Lights and Shadows at Chun Yeung Street. 春秧街早上的光與影

The second sketch of Urban Sketchers Hong Kong's sketch crawl at Chun Yeung Street. The lights and shadows really caught me in the late morning and I had to capture that magic moment!

春秧街速寫早上光與影。

Sketching Charming Beetles (Volkswagen) 速寫甲蟲車

There were so many charming beetles and so little time so I decided to do a collage sketch to capture as many beetles as possible in one single sketch! 

速寫甲蟲車。下午時間有限，就盡量將現場見到的甲蟲車畫埋同一張紙上。

Sketching Volkswagen 速寫甲蟲車

What a great morning sketching the bugs and listening to pops from the seventies! Thanks Ben for inviting and thanks to the car owners for letting us sketch all these amazing vehicles!

天色清朗，陽光充沛，係戶外速寫好日子。多謝甲蟲車會比我哋畫足一日！

Westminster Abbey 倫敦西敏寺大教堂

Finally got this sketch scanned! It's a big challenge and it was so much fun sketching the spectacular Westminster Abbey!

畫倫敦西敏寺大教堂促促畫了三個鍾頭！

Urban Sketchers Hong Kong USK Workshop 10 x 10 Workshop 10: Story-telling in Your Sketches

This is my second workshop and the last of the 10 x 10 USkHk workshop of this year. I'm delighted to share with you several things I have learnt through sketching on location. The following are the details of the workshop: 

Sometimes one sketch is simply not enough to capture the essence of a vast place. Have you ever considered putting and arranging multiple sketches on one single sheet of paper? In this workshop, we will look at ways to document a site more effectively by juxtaposing different sketches together, such as macros and micros, colour and black and white sketches, sketches of different perspectives etc. 

Date: 9 December  

Time: 10:00 am - 1:00pm 

Place: Wan Chai District 

What to bring: 
As the sketching location is on the street, please bring along the following: A small foldable stool Large sketchbook or large sheet of sketch paper (e.g. A3 sketch paper) that allows you to put in a number of sketches, sketching tools of your choice (pencils, pens, ink pens, watercolours etc.) 

Registration: 
This workshop is limited to 15 people maximum.  Please email urbansketchershk@gmail.com. Successful applicants will be notified by USkHK and given a PayPal link to proceed to payment. The workshop fee will be HKD 300 per person. Please note that all payments are final once made via PayPal. There will be no refunds.

#uskhk #usk10x10

Classic Car Show 2017 香港老爺車展 2017

After finishing a workshop in the morning, I managed to get to the Classic Car Show in Central around 2:00pm and spent one and a half hours sketching this magnificent car. I included a bit of the background to show the context of the location as well. 

下午趕到中環老爺車展，個半鐘頭內畫了架好靚嘅老爺車，然後再加上一點背景。

Sai Kung and Beyond Opens on 4 Nov 飛越西貢畫展 十一月四日開幕

This group exhibition features three artists, Gary Yeung, Magi Chen and Elena Klimova who have collaborated through their connection with Urban Sketchers to bring a wonderful collection of paintings & drawings inspired by Sai Kung and other parts of Hong Kong.

Sai Kung and Beyond opens on 4 November at H Studio Gallery

Opening Reception 

Nov 4 (Sat) 6-8:30pm

Nov 4 - Nov 16

H Studio Gallery 

Gallery Hours 12-4pm

(Wed & Fri Closed)

1/1 Wan King Path, Sai Kung Town

(Above Standard Chartered Bank)

Contact Helen Boyd:  91238644

H Studio Gallery Presents: Sai Kung and Beyond 飛越西貢畫展

We are eager to share with you our on-location sketches and studio works which depict the many sides of Sai Kung in our upcoming exhibition!

我哋三位西貢友會喺今次畫展中展出多張以西貢為題的現場速寫及畫實作品，歡迎前來欣賞。

Urban Sketchers Hong Kong USK 10 X 10 Workshop 9

Have you ever sketched a panorama? Was it too daunting a task for you? 

In the workshop, we will look at slightly bended (fish-eye) perspective. We will look at ways to place different focal points and framing devices in the composition to create interest. We will also look at how to sketch the pedestrians in the street scene. 

Date: 11 Nov 
Time: 10:00 am - 1:00pm 
Place: Wan Chai District

What to bring: 
As the sketching location is on the street, please bring along the following: A small foldable stool Sketchbook that allows you to do thumbnails and a panoramic sketch Sketching tools of your choice (pencils, pens, ink pens, watercolours etc.) 

