SketchPat

Art is life. Life is art.

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My piece from last Sat’s month end Sketchwalk at South Beach. Only had time for one sketch cos I spent an hour going around taking shots of sketchers sketching. Have always wanted to sketch the iconic WWII War Memorial. Glad I got to today. 🥹

Affectionately called “The Chopsticks” (well, ‘cos they look like ‘em), this 67m tall white concrete monument stands in the middle of a park downtown, as a tribute to thousands of civilians who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, 1942 - 1945. The 4 identical tapered columns represent the shared suffering and unity of Singapore’s 4 main ethnic groups - Chinese, Malays, Indians, and Eurasians. Every year on 15 Feb (the anniversary of the Fall of Singapore in 1942), an inter-religious memorial service takes place here to honor those who perished. This date also, very aptly, marks Singapore’s Total Defence Day.

This towering beacon, with the beautiful Singapore waterfront skyline in the background, is a solemn reminder for us that we cannot, for a second, take our National Defence for granted, or let down our guard.

*Sailor DE Fude Nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist watercolors, Hahnemühle watercolor sketchbook

#usksg #urbansketching #sketchwalk #warmemorial #southbeach

Instagram: @synchopat

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On the last day of #alswphuket2025, we had some time in the afternoon before the event’s big final photo op, so @gotpenwillsketch @alvinwongkc and I stopped along the way and sketched this rustic, historical place that caught our eyes.

Sketching itself is fun, but even more fun is when one gets to do it with long time pals, chatting about life and stuff as we make art together. Love our global family of Urban Sketchers. 🥹❤️

*Museo Fude Nib FP, Museo Sepia Ink, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolor, Customised Sketchbook (Fabriano 300gsm watercolor paper)

#sketchpals #travelsketching #urbansketching #phuket

Instagram: @synchopat

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Found this quaint little Bohemian-themed cafe while Ken and I were exploring downtown Phuket… It’s called Bookhemian haha - naturally it contained shelves of books and cute little artsy things. Nice see the sliding table tops that kept seating arrangements very configurable.

We ordered ourselves a couple cuppas and got down to work, sketching the space.

Worth paying a visit if you are ever in Phuket, and need a quiet respite from all the buzzing shopping streets.

*Sailor DE Fude Nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, Suti Sketchbook by @furrytailarts

#asialinksketchwalkphuket2025 #usk #urbansketching #travelsketching #buddies

Instagram: @synchopat

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Sketching with @ngdiknam @tan1889_xiaojia from a cool cafe in downtown Phuket during Asia Link Sketchwalk: Phuket 2025 last August.

Wonderful hangout and chat as we made art together; that’s the beauty of being a part of a the global village of Urban Sketchers… that we get to travel and sketch together often with fellow sketching buddies the world over.

*Sailor DE Fude Nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, Suti Sketchbook by @furrytailarts

#alswphuket2025 #usksg #urbansketching #sketchpals #travelsketching

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A&E, National University Hospital, Singapore (NUHS)

Not where I’d envisioned spending my post-CNY weekend. But oh well…

Since nothing to do here cos “He MAKETH me lie down in green (bedsheets)…”, journaled the experience.

*Sailor DE Fude Nib, Daniel Smith Artist watercolors, Hahnemühle sketchbook

#syncopationsintherhythmoflife #rollingwithHispunches

#memoirsofpapat

#sketchjournal

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USkSG Outreach @ AGPS (Aug 2025)

A few days before National Day last year, @usk.sg was invited to Anchor Green Pri School to take part in an art fest held within the school. So Ben, Gloria, and I showed up at AGPS on Aug 6 morning.

We “divided and conquered”, with Ben and Glo plopping themselves down at a few scenic spots to sketch, so that students would join them when they came down during recess time, and hopefully pick up a thing or two about sketching from them. I manned the 2 table-long booth at the canteen, where we displayed a whole array of resource books on the art of urban sketching, our tools, and even our personal sketchbooks, in hope of inspiring these little ones and hopefully get them expected about urban sketching. 🥹

What a blast we had, as batch after batch off students came around, either joining them sketching or visiting the booth, flipping through our books and asking a ton of questions. 😅

I took the opportunity to sketch the courtyard scene directly in front of where we’d set up the booth. What a privilege and joy to have been able to spend a morning with these little ones! Hopefully we have inspired the to some degree! 🙏🏼🥹

*Museo Fude Nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, Suti 320gsm sketchbook by @furrytailarts

#uskoutreach #usksg #urbansketching #agps #roadshow

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My piece from our January (Pre-CNY) Sketchwalk at the famous Chinatown junction with the lunar cal animal zodiac float.

