Plein air Singapore

Here are some on-site painting I did recently. both the same day. A bright sunny day, slightly hazy. While I was painting the statue of Raffles, a tourist stopped by and started talking... I quickly sent him away. That was rude, but I was proud. I cant talk while I paint, I'm trying hard to stay in the zone, I cant tolerate intruders. The incident threw me off anyway, you can see how the legs are.... bleh... So my advice to non-painter trying to make contact with a painter: Shut the fuck up and keep your distance, If you cant resist the urge to talk, wait till the job is done.

Turf Club #2

Sentosa

Sunday I went to Sentosa beach, the sun was all out, and the distance was very hazy. It was hard not to squint. The wind was blowing, and it was hard to keep my equipment at one place. Ants and flies came in helping me adding textures. None died in the process. The original size are 9.5 x 12.5 inches, my scanner is slightly smaller so they're a bit cropped. My palette was Phtalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt sienna, raw sienna, some yellow cadmium & very little cadmium red.

Cloudy Sunday by the pool

I don't know how to name this entry.

Thursday afternoon, the sun was playing hide and seek with me. I wanted to go out but a menacing cloud was hovering constantly. Stubborn as usual, I went out and took a cab. Apparently, the cloud was just above my condo, the rest of Singapore was bright and shiny. I sat down near Arab Street, ordered a lemonade, and start painting furiously. After an hour and 2 glasses, I wasn't happy at all with the result. I finished it the next morning, darkening and cooling the shadowed area. I also added some figures, they could have been done better.

This one was inspired by a photo I saw on fffffffound. It was a CCTV camera, with a big square on top of it, with two holes. The picture lingered in my mind for days... so I put down my version of CCTV Robot.

Long time, no see

I havent paint in a while, I wanted to, but I'm very good at finding cheap excuses to not too. Yesterday I was in VivoCity at Page One, and I got a book i had in my amazon wishlist for a while. Trevor Chamberlain, A personal View, Light and Atmosphere in Watercolour. I sat in my studio and started reading it at night, then some more in the morning, at 1:oopm the urge to paint was unbearable. Seduce by such simplicity i've found my challenge. To paint outdoor, using only 2 washes + descriptives brushstrokes. And to focus only on lights & Shadows. This is the result after 45min. which most was spent thinking hard about thoses 2 washes before actually doing it. In my mind Mr. Chamberlain sat next to me, explaining how he would tackle down my subject. I couldnt see where i was going only when start putting the shadows. My fav part is the lower right. I think I really capture the plumbing sunlight. I use a butcher tray palette, so colors ran and mix freely. Cobalt Blue, Raw & Burnt Sienna, Cadmium yellow. The paper is Saunders Waterford Series 140lb Rough.

Saturday is Shisha Day!

I took a cab to arab street, sat at Usman Restaurant on the sidewalk. Order 1 double apple shisha and a mint tea. The game was on, I unfold my palette, and started sketching. I used a Maruman Soho 301 paper. Very light but can get a decent wash. Force you to avoid reworking too much.

Saturday & nothing to say.

Environment is my weakness, not saying that I excel in figure painting.

The kids were playing outside, I finished this painting, and realized that I didnt put a soul in it. The pool was full actually.

This venue could be the next official venue of Dr Sketchy Singapore.

Felins

Here are two Felins from the Singapore Zoo.

This one was done at home, referring to some of my study and a photo my wife took. I limited myself to Indigo, Payne's Gray, Yellow Chrome and titanium white. If you follow the local news, you've probably heard about the incident. This tiger above killed a man two weeks ago.

This one was done on the spot, with people behind me watching every step of my progress, felt uncomfortable. I dont remember the palette a I used, but guessing from the original it must be raw sienna, ultra marine blue and burnt sienna. The scanner has shifted some of the colors.