Thian Hock Keng

150mm x 210mm. Pigment ink, watercolours. This was sketched in pencils and ink on-site. The intricate details were close to overwhelming and the decision for framing the piece was no easy matter.

There were numerous tour buses that came and went for long periods and obstructed large sections of the temple compound. I had chosen a head-on composition as I had wanted to capture the entire stretch.

In hindsight, a long piece of paper and a larger piece would have a certain effect that this current one hadn't. Watercolours, unless one were to apply more pigment, was limited in the sense of the darkness of colours. Of course, the darkness would, in a sense, defeat the purpose of the medium, application of more pigment ink? Entirely possible. I would be exploring other avenues in time to come.

Pagoda Street

Pagoda Street nightscene. 150mm x 210mm. Pigment ink, watercolours. (The darkness was adjusted digitally). For this one, I had to stand in an empty shop lot where the stallholders had packed up earlier to draw the pencils. The ink lines were added when I was on the train much later. Finally, the watercolours was applied when I was at my table. Wet cartridge paper with moderately dry brush and paint.

Rangoon Lane

Pigment ink, watercolours. Night scene. This was sketched from a bus stop. The third in a more free-flowing expressive form. 150mm x 210mm.

Tiong Bahru

Pigment sketch of a building at Seng Poh Road. I drew a few pencil lines to get the proportions right. The perspective was quite straight-forward. The white-washed and mostly featureless building posed somewhat of a challenge.