Came late and went around taking pictures of sketchers, so I settled down pretty late to sketch. Anyhow gasak only with barely an hour to sketch. 😅

*Sailor DE Fude Nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, A6 Hahnemühle 190gsm sketchbook.

#usksg #usk #sketchwalk #urbansketching #chinatown #cny2026

Instagram: @synchopat

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RESTORE Juice Cafe inside KL’s Central Market.

We had just had lunch after sketching at KL’s Chinatown under pretty brutal heat. So visiting the air-conditioned Central Market was a nice respite from the heat outside. We plopped ourselves down at this new looking juice cafe and sipped, sketched and chatted the afternoon away. So refreshing… ☺️

From the same trip to KL when several of us from @usk.sg joined @kualalumpururbansketchers at the invitation of Master @kclee.81 to participate in KLAW (KL Architectural Week) 2025.

What a fun and energy-filled weekend… thanks KC for Jio-ing us and for your amazing and generous hospitality! Come by SG whenever you can and let us return your hospitality! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🍺🍺

Was gifted a set of @sinours.art watercolor set, so I brought only that for the trip to make myself try something different, so the colors are a little stronger than my usual work. It’s a good brand and I can get used to it. Thanks @yyyap ! 🫶🏻🥹

*Sailor EF nib FP, Sinours Artist Grade Watercolors, Suti 320gsm Watercolor Sketchbook by @furrytailarts

#urbansketching #uskcollaborations #sketchwalk #klaw #kl

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Chinatown, KL, Malaysia…

Done when several of us from @usk.sg joined @kualalumpururbansketchers at the invitation of Master @kclee.81 to participate in KLAW (KL Architectural Week) 2025.

What a fun and energy-filled weekend… thanks KC for Jio-ing us and for your amazing and generous hospitality! Come by SG whenever you can and let us return your hospitality! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🍺🍺

Was gifted a set of @sinours.art watercolor set, so I brought only that for the trip to make myself try something different, so the colors are a little stronger than my usual work. It’s a good brand and I can get used to it. Thanks @yyyap ! 🫶🏻🥹

*Sailor EF nib FP, Sinours Artist Grade Watercolors, Suti 320gsm Watercolor Sketchbook

#urbansketching #uskcollaborations #sketchwalk #klaw #kl

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Third sketch of 2026: Verdun Road (east end of Little India), a place I’m really familiar with and come to often ‘cos one of my offices is on this road. In fact I was literally sketching from right in front of my head office.

Love Little India ‘cos it’s a place teeming with energy, activities, sights, sounds, smells, and cultural vibes. The buildings in the distance (connected by the enclosed bridge) is the famous Indian-run departmental store, Mustafa. They have such a wide array of things, it was once said, “If you can’t find it in Mustafa, it doesn’t exist, or you don’t need it…” 🤣 Of course it’s a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration, but it ain’t far off!

#urbansketching #sketchjournaling #usksg #singapore #memoirsofpapapat

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Second sketch from yesterday’s outing to the Bay. Was headed home on my bike after Sketchwalk + lunch when I got a text from Jac saying she was planning to pick our son later from Esplanade and asked if I wanted to wait for that and go home together. I turned back and boy was I glad I did.

Went to the Esplanade side of the Bay and decided to sketch my favorite SG skyline, while listening to a jazz band do their soundcheck and run-through.

Great first weekend of the year!

#ijioyousketchwalk #sketchride #urbansketching #newyear #life

Instagram: @synchopat

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First sketch of 2026, one of 2 done yesterday around Marina Bay during our IJY Sketchwalk… nice to start the year cycling and sketching again. 🥰

#ijioyousketchwalk #sketchride #urbansketching #newyear #life

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The first (individual) art post of 2026 is also the last sketch I did in 2025 (done on 30 Dec) - of one of the most sketched junctions in SG’s Little India.