Registration: 
This workshop is limited to 15 people maximum.  
Please email urbansketchershk@gmail.com. 

Successful applicants will be notified by USkHK and given a PayPal link to proceed to payment. 

The workshop fee will be HKD 300 per person. 
Please note that all payments are final once made via PayPal. There will be no refunds. #uskhk #usk10x10

The Ruins of Tintern Abbey 威爾斯一間修道院的廢墟

Another scanned sketch! The ruins of Tintern Abbey looked absolutely stunning under the sun on this sunny day. The shadows and lights cast on the ground were a joy to sketch.

另一張就係威爾斯畫的速寫。Tintern Abbey 已荒廢數百年，陽光普照的下午，光與影格外分明！

Wing Wah Cafe in Char Gwor Leng 茶果嶺榮華冰室

Slow sketching while having coke with lemon at an old Hong Kong style cafe in Char Gwor Leng which opened in 1962.

一邊飲凍檸樂，一邊在這間位於茶果嶺1962年開業的榮華冰室作畫。

Ap Lei Chau Harbour 鴨脷洲海港

Sketching the very narrow Ap Lei Chau Harbour and the crazy residential highrises near Aberdeen this afternoon.

今日下午嚟到鴨脷洲速寫，鴨脷洲海港狹窄，對岸住宅大廈奇高，背景係高山，可謂香港奇景。

Main Building, The University of Hong Kong 香港大學本部大樓

An ad hoc sketch meet up yesterday with a sketcher friend at the Main Building of the University of Hong Kong.

昨日在港大臨時拉夫同畫友速寫。 

Caernarfon Castle 北威爾斯一城堡

The third scanned sketch is Caernarfon Castle. It was a bright sunny afternoon and I really enjoyed sketching and chatting with visitors and locals at Caffi Maes there. I especially have to thank Kata Szekeres for your interest in my sketches and the photos you took of me sketching there.

當日下午北威爾斯陽光普照，我坐在Caernarfon Castle 前的咖啡室一邊速寫一邊飲下午茶。過程中認識了一位當地的攝影師朋友，她還幫我拍了很多照片。

Sketching in and around Alexandra Gardens in Cardiff 卡迪夫市中心 Alexandra Gardens 速寫

Another sketch scanned. It was a great day out at Cathays Park in Cardiff with Clara and Polly from Urban Sketchers South Wales. I really enjoyed sketching the historical elements there. So much to sketch that I decided to do a collage sketch in order to capture the ambience of this area. The first piece was the Welsh National Memorial which is located at the very centre of Alexandra Gardens. The second piece was the statue of Perseus holding Medusa's head displayed in the National Museum Cardiff and the third piece was a statue on the right side of the Glamorgan Building located on one side of the gardens.

英國之旅另一張速寫。當日與兩位南威爾斯速寫人，Polly 同 Clara 一同前往卡迪夫市中心 Alexandra Gardens 速寫。公園環境優美，四面皆是歷史建築，有大會堂、博物館、卡迪夫大學不同學院等等。我選擇畫一張拼合速寫，首先畫位於Alexandra Gardens正中心的威爾斯國立戰爭紀念碑，然後是卡迪夫博物館內希臘神話英雄Perseus手拿蛇髮女魔Medusa首級的銅像，最後是卡迪夫大學其中一座學院大樓的巨型石像。

Sai Kung Cows 西貢牛

Too hot to sketch outside, I stayed home and painted this while my two cats were taking their nap. I initailly started to paint these Sai Kung cows with lighter watercolours with a little bit of black ink. I then left the painting and ink on the table and went out for lunch. When I was back, there were black marks and dots on the painting thanks to one of my cats! I decided to use gouache and lots of black ink to repaint the painting. The mood completely changed!

* I used the same draft for this studio painting and the mural that I'm still working on in Sai Kung Town.

今日下午太熱，留在家中用水彩同墨水畫牛。上完水彩後出外食飯，返來發現畫上多了幾個墨水貓腳印！結果我用不透明水彩同大量黑墨水係畫上再上一次色。氣氛完全改變。

Cardiff Castle 卡迪夫城堡

The second scanned sketch is Cardiff Castle. It rained all afternoon that day. In order to avoid the rain, I stayed inside a sheltered wooden corridor up on the castle wall and sketched part of the castle and of course the rain.

第二張在英國畫的速寫是卡迪夫城堡。當日下午整天下雨，我躲在城牆木走廊內畫雨中的城堡。

Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff 卡迪夫市內的大教堂

It has been a while since I last posted.  Here comes the first sketch I did during my trip to the UK.  Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.  I was glad the sky was clear that day which cast interesting lights and shadows on the facade of the cathedral.

