US Destroyer in Victoria Harbour 美艦泊維港

USS Curtis Wilbur guided missile destroyer docking at Ocean Terminal, Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong 

Hong Kong Fishing Boats 香港漁船

A nice day sketching at the Hong Kong Museum of History!  A quick collage sketch of the early Hong Kong fishing boats there.  

Eslite Spectrum Tsim Sha Tsui Store 誠品生活尖沙咀店

A fun sketch session with a group of happy urban sketchers inside the cozy Eslite Spectrum Tsim Sha Tsui Store. I chose this particular spot where I could sketch the rows of bookshelves on the left , the people reading right in front of me and the Victoria Harbour outside the window.

一班速寫人共聚尖沙咀誠品。 我安坐牆邊，畫了眼前書櫃，讀者與維多利亞港海景。

Sketching Hong Kong Skyline in Eslite Bookshop 誠品畫維港

I went back to sketch the city skyline once more but this time in the comfort of the air-conditioned Eslite Bookshop in Star House.  The moving summer clouds against the intense skyline was a great sight to sketch.  Things changed so much throughout the decades!  The only thing in the sketch that remains the same for decades is the Star Ferry, which has been serving Hong Kong for more than a hundred years. 

再畫維港風光。今次躲在尖沙咀誠品，不怕夏日炎炎。盛夏雲與藍天，配襯維港山脊與摩天大廈，慢慢畫。時光飛逝，維港景色變不停，萬變中不變，唯天星小輪。

The Clock Tower, The Freedom Fighter and the Hong Kong Skyline 鐵路鐘樓、自由戰士與維港風光

I sat down under the shades of a row of trees on this fine hot day and sketched the spectacular view in front of me. On the right,  I sketched the remaining old clock tower of the long-gone Kowloon Canton Railway Terminal.  In front of the tower is the sculpture of the Freedom Fighter by the French sculptor César Baldaccini, donated by the Foundation of Cartier to the Hong Kong Urban Council in 1991.  To avoid political controversy,  the council decided to rename it as the Flying Frenchman which I think was a wrong decision.   And across Victoria Harbour, the skyline of Hong Kong Island.

烈日當空，樹下作畫。背景是維港對岸摩天大廈及山脊線，右面畫了原為九廣鐵路總站大樓一部份的鐘樓。鐘樓前有青銅雕塑「自由戰士」。雕塑於1991年由卡地亞基金會送贈當時的市政局。作者是César Baldaccini。可惜市政局為被免爭議，把雕塑改名為「翱翔的法國人」。

Sketching in a Jazz Concert 爵士音樂會速寫

Great jazz music at G&V Music Cafe, Tsim Sha Tsui

動聽的爵士音樂，尖沙嘴 G&V Music Cafe

Hong Kong Museum of History: Hakka Houses 香港歷史博物館: 客家民居

The second sketch at the Hong Kong Museum of History, Hakka houses with rattan baskets

係香港歷史博物館畫嘅第二將速寫，客家民居同籐籃。

Hong Kong Museum of History: Boat of Early Boat Dwellers 香港歷史博物館: 水上人艇仔

As the temperature plummeted in Hong Kong to below 7 degrees Celsius, members of Urban Sketchers Hong Kong decided to find an indoor venue to sketch today!  

In the warm indoors of Hong Kong Museum of History, I did three quick sketches.  Here's the first one, a real boat placed in the first hall of the "Hong Kong Story" section，together with a clay pot for preparing herbal medicine and a line of salted fish.  

氣溫急降，寒風凜凜，香港速寫人走入香港歷史博物館速寫避寒。下午我共畫咗三張速寫，第一張係以前水上人住嘅艇仔、鹹魚同砂煲。

St Andrew's Church 聖安得烈堂

The oldest English speaking Protestant church in Kowloon, the St Andrew's Church.

聖安得烈堂係九龍最悠久嘅英語基督教堂。

The Peninsula 半島酒店

With the presence of the bamboo art installation, the whole composition became much more interesting. 

From Wikipedia:
The Peninsula Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港半島酒店), located in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong, is the flagship property of the The Peninsula Hotels group. Opened in 1928, and expanded in 1994, the hotel combines colonial and modern elements, and is notable for its large fleet of Rolls-Royces painted the distinctive "Peninsula green".

前景竹做嘅裝置藝術同主角半島酒店相映成趣！
維基百科:
半島酒店（英文：The Peninsula Hong Kong），為香港上海大酒店有限公司（港交所：0045）的旗艦酒店，亦是集團首間命名為「半島」的酒店，位於九龍尖沙咀梳士巴利道22號，是香港現存歷史最悠久的酒店，也是全球最著名及最豪華的酒店之一，為一家六星級酒店。基於其極為珍貴的歷史及建築價值，酒店建築被古物古蹟辦事處評審為一級歷史建築。

Sketching at a Wedding Banquet 婚宴寫生

I attended a wedding banquet this afternoon on an outdoor terrace located on the 16th floor of a high rise mall, high above the busy street in the city centre.  As the jolly banquet came to an end, I stayed behind and quickly sketched the cityscape behind the glass balustrade.

