2022 #the100dayproject is here!!! And I’m doing urban sketching, finding those places to sketch that are “typical” Shanghai. I actually prefer to do more of the old Shanghai rather than new but I will make some exceptions just like my first sketch. My plan is to do 100 sketches and that may turn out to be in 50 days or more. Don’t want to pressure myself on doing 1 a day. My hope is that I will be more accountable with this year’s project compared to last because it was not easy to keep track of what I was finishing. So I am hoping this year’s will be manageable. As…
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Freezing cold but at least was a dry morning when we ventured out to the Changning District’s Sieh Yih Chapel. For this outing, I decided on doing vignettes. Brought a new sketchbook from SMLT Art and with the weather, I was fine with just doing a pen-&-ink sketch and alternating between with black and white brush pens. A bit of history Xiyantang, commonly known as “Xiyan Cemetery”, is also known as “The Ascension of the Virgin”, it was built in 1929 for the famous Catholic figure Ma Xiangbo and others, covering an area of 63 acres. The church in the cemetery is used for worshippers to hold burial ceremonies and…
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Xiao Nan Men area of Shanghai is mostly where a lot of old neighbourhood still remain, a maze of longtangs and old houses, in some areas, some “new” houses have been built. Part of this neighbourhood is up for demolition, reconstruction or in limbo. These old neighbourhoods are my favourite places to sketch because I can record a bit of the local life while sketching; sights, sounds, and smells. For this outing, I decided to stick to pen and ink sketches and journaling on the side. It was tricky to do any watercolour around where we were sketching. Location: Around Xiaonanmen 小南门; specifically Dafufang 大夫坊 and Heshunjie 和顺街 Thank you…
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On the other side of the Huangpu River, where the other outing with Drawing Shanghai was on the previous Saturday, is another fantastic example of the Shanghai government’s effort to redevelop areas that have been abandoned or neglected from closed down factories. What used to be polluted river fronts, now showcases footpaths, cycling paths, jogging paths, patches of parks and new developments to inject life into these remote locations. Weekends now see local population visiting these places, taking note of new developments in their city. So on this Saturday in November, our group of urban sketchers descended to the area near the former National Cotton Mill No. 9. It is…
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Great weather to be out sketching the city. It’s been some time since I actually went out urban sketching with @drawing_shanghai. Together with Lily, we planted ourselves nearer to the Lupu Bridge and near the silo (which now houses a contemporary art museum) located on the Minsheng Wharf. The areas along both sides of the Huangpu River has been redeveloped these past few years into a long park with space for cyclists and joggers and pedestrians. The factories that were on these shores have been closed, demolished or converted into museums. The 80,000-ton silo structure is a great example of a converted property although it has been closed during the…
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So! It’s finished (or is it?)! The just-concluded #oneweek100people2018 initiated by Marc Taro Holmes and Liz Steel was both a challenge and interesting to say the least. I have eyed this challenge last year on Instagram but never got the courage to join as my biggest drawing weakness is in people or human form (and perspective). I typically avoid it in my urban sketches when I am out. This time, I finally summed up the courage to actually show up and try this challenge. Here are what I ended up doing… DAY 1: Drew from life mostly… People from the park and around me. I love the woman with curlers in…
