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The Spring weather in Shanghai has been unpredictable, but I've been enjoying sketching outdoors on warm weekends. I sketched at various locations, capturing snapshots of life in the city. From bustling areas to redevelopment sites, each sketch tells a unique story.
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Re-kindle. Re-start. Refresh. These words have been echoing in my mind for the past few months – a surreal tally of spinning, sometimes blurry days that amounted to what feels like an eternity. I needed to write a post that might delve into emotions or feel uncomfortably raw. The challenges of 2023 left me wandering, feeling lost in almost every aspect of my life. In November, I decided to step back from art challenges and classes, focusing instead on tying up loose ends and cherishing the last year before my kids left for university. I started saying “no” to many things. If you’ve followed my journey on Instagram, you may…
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I bought this fantastic kit from a Chinese indie seller I found on Red Book (Xiao Hong Shu). Fortunately, it arrived before the holidays. I figured this would be great to send to family and friends and include in my swap mails all year long. So before the Spring Festival, I printed a few of this stunning Qilin on delicate rice paper. 🐉✨ Qilin, a revered mythical creature in Chinese culture, is often depicted as a majestic blend of a deer, dragon, horse, and lion—a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, and wisdom. According to legend, it can tread grass without a trace and even breathe fire! 🔥 In Chinese mythology,…
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Do you make and exchange ATC or Artist Trading Cards? Have you made an ATC before? I’ve been making ATC since probably 2015. I learned about this via swap-bot.com when I joined in 2013. I’ve been curious about these and got the courage to sign up for some international swaps. These were quite fun, and I regret not making extras for each card I made for my collection. So, there are other variations for the standard ATC (2.5×3.5 inches). One is called inkbox cards, which are square 3×3 inches and have rounded corners, just like the Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pads, hence the name. The lesser-known one is the ATC coin, which…
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Let's take a moment to pause and truly notice what surrounds us this November. What are we grateful for in this very moment? Together with Lea, let's embark on a journey of journaling.
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Experience Shanghai through my eyes with early morning urban sketching during the "Golden Week."
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08:45 am | Saturday My sketching adventure last Saturday was at the Zhenru Temple (真如寺) in Putuo District. When my friend, Lily, suggested this place to visit instead of the venue designated by Drawing Shanghai / Shanghai Urban Sketchers, my curiosity was perked. So good that we went to the historic Zhenru Temple, I don’t know why I did not know about this temple before. Originally built in the Song Dynasty (960-1276), the temple has undergone several changes throughout history between the Taiping Revolution to the Cultural Revolution where a lot of relics were destroyed. There is one temple within that is the original structure but most are rebuilt due…
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Time… where did it all go? Last year’s Messy May, we were house-bound due to COVID lockdown in Shanghai. We were on our second month then and creating my pages in a mini outdated diary was the one of the things that was keeping my mind busy. This year’s Messy May crept up on me and fortunately I had an empty mini bound journal I made for Wanderlust. I found it was a fantastic size to work on. If you are following me on Instagram, you would have seen these. I’m sharing some of my favourite pages from this challenge. And you can check out the flip-thru of the entire…
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07:45 am | Sunday My friend, Tõnis, and I decided on another early morning meet up to sketch around the Xiaonanmen (小南门) area. Tõnis dropped a pin to where we are meeting up, and I walked to Xitangjia Alley (西塘家弄) from my home. Along the way, the streets feel so empty… deserted… feels like a ghost town with pretty much the houses in this neighbourhood has been boarded up. Most of the locals have moved out while there are a very rare few who are still holding out for as long as they can. Seeing this sight as I walk through the narrow streets, I cannot help wonder – is…
Documenting life in Shanghai