Our good friend Jieun @kkamang_crow of @uskbusan was in town and had joined us for our Sketchwalk the previous Sat. We love when overseas our sketcher pals visit, so I asked where else she would like to sketch in SG, and without skipping a beat, she said Little India. So James @james.ek and I brought her to this well know junction where Dunlop St meets Clive St to take in the Little India atmosphere.

Lined with rows and rows of eateries, fruit and vegetable stalls, this spot is always teeming with life, activities, colors, sounds and aroma of spices. It’s prolly why it’s one of the most sketched spots in SG.

We had fun in spite of the intense heat and humidity SG is know for, and after sketching, had a most scrumptious lunch of Onion Rawa Masala Dosai, Butter Chicken & Naan, at Sakunthala nearby. James had to head back to work after lunch, while Jieun and I went to Marina Bay to sketch some more.

A most wonderful way to spend the 2nd last day of 2025, with great friends, creating lasting warm memories. 🫶🏻🥰

*Sailor DE Fude nib FP, Maroon Sketch Ink, Daniel Smith Artist watercolors, Hahnemühle 190gsm watercolor sketchbook

#urbansketching #sketchpals #sketchingSG #friendship #littleindiad

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Was feeling bored of what was on TV one evening months back, and suddenly remembered I’d juts bought 3 boxes of Alpha Brush Markers (like Copic but cheaper version) during Krafers’ Paradise’s relocation sale… so did a quick sketch of my atV console area juts to test them out…

Fun to use! 🥰

*Sailor MF nib FP, Alpha Brush Markers, A6 Moleskine sketchbook

#eveydaymatters #edm #everydaysketching #urbansketching #usk

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My sketch from this morning’s sketchwalk at Ion Orchard. It’s the exact same scene as the one we did for our last sketchwalk of Nov 2024; I think this one’s better. 😊

Not sure if you’d noticed, it’s also my first posted sketch from all the way since April. A few friends had asked how come haven’t shared any of my sketches for the better part of the year… and if I’d even stopped sketching altogether.

The answer? No, I’ve not stopped sketching; still been doing it mostly on my own, sometimes with my group and friends, though not as much as I would have liked it. I just haven’t posted any of them.

Why? Life. Work - which has been pretty brutal. And health. It’s been quite a year; so much have happened - the good and the not so good… all in a package called life. I just haven’t had the bandwidth to get on social media except for some quick in-the-moment IG Stories. I was being present in and showing up for real life.

And I always prefer to share my work chronologically… so when missing posting a few became several, it started to pile up and I lost the motivation to try catching up. I have stuff from May to now (sketches done locally and on trips) that are in the pipeline, still waiting to be shared.

So today I thought, heck it, never mind the order, so here’s the latest. The rest will (hopefully) find their way onto this timeline in due time, when I have the capacity to post them (social media content upkeep is so energy-sapping).

Well, hope you like this one. 😉

#life #urbansketchers #urbansketching #sketchwalk #usksg

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We came here (Empress Road Market / Food Centre) for our April Sketchwalk.

A quaint little heartland neighborhood, much like Ghim Moh, but quieter. Love that it has many interesting vantage points, juxtaposition of old (pink and white) HDB blocks with newer styled condominiums, surrounded by luscious green foliage. And good food! The little hawker centre serves up pretty awesome local fare - the Bak Chor Mee, Laksa, Mee Rebus, Wanton Mee, western food stall, etc… all damn shiok. 😋 I wouldn’t mind living in this ‘hood, to be honest.

This colorful little corner with a provision shop and a home-fix products shop caught the interest of several of us. 😉

*MaJohn F nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, Suti 320GSM Sketchbook

#usksg #usk #urbansketchers #urbansketching #sketchwalk #artists #artcommunity #empressroadmarket #sgheartlands

Instagram: @synchopat

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My piece from this morning’s IJY Sketchwalk at Tiong Bahru.

It was such a hot morning we just about all melted… But while the intense heat is a sketcher’s nightmare, it’s usually also mean really great light and strong shadows - a sketcher’s delight. 😅

There is not a dull scene in Tiong Bahru… ❤️

*MaJohn C5 F nib FP, Daniel Smith Artist Watercolors, Suti 320GSM Sketchbook by @furrytailarts

#sketchwalk #usksg #usk #urbansketchers #urbansketching #artists #sketchbook #tiongbahru #watercolor #inkandwash