今日前往 the One 十六樓 Garden Terrace 赴會好友婚宴，婚宴後走到 Garden Terrace 北面玻璃圍欄向下望。景色不錯，便坐下速畫。

Quick Sketch Before Dinner 餐前速寫

This sketch was done hastily while I was waiting for a friend at the cafe of the Tsim Sha Tsui YMCA Hostel. 

餐前等朋友時速畫餐桌上的餐牌杯碟.

Hawker Selling Medicinal Plants 新填地街草藥攤販

A practice painting based on a photo taken at a street market at Reclamation Street. 練習作品：新填地街草藥攤販

Taking a Rest at Kowloon Park 下午小休

I happened to pass through Kowloon Park this afternoon.  Knowing that the roses are all in bloom at the Colour Garden, I went there and took a rest.  Sitting down, I noticed the visitors next to me made good sketching subject!   And here's the result of the quick sketch!

路經九龍公園玫瑰園，坐下休息時速畫身邊的遊人。

The Dolce & Gabanna Protest in Hong Kong D&G 門口萬人影相活動

D&G 門口萬人影相活動
用當日影的相組合而畫成！

I went to this protest against Dolce & Gabanna Hong Kong on 8 January. This sketch is based on the photos I took on site. Thousands of furious Hongkongnese participated. Below is a note written by a local critic in order to explain what is actually happening in Hong Kong.

Outrageous racism of D&G shop and the Tsimshatsui mall in Kong Kong, reported by the popular and daring Apple Daily of Hong Kong. The D&G (Dolce & Gabbana) shop in Hong Kong didn't allow Hongkongers to take photos in the public area in the street outside the shop. Camera was covered by the security guard. The guard in the mall told the reporter that local Hong Kong residents are not welcome to visit as they only expect luxury goods buyers from the communist governed mainland China to come. Tourists from communist China are obviously allowed to take photos in the public street area outside the shop. Lawyers told the press that this is infringement of public access and human rights. The reporter came to test the shop and the mall in Tsimshatsui, as a follow-up action of readers' complaints.

If you are not luxury goods buyers from Communist China, or if you are not prepared to buy as rampantly as the communist buyers do, please think twice before you come to visit Hong Kong, which is now a place contaminated with communist racism, greed and bad manners of luxury outlets. We Hongkongers regret to tell you this, but as our SAR Hong Kong government is dwarfed by the communist Chinese government in Peking (Beijing), who claim to be the most powerful nation next to the USA, we can only treat you well when Hong Kong regains its autonomy. Thank you for your time in reading this, and we feel sorry for it. (drafted by Chan Wan, cultural critic of Hong Kong)

Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower Now and Then 尖沙咀鐘樓古與今

Time to compare two pieces of work here.  First, a quick sketch I did today at a friend's office on the 15th floor of Star House, Tsim Sha Tsui.  The clock tower together with its railway terminus was completed in 1916.  Sadly, the whole terminus was demolished in 1977 and only the clock tower was preserved. Below is a watercolour painting I did based on a black and white photo taken around the sixties, should also be taken on one of the top floors of Star House as Star House was built in 1963, 14 years before the railway station was demolished.  The station was of Edwardian Baroque style and was designed by British architect Brigadier General Arthur Benison Hubback (1871-1948), who also designed a number of public buildings in Malaysia.

第一張作品是今日在星光行十五樓朋友寫子樓內畫的。鐘樓連同尖沙嘴火車站大樓建於1916年。可惜到了1977年火車站就拆了，只有鐘樓保留下來。下面的水彩作品就根據一張攝於六十年代的黑白照畫的。星光行建於1963年, 可以肯定照片都是從星光行高處拍攝的。 整個尖沙嘴火車站是愛得華建築風格而建築師是英人Brigadier General Arthur Benison Hubback (1871-1948)。他的作品還有多座馬來西亞公共建築物。

Chinese New Year Fireworks Display and Its Aftermath 煙花盛放 及 煙花後 虛幻維港

A huge crowd of people gathered at the top of the Ocean Terminal at Tsim Sha Tsui during the annual Chinese New Year firework display.  This year's display lasted for a good 25 minutes! Spectacular indeed!

After the display, people started leaving, Victoria Harbour suddenly became surreal as thick smoke refused to disperse and was hanging in mid-air, partly blocking the skyscrapers.  The harbour was unusually quiet and smooth as boats were not yet allowed to re-enter the harbour.

Chinese Banyan Trees at Park Lane, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong 彌敦道與細葉榕

The majestic Chinese Banyan Trees framing this section of Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui! The sculptural forms of their trunks and branches and their plentiful aerial roots are always great to look at! I was at the time sitting on the second floor of a McDonalds Restaurant, having a Cheeseburger and was immediately captivated by the canopies of these trees!

Two Quick Sketches at Kowloon Park, Hong Kong

A towering residential block as seen from Kowloon Park, Hong Kong


Watching and Feeding Pigeons

Kowloon Canton Railway Terminal in the Sixties, Tsim Sha Tsui

Watercolour on Paper