The Business of Sketching in Public Spaces

Chinatown, Singapore (drawn by a fude nib fountain pen on sketchbook)

For any experienced or veteran sketcher (anyone who sketch on-location), it is still a daunting experience to be sketching in any public spaces, when you couldn't help but feel that you are under many watchful and prying eyes, at the same time, being scrutinised for whatever you felt are your weakness. Even under such circumstances, I am still loving sketching, drawing or painting in-situ. Even though you are constantly plagued by self-consciousness, sometimes being in the public spaces help you with getting things done. Having the thought that someone out there is standing with his arms akimbo or crossed in front on his torso and judging you, you tend to want to do a good job and fast. There is always this nagging thought that you should not leave the location with a half baked drawing, even when you are practicing reportage sketching, in which you are sketching the essence of the location, its people and buildings and activities that were going on, thus the sketches might look "unfinished" at first glance. 

Some random sketches from the sketchbook.

I have been sketching for quite some time now but I am still nervous when I whipped out the sketchbook from my bag and methodologically took out the fountain pen from my pencil case. Some part of me felt the exhilaration and some part of me wanted to anticipate a questioning look or a lingering gaze in my direction. Most part of me was pretending that I was just going about with my own business and so should everyone else. Sometimes that's the thing that makes this act of sketching in-situ exciting. Some part of me wanted someone to take notice and some part of me wanted to tell the person to mind his own business. So many conflicting thoughts and emotions! I am fickle minded and I ashamed of it.

Why Sketch in Public

Sketched while having dinner with wife and mum in a Chinese restaurant, painted digital in the studio.

 Firstly it is enjoyable, and you never know what and who you will encounter. I like to be accompanied when I sketch because in most cases, people tend to leave you alone when someone is sitting beside you. If you are alone, there is a likely chance the person standing to watch would speak to you. It is okay when you are in the mood to talk or answer questions. Secondary, I am an urban sketcher and the essence of urban sketching is sketching on location and sketching from life and from direct observation. Thirdly, sketching is the best way to pass time and the best excuse to watch people around you, without feeling bad or that you stalking them. It is quite strange really.

Sketching people in Starbucks.

How to Stay Inconspicuous while Sketching

Avoid bobbing your head up and down when you sketch, especially when you are sketching in a cafe or anywhere with many people. You are bound to be noticed because you will be doing something that people don't. Though no one is looking up or at you usually, they would notice because the peripheral vision is quite powerful. We tend to sense movement through the corner of our eyes due to the way we are made and wired to response to danger; the fight or flight response. The best practice is to blend in by making people think that you are doing what they are doing. Think yourself as a hunter so no sudden movement. 


Sketching is not about making pretty pictures all the time. It is an end to its means. A messy sketch or 'poorly' drawn sketch may not be a 'bad' sketch. It is still a record of the time and moment the artist spent looking and translating what he saw and felt as he penned the scene with his pencil or pen. Every moment recorded is precious to the artist and to anyone who appreciates. Every drawing or sketch done in-situ is a sincere and honest translation of the scene, whether is about people or landscape, and it has to be so. An honest translation is one that records whatever the artist sees, not glorified or edited to hide mistakes or unsightly stuff caught within the scene. Doesn't mean the artist cannot move things around to suit the composition or the format.  That's the fun and thrill of it.

 

Source: Definitions from dictionaries and https://medium.com/@DavidWAngel/the-four-types-of-conversations-debate-dialogue-discourse-and-diatribe-898d19eccc0a

 

 The sketch wasn't dated on the sketchbook unfortunately, but from another sketch, the incident happened on 18 Aug 2022, a working Thursday. We received a call that late afternoon from mum who was also with the domestic helper. She said she just slipped while trying to open a cabinet over her head and fell on her side. She wasn't in a lot of pain but she was not able to get up. We arranged for an ambulance immediately and in about half an hour she was brought to the nearest hospital. 

 

I have been using this comic book style of sketching people for quite some time already but each time it yields different results. The approach was actually introduced to me by a sketcher and illustrator friend of mine quite a while ago but I kept at it and felt that this method keeps me on my toes and steer me away from staying too long in my comfort zone. I would draw each panel different by varying the size of the frame, and the proportion or scale of the figures within each panel, as though I am looking through a camera lens as I sketch. It may seem obvious at first but our minds’ eyes are powerful enough to zoom in and out of what we see with our physical eyes.

