 months since I got my iPad, that has been a new addition to my sketching tools. However it doesn't replace my pens and inks and watercolors and sketchbooks. Its only when I want to carry as little as possible, I would use my iPad as my sketchpad.

These are sketches done while chilling in DOME Cafe at Parkway Parade (a neighborhood shopping mall), while waiting for my wife to complete her nails routine. Each gestural sketch took roughly 30s to complete. When I finished a 'sheet' i would paint it. Then I started another sheet. Since it is quite hard to get details in, sketching with the stylus is a joy as I would focus on just the gestures and the general shapes of the figures.

iPad & Stylus with Procreate.

This is painted on a China-made sketch paper I bought from a friend. Surprisingly it takes in watercolor very well without loosing the quality of transparency, tearing or color fading when the paints dried. I painted the first coat of transparent watercolor with the paper mounted vertically on the easel, so the paint dripped across the paper. Then as I added the shadows and the dark areas, I painted with the paper lying flat and slightly elevated. Throughout the one hour and a half, Peer (the model) sat at the desk playing with this laptop without changing his pose much. I test the paper with different techniques, dry on wet, and wet on wet. The latter did not work too well as the absorbency of the paper is not not comparable to that of the watercolor paper. So when the water or paint puddles dried, they leave a water stain marks like what you see at the back of the painted chair. Overall, its a cheap paper to practice on - SGD7 for the entire ream.

[caption id="attachment_2005" align="alignnone" width="584" caption="Sepia Conte Pencil, A2 Size on Charcoal Paper"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2006" align="alignnone" width="584" caption="Sepia Conte Pencil, A2 Size on Charcoal Paper"][/caption]

Recently I am hooked on drawing big... on at least A2 size and bigger. It allows more freedom of expression as you are involving the entire arm to draw. Good exercise also! I m still drawing on my sketchbooks, some are even smaller than A5, measuring about 13cm X 13cm. In any case, the principle of drawing follows whether you are drawing big or small. I do have a problem storing the bigger format drawings then.

Today's class is all about painting. Everyone is encouraged to try out or to further practice on a new medium besides the usual dry medium we have been using. I set up the skull as a still life to paint, for the students as well as for myself to practice.

Size: A2
Tool: Soft Pastels (Earth Tones)
10 min pose.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="536" caption="30min Pastel drawing."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="496" caption="30min Charcoal Drawing"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="554" caption="30min drawing with a brown pencil"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="576" caption="20min drawings."][/caption]

The above drawings were done with my newly bought Derwent Charcoal & Graphite Pencils sampler set, that comes with 3 water soluble charcoal pencils and graphite pencils, 3 charcoal sticks, 1 white pastel pencils and a brown pastel pencil. These work well with my pastel papers and even on newprint papers which were what I used for these life drawings too. More of these life drawings can be see on my Flickr account too: Go to my Flickr.

You can get a similar product from the link below. It's a complete set. --

TISCH has organized a weekly (every Sunday) Open Figure Drawing session at her campus from 3 weeks ago and it will continue till end of May before it goes in summer break. So far I have attended 2 sessions already, missing the first as I thought it wasn't meant for anyone to attend. The first time I was there I was really impressed by the studio - with nice and cool A/C, it was pleasant to draw in. The sessions are brought together by NYU's animation professor Patrick Smith who is an award winning animator!!  The attendees are all very enthusiastic and passionate. I have seen many others who draw really well. More more information please look out for the event post on FB. Here are the results of the 2 sessions I attended.





:) Looking forward for more!

My first Dr Sketchy Session. Just what is Dr Sketchy: Read more here. If you are too lazy to surf the Net, here's an excerpt - "Dr. Sketchy's is the little Brooklyn event that became a movement. Founded in 2005 by artist Molly Crabapple, Dr. Sketchy's asked a simple question. Why can't drawing naked people be sexy?" Dr Sketchy is life drawing but more than just nude models and serious sketching. Models are usually beautiful burlesque performers, and including bizarre circus acts, and rippling hunks of man-flesh. They are then let loose on stage to release the artist in the artists! In between each round of sketching our larger-than-life models you get a chance to grab a drink get comfortable and take in some of the finest burlesque, comedy, music, poetry and quirky cabaret performances the big smoke has to offer.

Dr Sketchy isn't about being an amazing artist, as long as you can put pencil to paper and move it around that's good enough for us and you never know you might just unleash that artist inside.

It's what art classes would be if the class was let loose in the Moulin Rouge.



Hopefully this is okay to appear on Facebook. Anyway I did some similar life drawing sessions but not Dr Sketchy when I was living in Glendale. Dr Sketchy was held in LA but it is a 40 mins drive to town whereas the one I went was organized by Pasadena Art Center's professor for the working artists living in the Burbank and Glendale area. Models are clothed too. You can see the events here - Glendale Drawing Club. When I was heading back home last year, I wished there is something like this, but little did I know that there is already Dr Sketchy in Singapore. Well this is the result of a 3-hour life drawing session.

Another life drawing session with Glendale Drawing Club. 20 bucks but it is all worth it!!
[caption id="attachment_625" align="alignnone" width="217" caption="15 minutes pose"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_626" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="10 Minutes Poses"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_627" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="10 minutes poses"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_628" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="10 minutes poses"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_629" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="15 minutes poses"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_595" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="poisonivy4"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_602" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_601" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_600" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_599" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_598" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_597" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_596" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_603" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Poison Ivy"][/caption]

Life Drawing Session - Poison Ivy Themed

To read more, click the following link: Poison Ivy

The life drawing session is conducted every Thursday and Sunday. Short poses (10-15mins) on Thursday and Long Poses on Sunday. Everyone has to pay $20 for the session, while the sessions are organized by Bob Kato as an activity of the Drawing Club at Glendale.

This was my first session after a long long while, also my first paid life drawing. I got to know some artists too; one actually graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design 2 years ago and is a professional comic artist for TokyoPop. And most have been drawing and painting for years. Though the drawing session was fun, it was even more rewarding to see so many like minded artists who share the passion of sketching and drawing, sketching and drawing together.

I have been really encouraged. I will find time (or money) to go again.