已經有一段時間冇貼文！今日首先貼的是在英國的頭一張速寫。這是位於威爾斯卡迪夫市的Llandaff Cathedral! 當日天氣良好，陽光照在大教堂正面牆壁，光影分明。

Hoi An Cafe 海安咖啡室

I arrived at Hoi An Cafe quite late and only managed to finish the sketch without putting any colour on it. I went home and coloured it before I forgot how it looked like and here's the result. Hoi An Cafe is one of the few remaining old Hong Kong style cafes which still retains its original decoration inside. Not spectacular but deifinitely nostalgic.

到達海安咖啡室已是下午兩點有多，畫完幅畫未上色但咖啡室要關門了，唯有回家趁未忘記畫面前上色。

Sham Shui Po Tenement Buildings 深水埗密集舊唐樓

I spent a few hours with a sketch friend at the top floor of the Pei Ho Street Municipal Building.  It offers spectacular view of the old tenement buildings in the Sham Shui Po district.  

今日下午與畫友前往深水埗北河街市政大廈頂樓速寫。 望向窗外，盡是深水埗密集舊唐樓。

Old Hong Kong Style Cafe in Mong Kok 老牌港式冰室「中國冰室」

A great afternoon spent in this rare old Hong Kong cafe in Mong Kok. By the time I finished, the sky had become very dark as the amber rainstorm warning was up.


第一次來到位於旺角廣東道的老牌港式冰室「中國冰室」，我安座貳樓騎樓邊，一邊飲蓮子冰一邊速寫，畫完時黃雨警告生效，街外面變得非常陰暗。

Sha Tau Kok San Lau Street 沙頭角新樓街

I went sketching with a few sketcher friends in the restricted area of Sha Tau Kok, the border between China and Hong Kong. Since tourists are rare and only a few thousand locals reside here , the whole area is particularly quiet.

與幾位畫友前往沙頭角禁區速寫，區內非常寧靜，遊客稀少，而且居民只有數千。

The Roman Baths in Bath 英格蘭巴庫市羅馬浴場

Time flies! It's almost a year ago that I visited the Roman Baths in Bath! It's fun to sketch the Great Bath and also the artifacts from the Roman Period inside the bath museum.

不經不覺是一年前的事了，我在Bath羅馬浴場寫生， 除了畫主浴場之外，還畫了博物館內古羅馬時期遺留下來的文物。

San Po Kong Factory District 新蒲崗工業區

Sketching the San Po Kong skyline. Once a vibrant factory district in Hong Kong from the sixties to eighties, now factory buildings here have become warehouses, art studios, offices and some are redeveloped as residential high rises.

曾幾何時新蒲崗是香港其中一個重要工業區，今日大部份工廠大廈已變成貨倉、寫字樓或畫室等，部份工廠大廈更重建為摩天住宅大廈。

Hong Kong Fire Engine Escape Ladder F36 香港消防雲梯車 F36

A very charming vehicle once used by the Royal Fire Services of Hong Kong before 1997, it started service in 1958 and retired in 1985. After retirement, the vehicle was once used as a hearse for those who passed away while fighting fires. The vehicle was manufactured by Dennis Specialist Vehicles in Britain and equipped with Rolls-Royce V8 engine. Apart from sketching the vehicle, I also included two emblems of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, one with the Crown of Queen Elizabeth II at the top while the other with the Bauhinia flower.

將軍澳消防學校內的博物館擺放了一架1958年出廠的消防雲梯車。出廠後消防車一直服役至1985年。消防車由英國丹尼士Dennis Specialist Vehicles所生產，配備勞斯萊斯V8引擎。退役後此消防雲梯車曾一度成為英勇救火不幸殉職消防員的靈車。除了畫消防車外，我亦畫了兩個不同時期的消防局鰴號，一個是香港主權移交前擁有英女王伊利沙伯二世的皇冠以及英獅手持東方之珠的鰴號，另一個是現時以洋紫荊花取代皇冠的鰴號。

Sketching the Orchids at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. 嘉道理農場蘭花溫室

The Beautiful Caribbean Flamingoes at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden 嘉道理農場美麗的紅鸛

The beautiful Caribbean Flamingoes at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, a generous donation to British Hong Kong from the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas.


嘉道理農場美麗的紅鸛乃是巴哈馬政府多年前送給英屬香港的禮物。 

Sketching at Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course 滘西洲哥爾夫球場速寫

A great day out with parents on the island of Kau Sai Chau. After the nice Mother's Day buffet at the cafe, I went out to sketch the wide vista of the golf course and a golf course car parked nearby. 