When I sketched this way, the frame was done partially first and then I would plan out the composition by imagining a virtual frame or picture plane in front of me, giving myself a ballpark of how much to place inside the panel. Then scaling these down into the panel size on paper. To further the challenge, I would draw direct on the sketchbook without a prior pencil sketch. This forced me to really plan ahead and see the composition first before laying down the first strokes of the pen.

 Magnificent place of worship for the Buddhists and also the main attraction for tourists who are visiting Yangon. A must see location. 

 When you discover a tool that you like and enjoy using, you'll never stop using it. For me it is the Pentel brush pen and the Pentel pocket brush pen. These tools are so versatile as you can draw and paint all at the same time. If you are using them for the first time, there is some getting used to. A brush is unlike a fountain pen that gives you a lot more control over the lines. A brush is flexible, while you can draw with the tip of the bristle, you can turn it or press harder to fill or paint over a larger area. Drawing with the point needs practice as you need to hold the pen in a certain angle and holding it so the tip of the brush just hovers over the surface of the sketchbook. Sometimes you need to maintain a constant distance between the bristle and the paper surface for a longer span of time to maintain a certain level of line consistency and this would take some effort to do so.

But overall, you can get quite a wide variety of lines from a brush pen, ranging from very thin and delicate to thick and bold. It is always a joy to use the brush pen, provided you like that kind of lines that it can produce. To each his own. Not everyone loves the brush pen. Some said it's too inky, too stark, too difficult to control, or too limiting. Well I do trust that you will fall in love with it once you get used to it. 

The pandemic has changed the lives of many. We have also learned to live with the virus in the midst of us. But our lives did not turned for the worst. Technologies have taken a quantum leap because of the pandemic while some said COVID-19 has transformed business forever. Those that have not adapted fast enough have dissipated and disappeared. For one, I welcomed the idea of staying masked all the time in public places. I know some countries have sanctioned that wearing masks is not compulsory in open areas, that of course is up to your own discretion, for your own protection. I would stay masked in public places whether open or close, it is just for your own benefits.

For Singapore, where it is crowded everywhere (even in a 'forest') and every moment, it is important wear mask to protect yourself and everyone around you. Where I stay, there are many elderly people, some who may not be vaccinated, therefore it is even more important to stay protected. Fortunately all unvaccinated people would not be allowed to eat-in even in food market where everyone congregates daily. It sounded unfair but it is essential to keep people out of the hospital and the ICU. Statistically 90% of the severely sicked from Covid-19 is people who are not vaccinated. 


This is where we get our food - Telok Blangah Drive Food Market. It is even more crowded with people jostling for their breakfast, lunch and coffee. We have to token check-in to enter and it is optional to check out when you leave. The process has become a staple since Singapore opened for dine-in, 2 first and then 5. Noone is happy about the fuss but when they saw the benefits they obliged. 

The market is cleaned more frequently and at the same time, Singapore has kicked in the 'return your tray' and 'clean after yourself' policy. Any offender would be fined. We, as Singaporeans are not so civil minded to begin with so we need the government to tell us what to do. Something that is done out of consideration and common sense is not so here. If it is done voluntarily, no one would do it. If you do it you are deemed dim witted. (LOL!)

Anyway the sketch here was done on-location as my wife and I had our breakfast. This is how we eat, communally in a alfresco kind of eating place, where you will find stalls and seats all lined up in rows and columns just like a food court. Food is cheap and affordable. We like to eat and then talk at the top of our voices, shouting across tables. But this has changed because of the pandemic. It is quieter now because we are discouraged to talk too loudly and with the masks on, we don't see saliva been spit and spilled across tables. Though crowded, I am a little happier now. People are not getting the common flu because we are all masked and protected. 

Sketchbook: Nude Journal Book (Thailand Origin)
Tools: A fude fountain pen with Platinum Carbon Black ink, coloured pencil
Digital tones: Clip Studio Paint.