食完母親節自助餐，我行出大樓長廊畫哥爾夫球場廣闊嘅草坪，之後畫埋附近嘅一架哥爾夫球車。

Evening Sketch of An Old House in Sai Kung 黃昏畫西貢老大屋

A lady walked out from this house when I was half done and she said to me, "Don't sketch my house!" "Why? It's a beautiful house!" I said and tried to please her."No! It's my house. You cannot sketch it!" she said. What a pity that she didnt allow me to continue! I retreated to the other side of the road and behind the trees to quickly colour my sketch.

畫到半路，婦人從屋內出來，說我不能畫。我讚她這屋很美，想把它畫下來。她說不能，不要再畫了。真好惜！只好行過馬路對面一棵樹的後面快快上色畫埋佢。

Banyan Tree, Rocks, Tin Hau Temple and Victoria Harbour 天后廟、大石、大榕樹同維多利亞港

It was a fine sunny day at Sam Ka Village at the eastern entrance to Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.    The entwining roots of this banyan tree growing on the rocky cliff were a joy to sketch!  This Tin Hau Temple (Tin Hau is the goddess of the sea and is widely worshipped in Hong Kong) is also a special one as part of the temple actually stands in the water.  The temple, the rocks, the Banyan tree and the winding waterfront trail together they formed an interesting composition. 

今日同一班畫友前往鯉魚門三家村天后廟速寫。此天后廟特別之處在於佢身處維多利亞港東面鯉魚門入口，廟部份結構建在海上。天后廟旁邊大石上有一棵大榕樹，榕樹根系縱橫交錯。天后廟、大石、大榕樹同海邊小徑形成有趣的構圖。

Sketching Dim Sum 飲茶畫點心

A food sketch crawl at Yum Cha Restaurant in Central.  The bunny dumplings were cute and delicious.  By the time I finished the initial blocking, two of the four bunnies were already consumed!

第一次特登嚟飲茶畫點心。我對住一碟兔仔蝦餃坐，打好初稿，其中兩隻兔仔已經俾人食咗落肚，佢哋的確係好好食嘅。

Dukling the Only Remaining Wooden Fishing Boat of Its Kind in Hong Kong 鴨靈號捕魚船

Born in 1955, Dukling was once a fishing boat and a fisherman's home.  It's now the only remaining wooden fishing boat of this kind in Hong Kong.   Dukling has witnessed Hong Kong's changes for 60 years and now it has taken up a new role as a sigh-seeing cruise ship which travels around Victoria harbour.

鴨靈號1955年下水，本來是捕魚船隻。鴨靈號見證香港六十多年來的變化，今日鴨靈號已轉型為觀光船，每天接載遊客穿梭於維多利亞港。

Evening at Sai Kung Waterfront 西貢黃昏

Evening at Sai Kung Waterfront
西貢黃昏

Bath Abbey 英國Bath大教堂

This is another scanned sketch from my UK sketch trip in 2016. The square in front of the Bath Abbey (The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul) was filled with holiday makers. The facade of the abbey was brightly lit in the warm afternoon lights.

2016 英國之旅 在Bath畫的速寫。八月下午Bath大教堂廣場遊人處處，下午溫暖的陽光照射大教堂正面牆壁，令大教堂顯得格外輝煌。

Kai Yuen Street North Point 北角繼園街

Kai Yuen Street
North Point

北角繼園街

Diocesan Boys School 男拔萃書院

A wonderful sunny day after a night of rain! The cool lights and sharp shadows were fun to sketch. The huge tree (Flame of the Forest) gurading the front entrance of the school was so commanding that I simply had to draw it.

落了一場夜雨，今日天色晴朗，空氣一塵不染，光與影格外分明，實在係畫畫好日子。今日到訪男拔萃書院，見大門前一棵大鳳凰木，樹冠美麗，甚有氣勢，不畫不可。

Black Sugar Coffee, Peace Avenue 勝利道黑糖咖啡

Sketching at Black Sugar Coffee. Instead of sketching the inside, I sat outside of the cafe and sketched the reflection of the street including myself, a bit of the interior of the cafe through the entrance and the bended streetscape where the cafe is located.

我坐在何文田一間咖啡室外，嘆咖啡，慢畫咖啡室玻璃場上街道及自己的倒影、咖啡室入口暖紅的燈光、以及咖啡室外刻意扭曲的街道景色。